A generation ago, when Malaysians still talked to most of their neighbors, they would often invite each other over for coffee and a chat. Today, Malaysians tend to have coffee at Kopitiams (Cafeterias) or in restaurants or coffee shops like Starbucks and Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Coffee at the local shops can be as cheap as RM 1(30 cents), but as expensive as RM 15 for a specialty coffee at Starbucks or the Coffee Bean.
Malaysia has their own style of offering coffee. Below are a few of the most common coffee options.
Kopi is the standard coffee and includes sugar and milk-often sweetened condensed milk is the additive.
Kopi-O is coffee without milk (sugar is still included).
Kopi kosong (plain) is without sugar (milk is still included).
Kopi-O-kaw is unsweetened black coffee.
Kopi-C has unsweetened evaporated milk.
Kopi-peng will get you an iced Kopi (or you can order Ais Kopi).
You can also order Kopi panas (hot) or ais (iced).
You can also order tea (teh) the same way as coffee. It’s quite surprising that people aren’t fat here considering how much sugar they enjoy in their coffees.
My experiences as an expat in Malaysia is that every group you join has weekly or monthly coffees to socialize. In Mont' Kiara where I live, they congregate at the Coffee Bean where there is always a line out the door.
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| Kopi |
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| Kopi (notice the condensed milk at the bottom) |
