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Kopi (), also known as Nanyang coffee, is a traditional coffee beverage found in several nations. Often brewed to be highly caffeinated, it is commonly served with sugar and/or milk-based condiments. The drink originated during the British Malaya era and has Hainanese cultural roots. Its name is derived from the Malay language for coffee. The term Nanyang, which means "south sea" in Mandarin Chinese, refers to Southeast Asia. Kopi-culture vocabulary is grounded in the Hokkien language as a result of historical immigration to Southeast Asia from the Minnan region of Fujian Province, in southeastern China. The beverage is usually served in coffee shops, , and Kopi tiam across the region.
In Singapore, kopi is recognized as culturally significant and part of everyday diet and lifestyle. Singapore coffee is distinct from other types due to its roasting process and preparation technique involving a variation of the Torrefacto method. Concerns over the elevation of diabetes cases have caused the creation of government-led nationwide campaigns in Singapore to reduce sugar intake, especially with regard to sweet drinks or drinks that add large amounts of sugar, such as kopi. The significance of kopi in Singapore's culture can be explored in greater detail in the country's kopi museum.
Kopi is a Malay term and is used in conjunction with different Chinese languages, including Hokkien, Cantonese and Mandarin. In Singapore, there are at least 54 core variations of Kopi with different customisation on sugar, temperature and thickness. These terms are recognised in hawkers and coffee shops nationally.
The terms used to order these variations in Singapore, along with their respective meanings, can be found below.
In addition to local variations, there are also diverse overseas combinations and variations of Kopi. This includes Yuenyeung (鸳鸯) or Kopi Cham which is a mixture of coffee and tea popular in Malaysia and Hong Kong. Kopi is also otherwise known as Nanyang coffee. Nanyang means 'South Sea' in Mandarin, and usually references to Southeast Asia.
Younger generations of Singaporeans have created modern twists and recipes involving Kopi. An example is Coffee Break at Amoy Street that offers Almond Ginger Kopi which embodies a spicy and nutty flavor. This depicts an existing progression away from the traditional methods of preparing Kopi in Singapore.
This left the Hainanese at an employment disadvantage compared to earlier arrivals like the Hoklo people, Teochew people and Cantonese people, who had already entrenched themselves into industries like commerce and agriculture, due to aid from exclusivist clan associations. The Hainanese were a small group, unable to communicate easily with other Chinese groups due to language barriers and were both illiterate and poor. These circumstances forced them into the service sector, where they found work as rubber tapers, waiters, and more popularly, cooks and domestic servants in rich European and Peranakan households.
From the late 1920s to early 1930s, the economic downturn incentivized the Hainanese to turn to the hotel, bar and restaurant landscape due to lower rental rates. The competition from Cantonese people single women immigrants and reduction of British and Peranakan families after World War II also impacted the viability of remaining in the services sector. Thus, the Hainanese relied upon their culminated culinary and personal service skills, and increasingly ventured into setting up their own coffeeshops or Kopi tiam from the 1920s to 1950s. The support from the Hainanese association members aided this successful transition.Low, C. G. (1983). Chinese Dialect Groups. On Oral History Centre MP3. Singapore: National Archives of Singapore. It is recognized that the Hainanese community played a pioneering and pivotal role in the emergence of the kopitiam culture in Singapore. It was through these Hainanese kopitiams that distinctive techniques of roasting and brewing coffee were created, and Kopi along with its variations in Singapore was birthed.
During the Japanese Occupation, black market traders often used coffee shops to sell rice, salt and sugar to the public. By mid-1944, tighter restrictions and increased scarcity forced most coffee shops to close. The remaining only offered Kopi without sugar and milk. This meant consumption and availability of Kopi O greatly reduced.Key events also shaped the Kopi landscape in late 1900s Singapore, affecting the price, availability and consumption.
The rapid trend of buying kopitiams in Singapore began in 1988. A direct effect of a change in policy, that enabled privatization of ownership of kopitiams previously under the Housing Development Board. Kopitiams became attractive property investments. This caused the prices of kopitiam properties for sale and resale to rise sharply. The result also encompassed the practice of selling new purchases to another owner, who would then renovate the place to justify increased rents onto the tenants. Another pattern of holding the kopitiam for short periods of time and selling them off to make money quickly also emerged.
The overarching economic result directly impacting stallholders and consumers, was an exponential growth in food and rent prices. Examples included increases of rent by S$1000, a 30% to 70% hike in prices of dishes, and a close to 100% increase in price for a cup of Kopi. In 2006, the price of a Kopi O rose from 60 cents to 70 cents. Similarly, in 2016, due to increased rent and labor costs, kopi prices rose to $1.30, which caused unhappiness in patrons.
The reactions of the public towards raised Kopi prices – writing complaint letters to The Straits Times and involving The Consumers Association of Singapore – serve as evidence with regard to the constant of Kopi in Singapore's food culture and the integral role it plays in the everyday lifestyles of Singapore residents.
Coffee was first planted in Sabah during the administration of British North Borneo, concentrated mainly in the area of the east coast on the forest reserve near mangrove areas with the coffea arabica variety. However, due to a severe outbreak of disease, the plantation efforts were initially abandoned by 1910. Since then, coffee production was concentrated in the west coast area. Tenom received attention when the British North Borneo Chartered Company (BNBCC) established coffee and other plantations in the area. To take the resources to major towns, a railway line from Melalap to Jesselton (now Kota Kinabalu) was built by the British in the late 1890s. To increase the coffee production, many labourers from China, mainly those of Hakka people and Cantonese people descent were brought to Tenom by the British as local workforce. Today, Tenom is widely known as an agriculture site with large coffee production and has been dubbed as the "Sabah's coffee capital". Due to its large demand from other countries since 2010s, the government began to help to address the shortage of raw coffee supply in Tenom.
There are also commercialized outlets that specialize in the Singapore traditional breakfast and Kopi. The household names include:
An initiative by NTUC FairPrice and Kopitiam that began in 2019, continues to provide Kopi at discounted prices of $0.50 for Singaporeans part of the Pioneer and Merdeka generations, and the NTUC Union. A regular cup of Kopi usually costs around $0.90 to $1.60 at Kopitiam outlets.
National brands such as BreadTalk produce their own instant Kopi products. Instant Kopi can also be found in local supermarkets. The brands which provide traditional Kopi variations such as Kopi-O include Old Town, OWL, Gold Kili, Aik Cheong and Ah Huat.
More than 80% of the coffee-shops were run by Hainan people and Fuzhou people, but they were often patronized by members of other communities such as Malays and Indian people. The main consumers of Kopi at these coffee-shops were men. This was partly due to the small population of women Immigration, and the cultural expectation for them to remain at home or in their quarters.
Another reason was the nature of Kopi tiam in colonial Singapore, which served as recreation venues for men, gambling dens, and meeting places for secret society members. The prevalence of Prostitution and Call girl at the kopitiams also discouraged women from sitting around.
This beverage is often paired with a traditional Singapore breakfast which consists of kaya and butter on charcoal-grilled toast, paired with two Boiled egg eggs. Kaya is an egg jam combined with coconut milk and sugar. The Hainan people version is brown in color due to the use of caramelized sugar. The Peranakan version is instead green in color due to the infusion of Pandanus leaves. Both types are equally prevalent in Singapore. The breakfast holds links to the British style of breakfast and was popularized by the Hainanese.
- Organized by The Straits Times and supported by DBS Bank.
- Held on 4 to 6 August
- Consists of merchants ranging from cafes to retail shops and workshops.
- Organized by the Singapore Coffee Association (SCA) for farmers to promote their to the regional and Singapore market.
- Organized by Montgomery Asia Pte Ltd
- A convention for all supply chain participants in the coffee and tea industry to congregate, showcase and network
Singapore coffee-related competitions :
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