Ipoh White Coffee (Malaysian White Coffee)
Origin: Malaysia (Ipoh) | Prep: 3 minutes | Brew: 5 minutes
About This Brew
Ipoh White Coffee comes from the tin-mining town of Ipoh, where Hainanese coffee-shop owners developed a distinctive roasting style. Unlike standard Nanyang coffee, which is roasted with both margarine and sugar, 'white' coffee beans are roasted in palm-oil margarine alone, with no sugar. That gives a lighter-coloured roast (hence 'white', or 'pak' in Cantonese) that is smooth and intensely caramelised without the burnt bitterness of darker roasts.
Brewed strong and served with sweetened condensed milk, the result is full-bodied, creamy and remarkably mellow, with a nutty, toffee-like sweetness and only a hint of smoky edge. It has become one of Malaysia's most famous coffee exports, sold worldwide in instant 3-in-1 sachets, but a freshly brewed cup in an old Ipoh kopitiam remains the definitive experience.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Ipoh white coffee (margarine-roasted) grounds, or smooth medium-dark roast
- 2-3 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
- Hot water
Equipment Needed
- Cloth coffee sock or fine strainer
- Cup
Instructions
- Brew the coffee strong through a cloth sock or fine strainer.
- Add condensed milk to a cup.
- Pour the hot coffee over the condensed milk and stir until creamy.
- Serve hot, or over ice for iced white coffee.
Tags: Southeast Asia · Hot · Easy
