Once upon a time, ordering coffee in Malaysia was fairly straightforward.
Kopi.
Kopi O.
Kopi C.
Today?
Someone may ask you about: the beans, the roast, the origin, the processing method and whether you want them brewed through a V60 (a manual pour-over coffee).
Coffee has become more than caffeine. For a growing community, it is an:
experience.
That is particularly visible this weekend as coffee-focused events and cafés draw enthusiasts around Klang Valley.
But the more interesting story is what the café has become.
For some people, it is an office. For others, a meeting place. For others still, finding new cafés has become: the weekend activity itself. That helps explain why independent roasters, speciality cafés and increasingly sophisticated home-brewing equipment have found an audience. It also reflects a wider lifestyle shift.
We increasingly want ordinary things to become:
experiences. Coffee is no longer necessarily something you drink before doing something else. Going for coffee is the thing you’re doing.
ET TAKEAWAY
Malaysia hasn’t abandoned kopi tiam culture. We’ve simply added another layer to it. You can still pay a few ringgit for kopi, or spend 15 minutes discussing the tasting notes of a single-origin bean.
Somehow, both feel very Malaysian.
