Your one-stop infographic for ordering coffee in Singapore.
Copy me, copy you, kopi see
“Kopi” in Malay means “Coffee”
My personal favourite is Kopi C. A coffee made with carnation milk instead of condensed milk. The carnation milk is a brand of tinned evaporated milk which is less thick and sweet compared to evaporated milk.
Kopi Chart
| Name | Meaning | Equivalent |
| Kopi-0 | Black Coffee with Sugar | Long Black with Sugar Added |
| Kopi | Black Coffee with Condensed Milk | None – The condensed milk is very sweet |
| Kopi C | Black Coffee with Evaporated Milk and sugar | None |
| Kopi Kosong | Black Coffee without sugar or milk | Long Black – no added sugar |
| Kopi Gah Dai | Black Coffee with extra condensed milk | None – very sweet! |
| Kopi Siew Dai | Coffee with Condensed Milk but less sugar | None |
| Kopi O Siew Dai | Black Coffee with less sugar | Long Black – about half a teaspoon to a teaspoon of sugar |
| Kopi Po | Coffee with Condensed Milk but weaker (they add more water) | None |
| Kopi O Po | Black Coffee with Sugar but weaker (they add more water) | Americano with sugar and hot water added |
| Kopi Gau | Strong Coffee with Condensed Milk | None |
| Kopi O Gau | Strong Black Coffee with Sugar | Like a triple expresso with sugar |
| Kopi Di Lo | Coffee Extra Thick | None |
| Kopi Sua | Double Order of Same Coffee | None |
| Kopi Peng | Iced Coffee with Condensed Milk | None |
| Kopi O Peng | Iced Black Coffee with sugar | Iced Americano |
| Kopi Gau Peng | Strong Iced Coffee with Condensed Milk | None |
| Kopi O Gau Peng | Strong Black Coffee with Sugar | Iced Triple Expresso with Sugar |
| Kopi Kosong Peng | Iced black coffee without sugar | Iced Americano without Sugar |
| Kopi Gau Kosong Peng | Iced Strong Black coffee without Sugar or milk | Iced triple expresso without sugar |
Kopi Terms
- O – Black with Sugar (pronounced as a short version of “Awe”). From Hokkien dialect.
- C – With Evaporated Milk; like a latte – a lot more milk than regular coffee (pronounced “See”). Means “Fresh” in Hainanese dialect.
- Kosong – Without Sugar or Milk. “Kosong” in Malay Language means “Empty”
- Gah Dai – With Extra Condensed Milk (pronounced as Ga – Die). From Hock Chew (fu-zhou) dialect.
- Xiu Dai – With Less Sugar (pronounced as Seeyou-Die). From Hock Chew (fu-zhou) dialect.
- Po – Thinner/Weaker. From Hokkien dialect.
- Gau – Stronger (pronounced a mix between “gow” and “cow”). From Hokkien dialect.
- Di Lo – In Hokkien Dialect means “Pour All The Way”
- Sua – In Chinese Hokkien Dialect means “Follow”
- Peng – Iced. From Hokkien dialect
Example:
If you want thinner iced black coffee with sugar, you’ll say: Coffee + Black + Thinner + Ice = Kopi O Po Peng
The above works for tea as well. Replace Kopi (Coffee) with Teh (Tea).
How To Order Kopi Like A Pro
A fantastic infographic by Farkhansalleh-d4eejlo
Kopi taboa Traditional Coffee Takeaway
Another very cool infographic by Vanessa Poh
Do check out the Forest Collective uniquely Singaporean Kopi temporary tattoos:
I also need to learn this! 😛
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