Ipoh White Coffee: What Is It + Bonus Recipe

I recently visited a Vietnamese restaurant, which introduced me to the phin and the bold flavour of Vietnamese coffee. After becoming enamoured of this style of coffee brewing, I discovered Ipoh white coffee.

Home Grounds team has tried out this recipe a couple of times now, and we’ve struck the perfect balance of sweetness and boldness. Read on to learn more about this unique coffee from Malaysia, its history, and how to make it.

Ipoh White Coffee History

Ipoh white coffee was born out of the need to bridge a cultural divide to do business (1). During the early twentieth century, Perak, Malaysia, was a booming tin-mining state, and many companies set up shop in Ipoh, Perak’s capital.

The art of doing business and networking with these companies required the Hainanese immigrants to schmooze with affluent Westerners, which meant drinking the coffee. But the Western coffee needed a bit of tweaking to fit the Malaysian culture and palate.

Soon, traditional Malaysian kopi started popping up in coffee shops, and Ipoh white coffee quickly became the city’s specialty. As a result, Lonely Planet has named Ipoh one of Asia’s top three coffee towns (2).

What Is Malaysian Kopi?

Malaysian kopi is a blend of robusta and liberica coffee beans, which are double-roasted to bring out more caramelized flavours (3). This double-roasting process is what gives Malaysian kopi its characteristic flavour profile.

First, the coffee beans are roasted normally. Coffee roasters use a city to full city roast to give the coffee beans the perfect balance of acidity and full-bodied richness. Because robusta and liberica coffee beans can have earthy, fruity, and floral notes, some roasters opt for darker roasts.

Next, the flavour of the beans is enhanced by roasting them a second time in a wok combined with margarine and sugar. Sometimes this mixture contains sesame seeds and ghee. It’s roasted till it takes on the colour of deep caramel.

This coffee mixture is poured onto trays, dried into slabs, and crushed into fine caramelized instant coffee powder – the base for traditional Malaysian kopi.

The caramel and nutty flavours of Malaysia kopi are an excellent base for many southeast Asian coffee drinks.

For even more coffee recipes for your afternoon coffee pick-me-up, peruse our exhaustive list of various coffee drinks from around the world.

Related:

• Vietnamese iced coffee (aka cafe sua da)
• Kopi Sanger
• Thai (oliang) iced coffee
• Black Tie coffee recipe
• Nanyang Coffee recipe

What Is Ipoh White Coffee?

Ipoh white coffee is traditional Malaysian kopi sweetened with a spoonful of condensed milk. This canned milk has a creamy mouthfeel and tastes like sweet milk with a hint of vanilla and just a hint of nutty richness.

The term “white coffee” is a bit of a misnomer because the colour of this brewed coffee isn’t actually white. Its name comes from the literal translation of the Chinese phrase used to describe this type of coffee, in which the “white” part refers to the milk.

Ipoh White Coffee Recipe

Though the ingredients are simple, the technique is the key to holding this drink together. Using the Vietnamese phin produces a coffee with a bold flavour and full-bodied mouthfeel that stands up well to the condensed milk.

Because Malaysian kopi is a regional specialty, you may not be able to find it locally. Our white coffee recipe uses ghee and dark brown sugar to mimic the buttery, sweet, and caramelized flavour of traditional kopi.

A few notes:

• Use a darker roast coffee to mimic the bold flavour of kopi. For the most authentic flavour, stick to robusta and liberica coffee beans if you can find them.
• Special equipment you’ll need is a Vietnamese phin coffee maker

How to Make Malaysian Ipoh White Coffee

Though the ingredients are simple, the technique is the key to holding this drink together. Using the Vietnamese phin produces a coffee with a bold flavour and full-bodied mouthfeel that stands up well to the condensed milk.

Because Malaysian kopi is a regional specialty, you may not be able to find it locally. Our white coffee recipe uses ghee and dark brown sugar to mimic the buttery, sweet, and caramelized flavour of traditional kopi.

1. Prep Your Serving Mug

Place two tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk in a 175 ml serving mug. While this is the recommended serving size, feel free to vary it according to what you like.

2. Brew Your Coffee

Set your Vietnamese phin over your serving mug. Place four tablespoons of finely ground coffee into the brew chamber of the phin, spreading them so they’re evenly distributed. Place the metal filter over the coffee bed, gently pour 175 ml of hot water over your grounds, and cap it to trap the heat.

3. Make A Simple Syrup

Place one cup of water into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Then add one cup of dark brown sugar and stir well to dissolve.

4. Assembly

To assemble your white coffee, add half a tablespoon of simple syrup into the mug of brewed coffee and stir. If you’re adding ghee, stir in a teaspoon at a time. The finished white coffee should be slightly buttery, with a syrupy-creamy mouthfeel, and bold, caramelized, flavours.

Final Thoughts

Ipoh white coffee is a deliciously buttery and sweet drink that complements any decadent coffee cake or Malaysian specialties like curry mee and nasi lemak.

Have you tried it? Let us know in the comments if you followed our recipe.