Coffee & Tea combined, on an icy Ais Kopi Cham

Το δίλημμα "καφές ή τσάι" παίρνει τέλος με έναν Ais Kopi Cham.

In Greece it is a fact that we especially love iced coffees, since our summer coffee culture always revolved around an enjoyable, iced cold drink. But as much as we love our "national" summer coffee, Freddo Espresso, there are times when we are looking for something different. How about an Ais Kopi Cham?

Coffee with our strange name comes from distant Malaysia, a country with a rich and completely special coffee culture. Malaysian coffee is roasted with butter and sugar, and the result is a heavy coffee, with strong aromas of caramel, tobacco and roast. To reduce its bitterness, Malaysians use sugary milk generously, while local drinks mix it with a host of ingredients, such as black tea, which locals are also avid drinkers.

Ais Kopi Cham combines strong coffee, sweetened condensed milk and black tea, and as strange as it sounds to Western tastes, it is refreshing, thirsty and original - and if you try it, it might become your favorite coffee for this summer.

What do we need for an Ais Kopi Cham?

1 cup strong coffee
1 glass of water
2 tablespoons strong black tea
200 grams of sweetened condensed milk
Ice cubes

How is Ais Kopi Cham prepared?

Extract the tea: boil the water, add the tea leaves and leave on low heat for 3-4 minutes.
Add the sweetened milk, boil for another 3-4 minutes
Strain and discard the tea leaves
Once it cools, we pour our coffee, in the ratio we want.
Leave to cool, and then put in the fridge for a while
Serve with plenty of ice


Tips for refreshing Ais Kopi Cham

Malaysia has a distinct coffee culture, with particularly dark and roasted coffees that are hard to find. We use a strong Asian coffee, such as New York Monorigini Java from Indonesia or Cosmai Raja from India, for an authentic taste.
Beware of caffeine: Ais Kopi Cham is very strong, as black tea also contains a lot of caffeine.
The locals prepare it by extracting a filter, but it can also be prepared with a double espresso.
Sugared milk is widely used in Asian coffees, as it sweetens strong Asian coffee, but also offers a creamy texture. If we do not like it, we use common milk, but the result is quite different.
We can use whatever coffee / tea ratio we want. It is good to start with a 50/50 ratio and experiment, in order to reach the result that will satisfy us.
We do not over-brew the tea (either in excess of time or in temperature) because it will make our drink bitter and destroy the taste.
It goes without saying that this particular preparation can also be warm, for the winter months! In this case, after mixing, just serve immediately.
It is a drink suitable both for breakfast and for a hot summer afternoon.
We use good tea with a strong taste, which will not be lost when mixed with milk and coffee.


If you want to travel to Malaysia, a strong coffee, some strong tea, sweetened condensed milk and lots and lots of ice will suffice.