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Malaysia's Unique Coffee Culture

08/10/2020
by coffees.gr

Roasting rare coffees with butter and sugar.

Coffee is the most popular beverage in the world - and this is one of the reasons why it takes so many different forms, often reflecting the culture, tradition, gastronomy and living conditions of each people. Knowing how a people drinks their coffee, we take a quick look at its history and daily life. This week, we will try to get to know, always through coffee, a small exotic country: Malaysia.

Malaysia is a multinational, island nation in Southeast Asia. Although in the Western world it is known mainly as an exotic tourist destination, due to its beautiful landscapes, Malaysia is a country with a rich history, very interesting gastronomy and a truly unique coffee culture.

 

Liberica Coffee: The Hidden Secret of Malaysia

Although the importation of coffee into Malaysia is a very old affair, dating back to the time of Dutch colonialism in the region, Malaysia (unlike neighboring Indonesia) has never been able to become a significant force in the field of coffee production. Although it belongs to the "coffee zone", so the climatic conditions favor its cultivation, the low altitude of the country is not suitable for the cultivation of Arabica coffee, which needs high altitudes to thrive.

The solution was found, almost by chance: when, in the 19th century, the "Coffee Rust" fungus almost destroyed Indonesia's Arabica plantations, the solution was found in the introduction of a forgotten variety of coffee: Liberica coffee.

Liberica coffee is an endemic type of coffee in West Africa (Uganda, Liberia, Angola). It is less complex than Arabica, it produces larger beas, but its yield is lower and its caffeine content is low. For these reasons, Liberica coffee now accounts for less than 1% of world coffee production, and has been almost permanently marginalized in its native Africa. The main producers of Liberica in the world are the Philippines and of course Malaysia, which holds the lead.


Roasting coffee using sugar & butter

Because of the special coffee it produced, Malaysia has developed over the years a really different coffee culture. As it produced almost exclusively Liberica coffee, but also Robusta, the locals exhausted their ingenuity in order to improve the "flat" taste of the local coffee.

In general, like almost all Asians, Malaysians love filter extraction, generously adding sugar and milk. Malaysian coffee is initially roasted like any other coffee, but when the beans cool, it is time for the second stage. The beans are roasted exhaustively, until they become extremely dark, while in the process, plenty of sugar and butter (or, in lower quality coffees, margarine) are added.

The coffee is roasted for many minutes with sugar and butter, something that endows it with strong aromas of caramel, smoke and roasting, until it acquires a tar-like appearance. Then, it is dried, cut into pieces and ground, at which point it is ready to be extracted like filter coffee.


Three generations meet at the kopitiam

The Malaysian coffee culture revolves around kopitiam, ie cafes and coffee shops. Malaysian cafes are usually shops that open from early in the morning until late at night, serving breakfast, light meals and of course kopi, the traditional Malaysian coffee.

Kopitiam are places where one can see all the generations and all the social strata of Malaysian society. It is not uncommon for older grandparents to frequent the same kopitiam with their teenage grandchildren, as these shops are rarely supra-local, and are usually aimed at people in the neighborhood. Although there are more modern and contemporary kopitiam, due to the tourist development of Malaysia, most are simple and traditional, with the main attraction for their customers the taste of coffee and not the sophisticated decorationη.

 

The search for a unique cup of coffee never stops - even if we have to get to the edge of the world, to exotic Malaysia.