From Kopi to Cold Brew

My grandfather never talked about coffee the way I do.

For him, coffee was simply kopi. It came in a small cup from the neighbourhood kopitiam, dark, sweet, strong, and usually accompanied by breakfast. He never asked where the beans came from or what tasting notes were hiding underneath the roast. He just knew whether it was good.

I remember watching him drink it slowly, usually while reading the newspaper or chatting with whoever happened to be nearby. At the time, I never thought much about it. Coffee was just part of his morning.

Now, my coffee looks rather different.

I find myself ordering flat whites, cold brews, and single-origin coffees. I can spend far too long deciding what I want to try next, and I have become much more interested in where my beans come from and how they are roasted.

Sometimes I wonder what my grandfather would make of it.

The funny thing is, I don’t think our tastes are as different as they seem. He loved having coffee as part of his daily ritual. I do too. The cup has changed, but the comfort hasn’t.

That became particularly clear to me when I started exploring Singapore’s local coffee roasters. Visiting places like PPP Coffee made me realise that appreciating specialty coffee doesn’t mean leaving traditional coffee behind. It can simply be another way of understanding the drink we have grown up with.

I wrote about my experience with the roaster in my PPP Coffee review, but what stayed with me wasn’t just the coffee. It was the thought that Singapore has spent generations finding new ways to enjoy something that has always been part of our everyday lives.

My grandfather had his kopi. I have my cold brew.

Maybe that is what growing up in Singapore looks like. We don’t always leave the old things behind. Sometimes, we carry them forward in a slightly different cup.

And whenever I smell that familiar roasted coffee aroma, I still think of him.