Everything About Ipoh White Coffee, Which is Listed as the #10 Best Coffee in the World

Before you ask, no, Singapore didn’t even make it in the list. 

TasteAtlas, a site that catalogues over 10,000 foods and drinks all over the world, has recently disclosed their list of “Top 39 Coffees in the World“, released on March 15, ranked by popularity and taste.

TasteAtlas food rankings rely on ratings from the TasteAtlas audience, with mechanisms in place to authenticate real users.

Out of 3,878 ratings for the “Top 39 Coffees in the World,” 2,559 were deemed legitimate by the system.

Ipoh White Coffee has come in tenth place with 4.3 stars out of five in the Best Rated list, to the pride of the residents of Malaysia.

But what exactly is Ipoh White Coffee? Isn’t it just coffee with extra milk?

And is it really better than the Kopi-C the coffee shop auntie that calls you shuai ge makes?

Where did Ipoh White Coffee Come From?

Well duh, it’s in the name.

As the name suggests, the so-to-say tenth best coffee in the world has its roots in, well, Ipoh, Malaysia, but it does go a little deeper than that.

In order to truly get what makes Ipoh White Coffee, Ipoh White Coffee, we need to understand how it is prepared.

To avid coffee enthusiasts and caffeine addicts, we may understand the conventional “white coffee” to be coffee that has milk or creamer in it, which turns the bitter and dark liquid into a paler shade of brown.

On the other hand, others may mistake Ipoh White Coffee to be made from the local white coffee beans.

However, Ipoh White Coffee is actually derived from the method that the beans were roasted prior to brewing.

How is it Made?

Before grinding their beans down into powder, the people of Ipoh roast their coffee beans in palm-oil margarine. Yes, margarine, that yellow spread your mom puts on your bread for tea time. 

This method of preparation was passed down from the early Hainanese immigrants of Malaysia working at the tin mines, who were unfamiliar with the more acrid, tangy taste of Western coffee.

By roasting the beans in margarine beforehand, the strong bitterness of coffee is softened, giving it a gentler, caramelised taste. Condensed milk is then added for sweetness, giving the drink its trademark and popular frothy texture.

This traditional roasting technique is passed down till today, as Ipoh white coffee remains a staple in Malaysian kopitiams and cafes.

In fact, it’s so ingrained in Malaysian breakfast culture that instant versions are found in supermarkets and convenience stores. And in Singapore as well, of course.

(Though, of course, it doesn’t hold a candle to the brewed version.)

Ipoh Named as Top Three Coffee Towns

Tenth place on TasteAtlas is not the only accolade that Ipoh White Coffee has earned, however.

Ipoh White Coffee has become so ubiquitous and well-beloved worldwide that Australian travel guide book publisher Lonely Planet has actually named Ipoh to be one of the best coffee towns globally in 2018. 

In their published book, Global Coffee Tour, Lonely Planet stated that, “Ipoh’s signature white coffee is famously hot, sweet and almost buttery in taste, and has spawned a chain of cafes that has found its way around Malaysia. For the authentic stuff, Sin Yoon Loong is adored for following the traditional recipe”. 

The drink itself is also described by the site to be “coffee that’s (so) creamy that it tastes almost soup-like”, and “tastes all the better when coming from a traditional blue-and-white ceramic cup”.

Really That Nice meh? Where to Try?

Fortunately, curious individuals do not have to travel all the way to Ipoh to get a taste of its coffee, as there is a way for you to get your hands on the drink without leaving our shores. 

One such example is The Daily Cup in Bishan, offering authentic Ipoh Iced Coffee at a reasonable price of only S$2.50 per cup (in this economy? That’s a steal!)

The beverage is meticulously hand-brewed by founders hailing from Ipoh, who relocated to Singapore to pursue their culinary passions.

Of if you can head to any Malaysia Boleh outlets and you’d see the big “Ipoh White Coffee” at their drink stalls.

Alternatively, you can purchase the instant versions from the nearest Fairprice or via e-commerce platforms like Shopee or Lazada, whatever floats your boat.

What Other Coffees Made it into TasteAtlas’ List?

You guys remember the whole Dalgona coffee fad that took over every Korean culture enthusiast’s household during the pandemic?

Dalgona coffee only came in at 26th at TasteAtlas’ list, a whopping 16 places behind Ipoh White Coffee.

The top spot of the list goes to Greece’s espresso freddo, followed by Cuba’s cafe cubano in second place. 

Over in Southeast Asia, Southern India’s Indian filter coffee is crowned third place.

Indonesia and Vietnam also made the list, with Vietnam’s iced coffee ranking ninth, while Vietnamese coffee and egg coffee take the 10th and 35th spots, respectively.

Indonesia’s kopi tubruk sits at 25th place, and kopi luwak (or civet coffee) was placed at 34th.

Singaporean Dishes Ranked by TasteAtlas

As though kicking us while we are already down, Singapore was once ranked at 52nd place in a list of top cuisines around the world by TasteAtlas.

Italy claimed the top spot for the best foods, with Greece and Spain following closely behind.

Among the top 10 cuisines globally, only three Asian countries made it: Japan secured fourth place, India fifth, and Turkey seventh.

Singapore ranked 52nd, while Malaysia held the 39th position.

Singaporeans shouldn’t fret, however. 

In early March 2024, TasteAtlas ranked our humble kaya toast as the 42nd best sandwich globally.

(Okay, some may argue that the dish belongs to Malaysia as well. The list attributing kaya toast’s origins solely to Singapore had undoubtedly caused some upset amongst Malaysians.)

Additionally, TasteAtlas ranked a Singaporean eatery as the top spot for roti canai (which we call it roti prata), another beloved Malaysian dish, with another Singapore establishment in second place. 

This decision drew criticism as a Kuala Lumpur eatery only made it to third place. 

In my humble opinion, life is really too short to argue about where food comes from, as long as it tastes delicious, but eh, what do I know?