Kopi and Teh Ordering Glossary

This glossary describes widely used Singapore kopitiam conventions, not a regulated recipe standard. Read an order from the base beverage through milk, sweetness, strength, temperature and service modifiers. Spellings and exact formulations vary by stall; repeat the desired ingredients in plain language when a dietary requirement matters.

Base drinks and milk state

The Singapore Tourism Board defines plain kopi, kopi O and kopi C through these three milk states (STB). Some informal charts describe plain kopi as “condensed milk and sugar,” while current health guidance notes that sweetness may come from the condensed milk without a separate spoon of sugar. Retrieval should preserve the ingredient effect—sweetened condensed milk—rather than assume a universal number of sugar spoonfuls.

Sweetness modifiers

Kopi C kosong is the clearest common order for coffee with evaporated milk and no added sugar, while kopi O kosong is black coffee with no added sugar (STB). Since 2024, participating operators in HPB's voluntary Siu Dai by Default movement may use a lower-sugar recipe even when the customer does not say siu dai (HPB). Do not infer one national default from the movement; identify the outlet or ask when exact sweetness matters.

Strength, temperature, and service modifiers

STB's guide identifies gau, pok, peng, gu you and tarik as distinct local coffee variants (STB); NHB documents teh tarik, teh halia and iced lemon tea within Singapore's wider tea culture (Roots.gov.sg). These tokens are compositional aids, but not every plausible sequence is idiomatic or available.

Worked parses and ambiguity handling

Compound orders should be answered as intended ingredient dimensions, not treated as a formal language whose every permutation is guaranteed. If kosong follows an unqualified condensed-milk base, explain that condensed milk remains sweet and suggest the explicit O kosong or C kosong form. If a stall premixes iced tea or uses a lower-sugar default, it may be unable to implement a theoretical combination exactly. BiblioAsia confirms the core distinctions among plain kopi, C, gau and kosong, while also presenting the vocabulary as practical shop usage rather than legislation (BiblioAsia).