Caffeine Shot: OldTown White Coffee

This little eatery/cafe/restaurant sits quietly within White Sands Shopping Centre displaying a decent store front and the bold yellow signage. So we thought, why not give this place a review since they are quite famous for their white coffee. Ever wonder what white coffee really is? I had the initial thought that their beans were white in colour but of course, that can’t be true.

OldTown White Coffee, White Sands

OldTown’s white coffee is a special brew originating from Ipoh Town. Here is a short excerpt from Wikipedia on what is white coffee in the Malaysia context:

In Malaysia, the original white coffee started in the town of Ipoh, referring to a drink made from coffee beans roasted in margarine, brewed and served with sweetened condensed milk in a cream-color form.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_coffee)

The dark brown interiors

I must say, their interior do need a little perk-me-up colours rather than the dark brown walls that makes the place a slightly dim. But the ambience was nice nonetheless especially during non-peak hours. They do seem to have shortage of staff as patrons waiting at the store front were not entertained promptly. Hopefully they’ll do something about it since the company has just received it’s Halal certification which spells an increase in customers coming from the Muslim market.

Alright, now let’s head right into their coffee. They do offer the original OldTown White Coffee but I had my eyes on the Iced OldTown Hazelnut White Coffee for brunch. Sounds pretty mouthful with the hazelnut on top of their special brew. Let’s see how they fare in our review.

OldTown Hazelnut White Coffee

The Coffee Review:

Aroma: A definite scent of hazelnut.

Acidity: None at all. This is highly due to the sweet condensed milk masking the coffee.

Body: Quite hard to gauge on this one given the strong sweetness covering the whole drink. If I were to give it a shot, I’d say.. Medium bodied.

Flavour: Err.. Hazelnut?

Aftertaste: A cool hazelnut aftertaste with sweet milk lingering in the throat.

Overall: 3 / 5. We can’t really compare this beverage with others in the gourmet class due to various factors. Coffee from kopitiam origins and the similar were meant to fill the working class patrons back in the olden days. However, it does say a lot about these coffee blends as they maintain their legacy and retain their place in today’s modern lifestyle. The simplicity of the drink gives a refreshing feel for a weekend brunch if you feel like having something sweet.

Well, coffee is not always black.