Online Coffee Guide

Coffee Drink

Kopi C: Evaporated Milk, Kosong and a Home Recipe

By Ali Can DoralarReviewed by Online Coffee Guide editorial teamPublished Updated 5 min read

Kopi C is kopi with evaporated milk and usually sugar. Order kopi C kosong to leave out sugar added at service while keeping the milk. Evaporated milk is different from sweetened condensed milk, so creaminess and sweetness can be adjusted separately.

Tan coffee in a patterned porcelain cup beside an open tin of pale milk
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Drink Snapshot

Caffeine
Not measuredThis home kopi brewThe coffee blend, dose and extraction determine the caffeine in this cloth-filtered brew.
Calories
About 100 kcalWhole home serving; local coffee proxy plus add-insUses HPB’s per-100-ml coffee proxy, approximating 200 g (7.1 oz) brewed coffee as 200 ml (6.8 US fl oz), plus stated ingredient references; not a measured home batch.
Serving, sugar and sources
Serving
238 g (8.4 oz) finished drink; coffee portion 200 g (7.1 oz)
Made with
15 g ground kopi + 240 g (8.1 US fl oz) brewing water
Sugar
About 11 g. About 3 g from the named evaporated-milk reference plus 8 g added sugar.
Preparation
About 7 minutes

Home estimates and standardized HPB ready-drink comparisons have different recipes. The coffee base supplies an energy and sugar proxy. See the full calculation or label comparison.

Key Takeaways

  • 1C identifies evaporated milk; ordinary kopi uses sweetened condensed milk.
  • 2Our home cup uses 200 g (7.1 oz) prepared kopi, 30 g (2 US tbsp) evaporated milk and 8 g (2 US tsp) sugar: about 100 kcal and 11 g total sugar.
  • 3Leaving out the 8 g (2 US tsp) sugar removes about 32 kcal. Milk sugar remains.
On This Page11 Sections

Kopi C vs. Kopi C Kosong

The milk stays; the sugar added at service changes. The Singapore Tourism Board distinguishes kopi C, made with evaporated milk and sugar, from kopi C kosong, made with evaporated milk without that added sugar.

Kopi C vs Kopi C KosongScrollable table
Kopi C vs Kopi C Kosong
ChoiceCoffeeMilkSeparate sugar in our home examples
Kopi C200 g (7.1 oz) prepared kopi30 g (2 US tbsp) evaporated milk8 g (2 US tsp)
Kopi C kosongSame 200 g (7.1 oz)Same 30 g (2 US tbsp)None
Kopi C siew daiSame 200 g (7.1 oz)Same 30 g (2 US tbsp)Try 4 g (1 US tsp); this is not a universal stall ratio
Kopi C and kopi C kosong with the same 200 g coffee and 30 g evaporated milk, compared with and without 8 g added sugar
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These weighed home portions keep coffee and milk fixed to show what added sugar changes.

Evaporated milk is not sweetened condensed milk. The named evaporated-milk reference used here has no added sugar, but does contain natural milk sugar. Condensed milk brings substantial sweetness with the milk; reducing it changes both. The broader Singapore kopi guide explains the ordering system.

What Does Kopi C Taste Like?

I like kopi C when I want evaporated milk's creaminess while keeping sugar as a separate choice. It gives me a different kind of control from condensed milk, where dairy and sweetness arrive together. The actual sweetness depends on how much sugar is added: kopi C can be very sweet, and is not automatically lighter or lower in calories than every condensed-milk kopi. With no separate sugar, the same brew may taste more bitter even though its coffee portion has not changed.

Kopi C Recipe

Use ground kopi, not a sweetened instant premix, and plain unsweetened evaporated milk. Start with the 30 g (2 US tbsp) milk portion and adjust it to taste. A local producer’s steep-and-filter method is another example of the brewing approach.

Recipe

Kopi C home starting recipe

Makes:
1 serving
Time:
About 7 minutes

Ingredients

  • 15 g ground kopi (not instant premix)
  • 240 g (8.1 US fl oz) brewing water, plus separate rinse water and optional top-up water
  • 30 g (2 US tbsp) unsweetened evaporated milk
  • 8 g (2 US tsp) granulated sugar

Equipment

  • Heatproof jug and server, coffee cloth filter, scale, spoon and 300 ml (10.1 US fl oz) cup

Method

  1. Steep. Put 15 g ground kopi in a heatproof jug. Add 240 g (8.1 US fl oz) just-boiled water, stir and leave for 4 minutes.
  2. Filter. Rinse a food-safe coffee cloth filter, discard the rinse water, then strain the brew into a heatproof server.
  3. Measure. Tare an empty cup and add 200 g (7.1 oz) filtered coffee. Reserve extra; if short, top up to 200 g (7.1 oz) with hot water. Add 30 g (2 US tbsp) evaporated milk and 8 g (2 US tsp) sugar.
  4. Stir. Mix until the sugar dissolves and serve hot. For the kosong variation, omit the 8 g (2 US tsp) sugar.

Estimated nutrition per serving: 100 calories; total sugar 11 g. Serving: 238 g (8.4 oz) finished drink.

Recipe notes

240 g (8.1 US fl oz) is brewing-water input; measure 200 g (7.1 oz) filtered coffee before add-ins.

Nutrition uses an HPB Derived per-100-ml coffee proxy, approximating 200 g (7.1 oz) coffee as 200 ml (6.8 US fl oz), plus named add-ins.

A man pouring pale milk from a tin into a glass of coffee at a café counter
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Milk and sugar can be adjusted separately; measure each addition for the home recipe.

Adjusting Your Kopi C

Adjusting Your Kopi C
Adjusting Your Kopi C
ProblemUseful adjustment
Too sweet but the milk feels rightReduce the weighed sugar, keeping milk unchanged
Too milkyReduce evaporated milk by 5 g (1 US tsp) and taste again
Too bitterTry a little more water or a different coffee before automatically adding sugar
Thin after adding iceChill the coffee first; record the coffee and ice separately
Sweet even when no sugar was addedCheck whether the milk or coffee sachet is already sweetened

Ordinary fresh milk makes a different version; it is not identical to evaporated milk. A sweetened creamer may also have a different ingredient list. Use the actual label when choosing a substitute.

Kopi C Calories and Caffeine

Our hot serving weighs 238 g (8.4 oz): 200 g (7.1 oz) coffee + 30 g (2 US tbsp) evaporated milk + 8 g (2 US tsp) sugar. Weigh the additions separately.

Kopi C Calories and CaffeineScrollable table
Kopi C Calories and Caffeine
Defined home versionEstimated energyEstimated total sugar
Kopi C, with 8 g (2 US tsp) sugar100 kcal11 g
Same coffee and milk, with 4 g (1 US tsp) sugar85 kcal7 g
Kopi C kosong, no separate sugar65 kcal3 g
How the local coffee proxy and milk label were calculated

The coffee uses HPB SG FoodID’s kopi O kosong record D09010040, 2026, Derived, as a local energy/sugar proxy: 13 kcal and 0 g sugar per 100 ml. For this rough home estimate, we approximate 200 g coffee as 200 ml, giving 26 kcal. The density assumption is 1 g/ml; the result is a proxy rather than measured brew nutrition.

Nestlé Family Middle East’s 170 g evaporated-milk label gives 138 kcal and 10 g total sugar per 100 g, including no added sugar. Thus 30 g contributes 41.4 kcal and 3 g milk sugar. HealthHub uses about 4 kcal per gram of sugar: 8 g contributes 32 kcal. The full sum is 26 + 41.4 + 32 = 99.4 kcal, rounded to 100. With no separate sugar it is 67.4 kcal, rounded to 65. Check your own milk label; the reference is a named example from another market.

What the Local Ready-Drink Records Show

At an equal 200 ml (6.8 US fl oz) volume, HPB’s kopi C record D09010036 gives 104 kcal and 12.32 g sugar; kopi C kosong D09010037 gives 74 kcal and 3.4 g sugar. Both are 2026 Derived records. These separate ready-drink estimates are not the home recipe and are not a controlled experiment in removing sugar from one batch.

Caffeine is unmeasured for our home brew. C versus kosong does not specify a different coffee dose. With the same coffee portion, leaving out sugar or changing milk does not remove caffeine.

History and Culture

C is a practical part of Singapore’s kopitiam ordering vocabulary: it requests evaporated milk. The current HealthHub ordering chart documents that meaning. You do not need to rely on competing stories about the letter’s origin to order the drink correctly.

Practical Detail

Kosong does not mean lactose-free or dairy-free. This recipe contains cow’s milk. A plant-based substitute changes the flavor and nutrition and should be named when ordering. Follow the tin’s storage directions after opening rather than assuming all evaporated milks keep for the same period.

Variations

Kopi C peng is the iced form. For a home version, chill the 200 g (7.1 oz) prepared coffee, stir in the milk and sugar, then pour over ice. The ice increases the final mass and dilutes the drink as it melts; it does not increase the coffee portion. Kopi C gao asks for a stronger style, but does not define a universal brewing ratio.

Choose kopi O if you want no milk. Café au lait is another brewed-coffee-and-milk drink with a different milk choice and serving convention. Yuanyang adds tea, so it is a different base as well.

Common Questions

For the condensed-milk alternative, follow the measured Singapore kopi recipe.

Does kopi C kosong contain sugar?
There is no sugar added at service, but evaporated milk contains natural milk sugar. Our defined 30 g (2 US tbsp) milk portion supplies about 3 g by the named label reference.
Is kopi C always lower in calories than kopi?
No. Amounts and milk formulations matter. Compare the actual recipe or equal serving weights with a disclosed reference, rather than relying on the letter alone.
Can I use condensed milk instead?
Yes, for a sweet condensed-milk kopi. Follow the Singapore kopi recipe linked above for its measured milk and coffee portions, and taste before adding separate sugar. It has a different sugar calculation from kopi C.
Is kopi C stronger than kopi O?
With the same coffee base, choose kopi O for a black cup or kopi C for a creamier, softer-tasting one. Adding evaporated milk does not remove the caffeine already in that coffee.

Editor's Take

Sources and Further Reading

8 references

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