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by Wilfred Pilo
KUCHING, July 26: Fancy a cup of ‘opium coffee’?
Hang on, it’s not what you think: rather than a cup of coffee derived from the illegal drug opium, it is simply a cup of hot coffee with condensed milk and a teaspoon of butter that has been given the rather questionable nickname by local patrons because of its origins.
According to 72-year-old Madam Tan, the barista and the proprietress of the storied Hiap Yak Tea Shop at Kai Joo Lane, their cafe has served the same coffee apart from other beverages for about 80 years to their patrons as well as hard-working coolies in the 1950s.
She revealed that opium coffee gets its name from coolies from mainland China, who worked as labourers in those days in ships berthed at what is now the Kuching Waterfront.
“They (the coolies) told us that they like their hot coffee with butter, as it helps them to ease their dry throats from smoking too much opium.
“Thus, when our regular patrons heard and knew of the stories, they started to name the cup of coffee ‘opium coffee’, and until today our patrons order the beverage with the same name, passed down via word of our mouth by our regulars,” she told DayakDaily.
Madam Tan shared that when she was a seven-year-old girl, she would often help to deliver a few cups of coffee to these coolies living in rented rooms at the nearby shophouses.
“Those days, I remember them (coolies) living and staying in a small cubicle and for privacy, they would put up a wooden or a textile sheet partition.
“They do not have families, little possessions, and live alone. That was how hard life was, but a cup of sweetened coffee with a drop of butter comforted them.
“They were happy when they saw me deliver them that coffee during their breaks. Their smiling faces will always stay in my mind,” she reminisced.
Madam Tan said their cafe is not only known for its opium coffee, but is now patronised by visitors from near and far.
“It makes me proud to have served these coolies and my present patrons, who are curious about such old stories.
“These coolies might be gone, but their contributions in making what Sarawak is now will be remembered through a cup of coffee,” said Madam Tan.
The cafe is located at 17 Kai Joo Lane and is open daily except Sunday, from 7am to 3pm. — DayakDaily
