Bottled cold brew coffees has been all the rage recently; having been first offered at cafes serving up specialty coffee, the trend has since spread to online businesses which do not have a physical presence. So, imagine the surprise I have got when I had chances upon images of this Gao Kor Kopi from Soon Seng Hot & Cold Beverages at Eunos Crescent Food Centre sold in a bottle with their own branding — certainly something that piqued my interest to try it out.

While it’s named Gao Kor Kopi, the name of the beverage does not actually bear any meaning to the item price-wise; the bottle is retailed at $1.80/bottle here — a price which we found to be more than reasonable given the establishment that it is. Essentially similar to Kopi Beng (local iced coffee), it starts off being all familiar — that roasty and punchy Nanyang Kopi that is brewed using Robusta beans from the traditional method, with a corresponding sweetness from the condensed milk, but it finishes with a really strong caffeinated kick at the end with a higher intensity of flavours than it first started out; something that would really hit those who love their strong coffee that packs a punch.

Having seen hawkerpreneurs like Kopi More, Generation Coffee and Mad Roasters shake up the local coffee scene in the hawker centre setting, Soon Seng Hot & Cold Beverages does seem to offer a new perspective on how traditional Nanyang Kopi stalls can innovate to keep up with the times. Whilst it might seem gimmicky on first impression, I must say that I am actually fairly impressed having tried it myself — something which I actually am more than willing to have again!