Contemporary Kampung Coffee

WALK into any mall, and you will be sure to find a dozen or so bubble tea and coffee shops, each serving similarly sweet, tea flavoured milk concoctions with tapioca balls, and perhaps even Italian-style coffee beverages.

However, in this saturated environment, Qulu Qulu manageds to be different. Search for its name on the internet, and you will find an archaeological site in Peru. But, if you find one of its outlets, you in for a unique experience.

Its kiosks have a retro psychedelic look. The colours and repeating patterns make them stand out, just like their selection of drinks.

This includes Kopi Monsters, homegrown, coffee-based lifestyle beverages, each with a mascot that embodies the drink. There is Charm, Chokado, Lemona, Berimoo, Cornella, Cendolli, Mamacha, Haliya, and Blackopi, to name a few.

I bet you can guess what goes into some of these drinks just by the name alone.

You will also find Kampung Coffee, made from locally-sourced Nusantara Coffee beans, roasted the Nusantara way. And it is delicious.

These Robusta coffee beans are roasted with margarine, salt, and sugar. This roasting process gives the coffee a uniquely Malaysian Kampung coffee taste that is rich and aromatic, similar to what our forefathers drank.

But, unlike the coffee of old, the drinks at Qulu Qulu are finely tuned to be less sweet, without sacrificing taste.

Start with Blackopi, which a blend of Qulu Qulu signature coffee with gula Melaka (palm sugar). It is one of the most basic drinks on the menu, and yet one of the best examples of how delicious local style coffee can be.

The star drink is Charm, a mixture of coffee, tea, milk, and coffee boba, which gives it a more contemporary lifestyle twist.

For the adventurous, there is Lemona, which is coffee with lemon, cucumber, and soda. Trust me; it is a treat.

If coffee is not your thing, there are also drinks like Teh Silk, a preparation of tea, milk, gula Melaka.

The men behind Qulu Qulu are Zain Amri and John Jong. According to John, the name came from the sound of someone drinking a cold drink.

There are currently three Qulu Qulu outlets in Malaysia – Dataran Cascades in Kota Damansara, MyTown in Kuala Lumpur, and Toppen Shopping Centre in Johor Baru.

“We have big plans,” said Zain, who is also the marketing director. He explained that Qulu Qulu was formed in November, last year. As a relatively young brand, it can change and shape itself into what it needs to be.

“For example, we made a special Chinese New Year inspired brew that is tea- and coffee-free, but features mandarin oranges. We also have plans to open Qulu Qulu in offices, and there we can serve hot drinks,” said Zain.

Prices of Qulu Qulu drinks are very competitive. While writing this story, only the fully loaded Chocado which consists of coffee, avocado, chocolate, fresh milk, and coffee boba broke the RM10 ceiling