Kopi-O, Kopi-C, Kopi Peng: a field guide to Malaysian coffee
A practical glossary of the five-word kopi vocabulary, plus why robusta and sock-brew and condensed milk make a coffee unlike any Western style, and how it translates into cocktails.
The Journal.
Notes on what we're drinking in the Klang Valley, why it works, and where it comes from. From kopi-O to kombucha, tea to tequila, kuih to cocktails. Mostly written in Petaling Jaya, by the people behind Dissolved Solids and Soluble Solids. We're sharing what we've learned, not lecturing. If a piece is useful, come visit and we'll pour you the drink it talks about.
Coffee, the Malaysian way
How Malaysians take their coffee, and what we do with it once it gets to the bar. Robusta, sock-brew, condensed milk, and the leap from kopitiam to coupe.
Robusta or Arabica: which coffee actually belongs in a cocktail
Robusta gets dismissed in specialty coffee circles. It's also the right call for coffee-led cocktails. Notes on why bitterness and body matter more than nuance once spirit and ice show up.
Drink the article The coffee mocktails on our menu use the same logic: a robusta base for something layered. Try Black Honey, Floral Mango, or Peach Blossom at Dissolved Solids. For the alcoholic version, the Kopi Sour is the one to start with.
Tea, four cultures deep
Teh tarik, kopitiam teh, Chinese yum cha, Tamil-Malaysian tea, Cameron Highlands Boh. Four tea cultures sharing one country, with notes on how each translates to the bar.
How Malaysians actually drink tea
Teh tarik, kopitiam teh, Chinese yum cha, Tamil-Malaysian tea, Cameron Highlands Boh. Four tea cultures sharing one country, with notes on each.
Drink the article Tea anchors a few of our drinks too. Peach Blossom uses cold-brewed earl grey for the long finish. The Tea section of our menu has more.
The local pantry
The Malaysian ingredients we keep coming back to. What they actually are, how they behave in liquid, and how we choose between grades.
Pandan in beverages: from kuih to cocktails
Three extraction methods we use, what pandan pairs well with, and a simple pandan collins recipe that's been our entry point for years.
Gula melaka and the palm sugar spectrum
What gula melaka actually is, how it differs from gula apong, jaggery and muscovado, and how we choose between dark, medium and light grades for drinks.
Calamansi: the Malaysian citrus we keep behind the bar
Limau kasturi to your auntie. The small green-orange fruit that reads as lime, orange, and a faint floral note. Notes on what it is, how it tastes, and three ways we use it on the bar.
Drink the article Pandan, gula melaka, and calamansi each anchor one of our Malaysian-local cocktails: Pandan Collins, Gula Melaka Old Fashioned, Calamansi Highball. Easiest way to taste any of them is to reserve a table.
Fermentation, in tropical heat
What happens when you let things sit in a 30-degree room. The bacteria moves faster, the timelines shrink, and the rules from temperate-climate books stop applying. Notes from our own brews.
Brewing kombucha in tropical climates
What changes when you brew at 28 to 32 degrees ambient. Sweetness curves, F2 bottle bombs, SCOBY behaviour in Malaysian heat, and a timeline that's worked for us.
Drink the article We pour our own kombuchas at the bar when a batch is ready. Walk into Dissolved Solids or Soluble Solids and ask what's in the bottle this week.
Non-alcoholic, taken seriously
Most mocktails fail because they solve for sugar instead of complexity. Here's how we think about the non-alcoholic side of the menu, and what we put on it.
The savoury mocktail manifesto
Most mocktails fail because they're solving for sugar instead of complexity. An argument, with two drinks we're proud of and one we got wrong.
Drink the article Three of our coffee mocktails put the manifesto into practice: Black Honey (bitter, smoky), Floral Mango (soft, floral), and Peach Blossom (peach and earl grey). Zero alcohol, full body.
The bar, examined
Notes on how we run the rooms, why our menus are short on purpose, and what we've learned watching guests order in their own way.
Why our menu is short on purpose
Soluble Solids has no printed list. Dissolved Solids keeps a short one. Notes on why fewer drinks done better is a better experience for the bartender, the bar, and the guest.
Try the no-list approach The easiest way is to walk in, sit down, and tell the bartender what you usually drink. The second easiest is the drink builder: five taps and we'll prep a brief you can hand the bartender on arrival. Or just reserve a table and we'll have a recommendation ready.
More on the way. If there's a beverage topic you'd like us to write about, or a Malaysian drink we should be paying more attention to, WhatsApp Dissolved Solids or Soluble Solids. We read every message.