What is Teh C? A Singapore Kopitiam Tea Explained

Teh C is a Singapore kopitiam (coffee shop) drink: tea with evaporated milk and sugar. It is a standard order at coffee shops and hawker centres, and sits in the same family as kopi C.

What the "C" means

Teh is the word for tea in Hokkien and Malay. The "C" is commonly said to stand for Carnation, a popular evaporated milk brand used in local coffee shops. In practice, ordering "C" means evaporated milk instead of condensed milk.

How it differs from teh and teh tarik

• Teh: tea with condensed milk, so it is sweet and thick by default.
• Teh C: tea with evaporated milk and sugar. It tastes lighter and creamier than plain teh because the evaporated milk is not pre-sweetened.
• Teh tarik: a Malay and Indian-Muslim style milk tea that is "pulled" between two vessels to cool it and make it frothy. It is typically made with condensed milk.

How to order Teh C

Kopitiam orders are short, and the modifiers are the useful part:

Order	What you get
Teh C	Tea, evaporated milk, sugar
Teh C kosong	Tea and evaporated milk, no sugar
Teh C siew dai	Less sugar
Teh C gao	Stronger tea
Teh C po	Weaker tea
Teh C peng	Iced, served with ice

Terms such as kosong (zero), siew dai (less sweet) and peng (ice) come from Malay and Hokkien. Stalls differ slightly in how they interpret them, so ask if you are unsure.

Where to find it

Almost any kopitiam, hawker centre or traditional coffee shop sells Teh C. Chains such as Ya Kun and Toast Box also list their own versions of milk tea and coffee on their menus, but the exact wording may differ from the old-school stalls.