Kopi Lau Workshop- Trades Archive
project initiative by Jeffrey J C Lim 林猷進
project space
Studio 25, Brickfields
Kuala Lumpur
Events- workshop
Mar to Dec 2024- Tinsmith
April- Workshop Module 3
2024- Open Studio
Trades Archive
An initiative on documenting the intangible knowledge of traditional trades. This 2nd project under the #tradesarchive initiative is structured differently, focusing more on workshop activities apart from archiving with film, mapping and publication.
[work in progress]
W O R K S H O P
咖啡漏
Kopi Lau Workshop is a research project on the Nanyang / Nusantara coffee culture of Peninsular Malaysia, from factory* to cup.
Timeline– end 2023 to mid 2024
Launch of website- [Work in progress]
Project soft launch
Workshop 1- Basic brewing workshop
Workshop 2- Refining methods
Workshop 3- Traditional brew methods
Commission work submission / launch
Open studio- Start of tinsmith repair works
Talk Series- The Origin Story of Our Kopi Pui– Acculturation and Our Coffee Cup
* 咖啡粉廠 (Kopi Fun Cheong) / Kilang Kopi / Coffee Factory ~ chinese naming convention for a coffee roaster, kopi 'flour mill', directly translated as 'Coffee Factory'.
Kopi Lau Workshop is a documentation & archival project on the Nanyang 南洋 / Nusantara نوسانتارا coffee culture, mainly focusing on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Initiated by Jeffrey Lim, his aunt's family ran a heritage Kopitiam and coffee factory in Kuala Lumpur for almost 90 years which closed down during the pandemic in 2021. Inheriting most of the kopi brewing tools, Jeff learnt and has extensively spent the last few years understanding & documenting the local kopi culture. In the hopes of passing on this cultural practice, and share in order to preserve our cultural heritage.
The humble coffee, Kopi the local reference in this region, was traditionally Malayan-grown beans, Liberica but now they are only available at limited quantities and higher cost and is mixed into a blend. Currently local coffee are mainly made up of Robusta, grown locally or imported, shipped in by 60 kilograms gunny sacks in green form. Traditionally 'roasted' over a huge wok fuelled by wood fire, the finished coffee grounds are a blend of around 50-80% beans, the rest are made up of mainly sugar as an additive filler. Similarly practised in South Asia, Chicory was used as an additive substitute, however in Southeast Asia, there are practises of including other ingredients / spices into the mix that gives local kopi unique taste accents.
There are three main stages which coffee goes through before reaching us in a cup; grown and processed at the plantation, 'cooked' at the coffee factory*, and lastly, brewed at the coffee shop. This research project is primarily focused on the middle and last stages, although attempts will be made to document the first stage too. This 2nd project under the #tradesarchive initiative is structured differently, focusing more towards workshop activities apart from archiving with film, mapping and publication. The project has four major parts explained below.
Tooling— is an important part of our coffee culture and one of the major focus, researching two traditional trades– tin-smithing & pottery. This involves acquiring, repairing & learning tin-smithing, rebuilding machinery and understanding the local pottery heritage behind the unique kopi cup & saucer.
Workshops— from basic to advanced workshops on kopi brewing methods, demonstration of roasting and differentiation of coffee grounds; through the use of traditional and modern apparatus. Also includes Open Studios and tasting sessions.
Mapping— online digital mapping of authentic traditional & contemporary Kopitiams along the Peninsular west coast with documentation, field trips to coffee plantations, factories and coffee ground supply. Also identifying traditional tinsmith and pottery makers. Assembling a Kopi taste chart.
Publication— anecdotes, research abstracts, graphic diagrams and photo-documentation in printed forms, film, audio recordings. An 'Archive Package' will be made for distribution at the end of the project.
Jeffrey Lim, photography artist, and cultural worker, is a communication designer by training, and has been involved in cycling & accessibility advocacy. He engages in many self-initiated and commissioned social art projects.
His current focus revolves around the Trades Archive initiative, a research & documentation, archival project through apprenticeship. Kopi Lau Workshop, documenting the local coffee culture (2023-current) is his 2nd project under this initiative.
The project has an exhibition gallery and archival depository in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, where events will be held through the year; workshops, talk, exhibition, open studios and more. Join the instagram/kopilau account to keep up to date. Visits by appointment only.
EVENTS — Project timeline & schedule
Coffee Cup research
2024-ongoing
Coffee Cup research & artefact
A preliminary abstract presentation on the findings about the origin of our local coffee cup & saucer.
Kek Molek- Workshop Introduction
February 2025
Kek Molek
Cupping- Blind kopi tasting - three types. Introduction to the traditional Nanyang & Nusantara coffee culture, brewing tools & equipment and demonstration of central style brewing.
Pop up Stall
December 2024
Coffee Pop up Stall
Serving Nanyang Nusantara original Kopi Lau’s recipe for the 1st time. Firing up the Ipoh handmade boiler from San Cheong.
Singapore Coffee Brew
October 2024
Coffee break Amoy
Anna Sai
Singapore Tinsmith
October 2024
Chop Wah Hin
Jimmy Chin
Ban Chuan Taiping
September 2024
Kilang Kopi
Bernard Li
Kopi tools acquisition
August 2024
Singapore
Acquired two types of tools to add to the collection, bean inspection spike, coffee filter ring. Origin- Singapore
Jiak Kopi- Workshop Introduction
3 August 2024
Introduction
Cupping- Blind kopi tasting - three types. Introduction to the traditional Nanyang & Nusantara coffee culture, brewing tools & equipment and demonstration of central style brewing.
Tinsmith breakthrough
July 2024
Reverse engineering
Working with Woon Sifu, Taiping. Sent new heritage specimen. New breakthrough in prototyping the central heating box, the most complex part of the boiler.
Coffee Powder library
August 2024
Library & catalogue
Extension of the coffee powder library to hold 70 specimen jars plus variation types. Collection mainly from the west coast of Peninsular.
Meetup- Yee Lok Kopitiam
July 2024
Wong family
Support from Yee Lok Kopitiam in Parit town, passing the project old coffee tins and branded saucer and antique cup.
Win Loong tinsmith Ipoh
June 2024
Discovery of traditional tinsmith
From word of mouth from two tradesmen, directed to Yin Loong of Ipoh Perak, est. 1948, currently run by Ah Chai, son & 2nd generation, perhaps the last in this trade craft.
Pottery Factory visit
June 2024
Chance visit to Tan family pottery kiln
Four generation pottery kiln in Chemor, Perak. Learning about the history of ceramics here. One of my focus on tooling in the project with the origins of our Kopi Pui (coffee cups).
Installation Launch
June 2024
Oldtown Heritage Centre Grand Opening
Presenting the works to the group directors from JDE the Dutch main holding company, Ipoh government administrators, and other coffee group directors,, on the art installation local kopi research.
Nam Kee Kopitiam closure
May 2024
Assisting in the closure of a 70+yr kopitiam
What would be the ancestral home of the Wong family from their arrival in FMS early 40s, opening this little kopitiam in Chow Kit, faces closure from eviction after 70+ years. End of a family's legacy.
Woh Kee Kilang closure
May 2024
Collecting coffee powder from unknown brands
Visiting Woh Kee during the last weeks of operations. Contacting and collecting coffee powder from unlisted brands around Ipoh and surrounding towns.
Tinsmith Commission visit
May-Dec 2024
Tinsmiths 4th gen. charcoal boiler
Working with Woon Sifu, commissioning a build for a traditional charcoal boiler. Reverse engineering the traditional charcoal boiler, relearning and dissecting, making the original Taiping water boiler.
Meetup- Chop Guan Kee
16 May 2024
Cultural exchange & basic workshop with Teo sisters
The 3rd generation Teo family, three sisters who have started to innovate their family's trade, came for a cultural exchange & attend the basic workshop, in the presence of my aunt and also the team from TedX Petaling Street, Jessie Ng.
Meetup- Cap Arnab, Teluk Intan
March 2024
Cultural exchange
Moi family running the Keng Chon Coffee Powder Factory in Teluk Intan. The next generation Mike now innovating machinery and equipment for brewing. More collaboration to happen.
Workshop – Module 3
20 April 2024
PARC Raya Open Day
Cultural Connections, working with PARC to bring a concise version of Module 3 for the Raya Open day. Learn about Traditional Brewing Methods, and Adding Milk to Kopi, making your own coffee in the process.
Workshop Pilot– Module 3
19 March 2024
PILOT 3– Traditional Brewing
Traditional Session– First-hand experience using traditional equipment. Lau (cloth filter), Kong (jug), Tan-ya (ladle) and water boiler. Adding Milk into Kopi– Traditional standard measurements.
Workshop Private Sessions
16 - 19 March 2024
Customised session
Many requests for private session and customising workshop modules. Although the research space is still a work in progress, but small group workshops are possible.
Commission Work
Jan - Mar 2024
Submission & Launch
Working intensively for past 7 months preparing four different works for submission to a Kopi Museum opening about mid February 2024.
Tinsmith Repair
March-June 2024
Tinsmiths a crucial trade
Finding heritage tinsmiths along the peninsula, some still practising, others diversifying, but mostly at the end of their trade lineage. Race against time to piece a tinsmith narrative and its relation to our unique coffee culture.
Pop up Kiosk
25 January 2024
Coffee Stall
In support of a maker's space launch, setting up a quick brewing station with three coffee powder brands, from Singapore and Johor.
Workshop– Module 2
20 & 21 January 2024
PILOT 2– Expanding your Kopi Palate
Contemporary Session– Kopi Tasting Session. Refining Methods– Coffee grounds & brew refining methods. Pre-brew / On-brew / Post-brew. Improving the Brew Kit– Using the prototype Lau.
Workshop– Module 1
16 & 17 December 2023
PILOT 1– Learning the Basics
Dissecting Kopi Fun 粉 and Brewing the Kopi O. The basic self-brew kopi kit for participants, standardised brew method for local kopi.
Project launch
16 December 2023
Small exhibition of artefacts
Charcoal-fuelled boiler set from Penang, #kopipui coffee cup saucer collection, and cultural mapping notes of Malayan kopi.
Project site launch
5 December 2023
Trades Archive 2nd project
Depository of all the coffee research, and index of study. Work in progress.
老行業全記錄
Trades Archive intends to document traditional trades in detail, in it’s living form with the Master tradesman / craftsperson, using the original tools and materials. Through the use of modern mediums such as motion film, technical drawings, 3D rendering etc, producing a detailed manual of how the trade product is created and made.
This project hopes to inspire other Master tradesmen to evaluate their trade skills as invaluable knowledge to be recorded. Encouraging them to also start documenting and archiving their trade skills on their own. It is a way to also establish the origins of our traditional trades, and bridge beyond the trade family and spread the legacy of this unique Malaysian cultural identity, bringing it to a wider, newer generation of cultural artists, designers, & makers.
I believe in a creative commons model, to share this methodology with other artists and cultural workers in creating their own trades archive, in their own cities and communities. Trades Archive hopes this effort will preserve the intangible knowledge, and bridge the gap with future generations, to inspire and pick up where these trades have left off.
Jeffrey J C Lim