I decided to drink various yuan yang pengs (a delicious combo of iced coffee and tea) in Singapore, all in the name of “science”.
Coffee’s great and all, but my allegiance lies with tea. No words can describe the pleasure I get from brewing, sipping, and spilling tea. In an ideal world, I get to enjoy the best of both worlds. Thank the stars such a concoction exists in Singapore – hi, yuan yang peng, I love you. While it’s not a debilitating addiction, I need my fix at least once a week.
As a self-declared coffee and tea expert, nothing brings me greater joy than sharing my knowledge with you, dear readers. And so, in the name of “science”, I’ve detailed all the yuan yang pengs I’ve gulped down from Singapore’s coffee chains. My rating matrix boils down to ration (can it hit the sweet spot balance?), taste (a slightly creamier, full-bodied flavour gets my vote), and price point (given our current economy). Let’s see how many places got it right, shall we?
P.S. Prices were accurate when I purchased the drinks over the last couple of months. Also, you can reduce single-use plastic waste by bringing your tumblers! (I didn’t, so you can see where I bought my drinks.)
Ranking the best and worst yuan yang drinks from coffee chains in Singapore
1. Ya Kun Kaya Toast: YES. That’s all.
Full disclosure: I love Ya Kun. Whenever I feel like consuming yuan yang, this is my go-to. Of course, I try my best to remain impartial. But it’s hard! Ya Kun produces the best version, bar none. The drink is creamy and full-bodied because they add condensed and evaporated milk into the mixture before blending everything. Plus, the coffee-to-tea ratio is perfectly balanced. There’s nothing to hate other than the price (a small cup sets you back $3.30). Well, it’s a worthy investment. I’m willing to look past it.
Brew-tally honest assessment: Can we just cut the experiment and declare the winner, please?
2. Fun Toast: A shocking contender emerges
Fun Toast is another coffee chain you can easily hit up in Singapore. Though we’re still in the early stages of the experiment, my yuan yang peng benchmark has skyrocketed (no) thanks to Ya Kun. However, I remind myself to get rid of my bias. I paid $3.40 for my drink, but I don’t mind it as it comes in a large cup – a big yay for economies of scale. My eyes widened after my first few sips. Yes, folks, I’m pleasantly surprised. Fun Toast strikes a good balance between coffee and tea, and despite it not being as full-bodied, it’s still creamy. I genuinely liked it.
Brew-tally honest assessment: A calm yes. I daresay it’s an almost equal alternative to Ya Kun.
3. Ma Mum: Third round’s a charm
“What’s next?” my caffeine-induced brain asks. Well, we’re hitting up Ma Mum. It costs $2.50 for a large cup, which gets a thumbs up from me. I observe the staff as they make my drink. It looks like there’s a good balance of coffee, tea, and milk. But while seeing is believing, tasting is a different thing altogether. Fortunately, it tastes as good as it looks. I say Ma Mum’s version borders closely to Fun Toast’s.
Brew-tally honest assessment: I wouldn’t say no to this.
4. Kopi & Tarts: Almost, but not quite
A halal local coffee chain! My brothers and sisters in Islam can heave a sigh of relief. Don’t let this under-the-radar brand fool you, though – Kopi & Tart’s version almost hits the mark. For $3.80, you get a “large” cup (in Math speak, shorter in height but wider in breadth) filled with decent, creamy goodness. It feels like there’s slightly more coffee than tea.
Brew-tally honest assessment: 45% yes, 55% maybe.
5. Toast Box: Is this experiment cursed?
As one of Singapore’s biggest coffee chains, I expect Toast Box’s yuan yang to be decent. Being a well-known brand also means the drink will cost more than the others. It’s $3.30 for a small cup, which might prevent you from being a repeat customer. Perhaps once in a while? It depends on the yuan yang… which isn’t that good, in this case. The coffee tastes burnt, overpowering everything else.
Brew-tally honest assessment: Unless you like charred coffee, skip this.
6. Kaffe & Toast: Curious case of the missing milk
To get over my disappointment from the previous purchase, I stop by Kaffe & Toast’s outlet in Tampines. I don’t want to raise my expectations too much, but I hope this drink is better. For $2.50, you get a large cup, which is value for money. But will it taste as good as it costs? I’m ready to find out. After a few tentative sips, I swallowed a decent mouthful of yuan yang. The tea is more prominent than coffee (so the ratio’s a bit off), but still, I couldn’t fathom why the drink tasted diluted. Another case of absent milk?
Brew-tally honest assessment: Another no from me.
7. Ah Khoo Kopi Toast: An imperfect chemis-tea
This modest brand can only be found in the east, which is perfect for me. I make my way to its Tampines outlet for my yuan yang fix. Ah Khoo charges $2.80 for a small cup (I’m already past caring about the price point by now). Despite the staff pouring more tea than coffee into my drink, the latter stands out more, to the point of overpowering the former. Coffee lovers might prefer this version.
Brew-tally honest assessment: Alexa, play No by Meghan Trainor.
8. Killiney Kopitiam: Are we going back to square one?
I’m all juiced up on caffeine by now, NGL. But I ain’t a quitter, so we press on. For some reason, Killiney Kopitiam’s version has more tea, which I found impossible, seeing as black coffee seems like the more potent beverage of the two. The milk’s probably disappeared somewhere. It’s $2.80 for a small cup, which is not too bad.
Brew-tally honest assessment: Not killing it, KK.
9. Heavenly Wang: Not so divine
Personally, I’m not a fan of this brand. Don’t kill me, Heavenly Wang supporters! But for the sake of this experiment, I included it on the list. Compared to the previous concoction, this one seems to have more coffee than tea. A hint of acidity comes through whenever I take a swig; adding milk does nothing to cut it down. A small cup of yuan yang peng costs $3. Bonus points for using a paper cup – hurray for sustainability.
Brew-tally honest assessment: $3 for a small cup? That’s not heavenly. I’m saving my coins for a different store.
10. Coffee Addiction: Is this flavoured water?
Yes, I know I said coffee chains, but this store is on the way to my office, so why not? We don’t discriminate. Coffee Addiction only has one outlet in Singapore, which puts it at an unfair advantage. If the yuan yang’s bad, it means I’m writing off the entire business. Oops. I paid $1.90 for a small cup, which is pretty affordable for a store based in City Hall. At first sip, I couldn’t taste either coffee or tea. Is it diluted? I continued slurping on my purchase. Yep, there’s no doubt the drink is too watered down. I suppose the generous helping of ice and what seemed like a lack of milk contributed to the taste.
Brew-tally honest assessment: Thanks, but no thanks.
Here’s my final mug manifesto…
At the end of my experiment, the obvious winner is Ya Kun Kaya Toast (naturally), while Fun Toast trails at a slightly distant second and Ma Mum rounds up in third place. Congratulations!
Disclaimer: My verdict isn’t final because I only visited one outlet per brand. For example, Kaffe & Toast didn’t do so well, but Ma Mum did, and they’re both under the same umbrella. Also, I tried Toast Box again but at a different outlet this time, and I got a better version from that store. Standards fluctuate between outlets, so be discerning and note down the ones that fall under your taste preference.
Now that I’ve tried yuan yang from Singapore’s coffee chains, should I extend this experiment and sample the ones from our hawker centres? Let me know.
