Kluang Coffee is one of Johor’s most quietly influential contributions to Malaysia’s kopi culture. Rooted in the small railway town of Kluang, this is coffee shaped not by trends, but by migration, routine, and decades of repetition done right. Thick, aromatic, and unapologetically kaw, it is the kind of coffee that wakes you up before you even take a sip.

The story of Kluang coffee actually begins in 1938, inside the Kluang Railway Station. Hainanese immigrants Lim Luan Hee and Lim Heng Yong opened a canteen to serve British soldiers and train travellers passing through the town. These Hainanese cooks brought with them a particular way of handling coffee. Strong brews, poured from height, built for long mornings and longer conversations. When jam supplies were scarce, they made their own kaya using coconut milk, eggs, and sugar. That kaya toast, paired with black coffee or coffee with milk, became the foundation of what we now recognise as kopitiam culture.

Nearly three decades later, in 1966, the second pillar of Kluang coffee emerged. The Kluang Coffee Powder Factory was founded by Mr. Goh Tong Tor. His ambition was to create a coffee brand that people would gather around, thus Cap Televisyen or TV Brand was born. At its core, Kluang-style coffee is built on a three-bean blend of Robusta, Arabica, and Liberica. The presence of Liberica is especially important. This locally grown bean brings a deep, almost woody aroma that defines southern Malaysian kopi. At the Kluang Coffee Powder Factory, the beans are roasted the old way over firewood, with sugar and margarine or vegetable oil added directly into the roast. Timing here is everything. Roast too long and the coffee turns harsh. Too short and sourness creeps in. Once done, the beans are quickly cooled, broken apart, ground, and packed. Every batch is brewed and tasted. Smoothness is the benchmark. No sharp bitterness, no aggressive acidity.

Today, both legacies continue side by side. Kluang Rail Coffee remains inside the station, still serving coffee much as it did decades ago. Old tables, old chairs, and the familiar rhythm of brewing fill the space. Regulars include railway workers, locals, and even the Sultan of Johor, who is known to make personal visits. Meanwhile, Cap Televisyen has grown into a major supplier across Johor and beyond, producing thousands of kilograms of coffee powder daily while still maintaining its traditional roasting methods.

In modern Kluang, you will find many kopitiams using Cap Televisyen beans to brew their coffee. Iced cham is especially popular. Coffee and tea mixed together, poured over ice, thick and creamy, cutting through the afternoon heat with ease. It is bold without being rough, comforting without being sleepy.

Kluang coffee is not trying to be a specialty brew or a lifestyle statement. It is coffee as routine, as memory, as habit. Best enjoyed slowly, with kaya toast on the side, maybe a couple of cream crackers, and no rush to be anywhere else. If you want to understand Johor, sometimes all you need is a small cup, a railway platform, and coffee that has been doing its job for nearly a century.