Teh C Peng Special or Three Layer Tea Sarawak

Three Layer Tea

Teh C Peng Special or Three Layer Tea is the local favourite drink that you can find throughout Sarawak, land of the Hornbill, which some still call Borneo.

Other known names for this unique drink are Teh Si Ping Special, and for the record, Teh is the local work for Tea and pronounced as Tey.

Mind you that this review was done back in June of 2009, way before social media hit the shores here. 

Teh C Peng Special or Three Layer Tea Sarawak

Teh C Peng is a unique combination of brown sugar, evaporated milk, and red tea, a local speciality at cafes and coffee shops throughout the largest state in Malaysia.

It is now becoming a common drink served throughout Sarawak and recently hitting the other states in Malaysia. Especially in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya, commonly known as Three Layer Tea (Teh Tiga Lapis in Malay).

How did this craze start? Not an accurate answer but from what I read and asked around my Kuching friends, they say it started at the 7th Mile food court in an area known as Taman Sentosa. The timeline for this drink is still uncertain.

However, I understand that some states like Penang are trying to be different and have 5 Layer Tea and so on. 

Then, F&N Malaysia decides to market this drink here in West Malaysia. I suspect someone in F&N is from Sarawak. Who knows.

But again, let me just tell you that the F&N 3 Layer Tea is really not up to the mark. They supply the formula, but the mamaks, restaurants or coffee shops make them, and there is absolutely no consistency at all.

So, I just do not bother ordering it here in PJ or KL in Malaysia. Most of the time, it is just too sweet, or the tea is too light.

Three Layer Tea Pandan SugarSpecial Pandan 3 layer tea

Teh C Peng Pandan Sugar

Throughout my travels around Sarawak, I had the pleasure of trying out many types of tea, and the best was found in the town of Miri.

I forgot the name of the coffee shop, but it was near the wet market. They served an awesome Teh C Peng Special with Pandan Sugar, so the drink has a nice greenish colour and pandanus taste when you mix it all up.

The overall taste is simply mind-blowing as not as sweet as you may think.

Cincau Teh C Peng SpecialTeh C Peng Special with Cincau (black jelly)

Teh C Cincau Peng

Also in Miri town, I was taken back to another coffee shop where they served me Teh C Cincau Peng. Ok, sounds gross, but it was really nice.

For the foreigners, This is tea with evaporated milk and black jelly. Talk about being creative with the teas in Sarawak.

Sarawak Teh Si Ping Lachau special Teh Si Ping
Common Teh Si Ping

The tea above is from a place called Lachau Town. It is a small Iban trading post where if you blink while you drive past, you will miss the town completely.

I always make a stop there for my fix of Teh C Peng from the end coffee shop. Though it doesn't look grand, they serve one of the best in Sarawak in my opinion.

It is simple and down to earth while it is not overly sweet as some places may tend to make them.

Teh Si Peng PanasHot Teh C Peng Special

Teh C Peng Panas (Hot)

And last, we have the Teh C Panas Special without the ice and gula Melaka (brown sugar), but warm tea drinkers will love this with a nice froth.

Sometimes I think the hot version tends to taste much better, but the person making the drink is important. If he or she does it with passion, it will taste awesome.

Conclusion

If I do come across any other unique teas, I will sure to post them here. So, if you are out there looking for a nice tea drink, ask if they have anything special as you never know what they might create.

If you love tea or someone from England, you should try these unique combinations of teas as they are only found here in Malaysia or Singapore.

And for some of the best selections, you should try the Teh C Peng Special or Three Layer Tea in Sarawak if you visit there.

Malaysia Asia

Blogging since 2007, but writing online since 1997. I belong to the 1st generation of worldwide bloggers, which is of course old-school. Since 2008, I created Malaysia Asia and this travel, flood, gadget and lifestyle blog has won numerous physical awards from tourism boards around Malaysia. (Not those online awards). After 12 years of blogging, I have semi-retired and now blog about things I like, do product reviews and enjoy life. My work has been featured in Lonely Planet, CNN Travel, Yahoo Travel, Wall Street Journal, and many other international publications. Find out more about me and thank you.

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