This is a brass strainer hoop used for brewing coffee or tea in ‘kopitiams’ (coffee shops) during the 1930s. Coffee powder or tea leaves were placed in the brass-rimmed cloth filter and boiling water was poured in, filtering down to a container below.The ‘kopitiam’ was a male-dominated meeting place where bachelors congregated for breakfast consisting of toast, eggs and a beverage such as coffee or tea. It has become an important feature of Singapore’s landscape since the 1950s.
