Milkmaid, a brand of condensed milk that was introduced in Singapore during the 1890s, was produced by the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company before it merged with the Nestlé Company in 1905. This is a porcelain cup typically used for serving hot coffee and tea, often drunk with sugar and condensed milk. Customers would cool their beverage by pouring it into the saucer and drinking from it. Porcelain cups and saucers bearing floral motif prints or logos of the tea and coffee suppliers were distributed by the beverage companies together with coffee powder and tea leaves. The ‘kopitiam’ (coffee shop) was a male-dominated meeting place where bachelors congregated for breakfast consisting of toast, eggs and a beverage. It has become an important feature of Singapore’s landscape since the 1950s.
