How this man from one of Kuala Lumpur’s oldest tea businesses is changing the way young people consume tea

In the heart of Kuala Lumpur, amid the bustling streets and echoes of the past, the legacy of Koh Chin continues to flourish through the hands of its fourth-generation torchbearer, PC Koh. As one of the heirs to Koh Chuan Huat Tea Merchants Sdn Bhd, a family-run tea business dating back to the 1930s, PC Koh and other members of his generation are embarking on a journey of tradition, rebellion, and the renaissance of the drink with Beca Tea.

Koh explains how Koh Chin, his great-grandfather, who arrived in Malaysia in the 1920s, peddled tea from a tin trunk pulled alongside a trishaw, locally known as a beca. The family officially established Koh Chuan Huat Tea Merchants in 1931, and it has been operating ever since along Jalan Tun HS Lee, and still sells to B2B clients today.

To say tea runs in Koh’s blood would not be an understatement, as Koh remembers how he grew up drinking tea more than milk and even water. “The extended family home was smack in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, and it was also where the family would process our teas. We kept charcoal fires alive 24/7 to roast tea. It seems wild for this era, but playtime for my siblings, cousins and I involved stoking the embers of the charcoal fires and stacking tin tea trunks up into forts,” he recalled. 

“We boys were taught to understand tea and the family business. I have fond memories of tasting tea with my father in the mornings; otherwise, an impatient man, he would patiently explain the different types of teas to me and even throw in surprise pop quizzes.”

With an upbringing steeped in tea, it’s no surprise that Koh is continuing the evolution of his family legacy with Beca Tea, a brand that emerged as a rebellious response to the changing landscape of tea consumption.

“Beca Tea was borne with an ache in the heart. We wanted people to be curious and continue exploring the possibilities of tea. The traditional ways of consuming tea might be a little “slow” for young people, and expensive too, so they have turned to overly sugary drinks that don’t taste of tea at all,” he said. “There was a gap in the market, and we realised we could offer an alternative that is modern, accessible, and authentic. We also wanted to educate people on what tea truly is and can be. You could also say we wanted to be rebellious, especially against the more old-school way of drinking tea.”

Working with his nephew Joshua Ong (he is spearheading product development), the duo spent two years on research and development to infuse Beca Tea with a distinct identity. The resulting menu features a range of drinks crafted in-house, with input from mixologists like Tracia Chan of the popular cocktail bar, Dissolved Solids, which showcases a mastery of tea from source to sip, free from added sugars, artificial flavours, and preservatives.

Asking Koh to choose a signature drink from this extensive menu is like asking a proud parent to choose a favourite child, but a notable mention is the Squash Supreme, a unique concoction blending roasted squash, oat milk, signature black tea, grass jelly, and Italian balsamic vinegar. This seemingly eccentric blend mirrors the essence of Beca Tea itself – local yet international, crazy yet sensible.

Indeed, Koh’s “rebellion” extends beyond the cup and into the physical space of Beca Tea's first store in Uptown. Collaborating with Mentah Matter, an architectural firm aligned with the brand's unorthodox spirit, Beca Tea created a space that transcends mere functionality. The store offers a visually appealing atmosphere for grab-and-go customers and integrates an element of tea education through an art installation by Ummi of Dunia Motif.

This approach to tea is congruent with Beca Tea's vision, which extends beyond providing a beverage  ̶  it also wants to take customers on a journey of tea discovery. By making lesser-known teas accessible in familiar formats, Beca Tea hopes to pique curiosity and bridge the gap in tea education. The introduction of Flavour Profile cards further enhances the experience, offering customers insights into the cup of tea they just enjoyed.

The story of Beca Tea continues to unfold with the opening of Little Beca Tea in Bangsar South. Little Beca Tea caters to office workers seeking a healthy alternative, while retail merchandising harks back to the brand's roots as tea purveyors and blenders. With an eye on the future, Beca Tea envisions encouraging more young people to embrace tea brewing at home.

As Beca Tea gains momentum in Malaysia, Koh, who spent a good part of his life in Singapore and whose wife is Singaporean, has plans to expand into the island state. “We feel that our products will truly resonate with the Singaporean population. There is a very deep consciousness in many Singaporeans about going easy on sugar, but despite that, there isn’t, at this point, on the island, any quick-service joint that serves a full range of tea that is not laden with sugar and syrups.”

Led by PC Koh and the fifth generation, Beca Tea transcends being a mere beverage; it is a narrative of rebellion, tradition, and the continuous evolution of a legacy that began with a tin trunk on the streets of Kuala Lumpur.