Kopi Codenames Singapore: What Local Coffee Teaches Us About Finance

This week, I'm pressing pause on the usual tools and frameworks. No financial ratios. No frameworks. No jargon to unpack.

Just a short story. A small tribute. Something different.

Because Singapore turns 60 this week. And it felt right to mark it by sharing something familiar, something uniquely ours.

Let’s talk kopi.

At any hawker centre, ordering a local coffee can sound like code: Kopi O Kosong. Kopi O Siew Dai. Kopi C Ga Dai. Kopi Gao. Kopi Di Lo.  

One word changes, and suddenly your drink tastes completely different.

If you’ve grown up here, you know how it works. If you haven’t, it can be confusing. One wrong syllable, and it’s either too sweet, too bitter, or just not what you expected.

That’s the funny thing about code. It only works when everyone understands it.

Why the Kopi Codenames Singapore Reveal So Much About Finance

And that’s what reminds me of finance.

Terms like EBITDA, PATMI or ROIC are everywhere in business. 

But for people without a finance background, they can feel like ordering kopi in Singapore for the first time. There’s a lot of nodding. A bit of guessing. And sometimes, a quiet sense of being left out.

From kopi orders to financial terms — it only works when you know the code.

In my work, I call this the Kopi Codenames™. 

It’s the moment where a simple word becomes a barrier because no one stopped to explain what it really means.

That’s why I teach finance the way I do. Not to impress, but to translate. 

To help people build fluency, not just familiarity. 

Because decisions get better when you understand what’s in the cup.

So this week, in honour of SG60, here’s to the hidden codes we carry in everyday life. 

And the moments when someone takes time to decode them with us.

PS: For Our Overseas Friends

Here’s how to order your kopi in Singapore:

• Kopi O Kosong – Black coffee, no sugar, no milk ("Kosong" = zero)

• Kopi O Siew Dai – Black coffee, less sugar ("Siew Dai" = less sweet)

• Kopi C Ga Dai – Coffee with evaporated milk, extra sweet ("C" = evaporated milk, "Ga Dai" = extra sweet)

• Kopi Gao – Strong coffee with condensed milk ("Gao" = thick/strong)

• Kopi Di Lo – Extra strong, undiluted coffee with condensed milk ("Di Lo" = from the pot)

  
  

So while this post was sparked by Singapore’s 60th birthday, I hope the story behind the Kopi Codenames Singapore helps you see how even local rituals can hold powerful finance lessons.

James The Financial Storyteller

Finance doesn’t need to be complex to be clear.

 👉 Once Upon a Balance Sheet is now open for pre-orders.