7 Bizarre Things People Around The World Add To Their Coffee (Burning Charcoal, Anyone?)
Also, who knew monkey spit equates to vanilla-flavoured coffee?
Published for NESCAFÉ Malaysia, 21 Sep 2015, 01:28 PM
1. Dunking a red hot piece of charcoal in black coffee
What? Kopi Joss
Where? Yogyakarta, Indonesia
This local favourite starts off in the same style as Javanese coffee-making: loose coffee grinds and sugar in a cup with hot water poured on top. Things escalate quickly when a flaming hot charcoal is added to the brew.
whenonearth.net
Fans of Kopi Joss are drawn to the satisfying sight and sound of the charcoal sizzling in the coffee as it cools. Once the fire is out, take the charcoal out of your cup and enjoy! The charcoal is believed to neutralise the acidity of the coffee, making it easier to drink for those whose stomachs can get upset by coffee.
nomadicnotes.com2. Adding a pinch of salt
What? Buna
Where? Ethiopia
In the birthplace of coffee, salt is a common addition to your cuppa. As it turns out, it doesn't actually make your coffee salty; it’s used to cut down the coffee’s bitterness.
budgettravel.com
In Ethiopia's elaborate coffee ceremonies, three rounds of coffee are served and it is considered impolite to stop drinking before consuming all three cups.
marcussamuelsson.com
3. Brewing a vanilla-flavoured cuppa from monkey-spit beans
What? Monkey Spit Coffee
Where? Taiwan
What began as an inconvenience to coffee farmers, where Formosan Rock Monkeys sucked on their coffee cherries and spat out the pits, eventually became a lucrative opportunity. As it turns out, the monkey-sucked beans possess a distinct vanilla flavour.
mentalfloss.com
It takes two weeks to have the coffee beans unshelled, sun-dried, and roasted, but it looks like coffee lovers are finding it well worth the wait. These extremely rare coffee beans can fetch up to RM500 per kg.
ibnlive.com
4. Drowning cheese cubes in coffee
What? Kaffeost
Where? Finland
The Finnish coffee cup sees a different form of dairy addition to the drink: Leipäjuusto cubes. These cheese curds, traditionally made with reindeer milk, are characterised by their caramelised crust that gives them a similar look to bread.
insureandgo.com.au
This unique beverage consists of black coffee poured over the cheese curds. Generally, the cheese curds are fished out and eaten before drinking what's left of the coffee. In other words, it's the perfect combination of coffee and cheesecake rolled into one!
budgettravel.com
5. Turning coffee into a blazing waterfall
What? Fiery Waterfall Coffee
Where? Mexico
If theatrical coffee is more your thing, watch as a blazing mix of tequila, Kahlua and coffee is set on fire and poured from one pot to another (basically, kopi tarik, but with booze and flame). The burning beverage is finally served with the perfect topping: a fiery cherry.
firsttoknow.com6. Having a cuppa brewed from bird poop beans
What? Jacu Bird Coffee
Where? Brazil
Jacu is an endangered pheasant-like bird native to South America. Their natural selection of the ripest red mocha and yellow bourbon berries is instrumental in producing top-notch quality coffee, while their vegetarian diet and quick digestion are believed to have a ground-breaking effect on the coffee flavour.
themostexpensivecoffee.com
This smooth, refined coffee is renowned for its unique, nutty flavour with subtle hints of sweet aniseed. As with most of the world's poop-derived coffees, these rare beans come with a correspondingly hefty price tag. Jacu Bird Coffee can set you back approximately RM 2,100 per kg.
modernfarmer.com
7. Mixing a raw egg (shell and all!) into the coffee grounds
What? Scandinavian Egg Coffee
Where? Sweden & Norway
This traditional Scandinavian brewing method calls for a whole raw egg to be mixed with the coffee grounds before adding them to boiling water.
seriouseats.com
The idea behind the egg is that it binds to the coffee grounds, making them sink. Also, it lessens the coffee acidity, and helps alleviate the bitter taste.
businessinsider.com
If you're all about fresh new ways to have coffee, why not make a brew from naturally-ripened beans planted in the serene mountains of Vietnam, in the comfort of your home?
Enjoy the rich, dense flavour these coffee beans get from its high altitude location. Inspired by local farming traditions, the coffee beans are treated to a gentle approach in removing its caffeine content, by being soaked in pure water.
Having a cup of Nescafé Mountain Wash doesn't even require you to leave the comfort of your armchair! Get them online here.