A museum in Beijing has launched a creepy-crawly coffee brew which has ground-down cockroaches sprinkled on the surface of the drink.
Aside from the insect powders, the caffeine pick-me-up is laced with dried yellow mealworms.
Drinkers say it has a “burnt and slightly sour” flavour, the news outlet The Cover reported.
The roach coffee is on sale at the coffee shops of an insect museum in the capital city of China; it costs 45 yuan (US$6) a cup. The museum’s name was not given in the report.
“We launched this type of coffee at the end of June and it trended on the internet recently,” an employee of the museum told the media.
“As an insect-themed museum, it seemed like a good idea to have drinks that match,” he added.
Their new series also includes specially made beverages using a pitcher plant’s digestive juice and a limited edition drink made with ants.
The ant brew was only sold during the Halloween period, the unnamed employee said.
He said all the ingredients were bought from a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) herb shop, so customers can be assured of the safety of their drinks.
TCM theories claim that cockroach powder can be used as a medication to help blood circulation.
Doctors believe protein-rich yellow mealworms can help boost people’s immune systems.
The museum employee said that while the ant drink tastes sour, the pitcher plant brew tastes just like ordinary coffee.
“The roach coffee is mainly consumed by curious young people. Parents with children do not like it as they dislike cockroaches,” he said.
The shop sells more than 10 cups of the roach brew a day, said the worker.
Beijing-based blogger Chen Xi tried the crushed insect coffee at the request of his fans. He closed his eyes and gulped it down quickly.
“Well, it is not as disgusting as I thought,” he said.
Many internet users expressed scepticism about the creative drink.
“I dare not drink it even if you pay me,” said one person.
Unconventional coffee is not uncommon in China and often makes headlines.
Earlier this year, a cafe in Yunnan province, southwestern China, raised eyebrows by mixing deep-fried worms with coffee.
Also, a coffee shop in eastern Jiangxi province puts fried chilli and hot pepper powder in their lattes. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
