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Home / Lifestyle

Eggs, mushrooms, charcoal and tonic: The weirdest coffees ever

By Jenni Lambly
NZ Herald·
28 Mar, 2017 06:01 PM6 mins to read

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Do you consider yourself a coffee purist, or would you be happy to try these obscure concoctions? Photo / Getty

Do you consider yourself a coffee purist, or would you be happy to try these obscure concoctions? Photo / Getty

An orange mocha frappachino was once considered the height of blasphemy to coffee connoisseurs. Fast forward nearly two decades and things are still going haywire for the humble latte, perhaps more than ever before.

via GIPHY

From mushrooms, to lumps of coal, foodies all over the world continue to reinvent, or ruin, the traditional brew. So we've round up the latest in weird coffee creations but, be warned, they're definitely not for everyone.

Tonic Water Espresso

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Tonic water espressos are the latest beverage to hit the Gram. Want to get in on this coffee Insta-swag? Add a dash of tonic water to your regular espresso and. If you're feeling fancy, garnish with a sprig of rosemary or orange peel.

The drink is gaining popularity in Brazil and Japan and, not surprisingly, has made its way to Melbourne.

As for the taste, it's said to resemble Coke with an extra kick.

Charcoal Latte

View this post on Instagram

When working on new recipes is the 💣.com and looks this sexy! 🖤✔️🌚#charcoallatte #superdetoxifier #wildlattes #comingsoon #newrecipes #qualitycontrol #loveourjob #homemadealmondmilk #motherearth #organic #plantbased #glutenfree #zeroadditives #unpasteurised #eatwise #wildandthemoon

A post shared by Wild & The Moon (@wildandthemoon) on Mar 24, 2017 at 8:01am PDT

You've likely heard the buzz about charcoal face marks. Now, as unpalatable as it sounds, charcoal lattes are fast becoming a favourite - particularly among the wellness blogger set.

READ MORE: • Do charcoal face masks actually work?

The moody looking beverage consists of hot milk and activated charcoal - a combination said to detoxify the body and aide in digestion - if you can stomach it in the first place.

For those keen to ease in to the trend, it can also be made by mixing an activated charcoal tablet in your usual coffee.

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Medicinal Mushroom Latte

View this post on Instagram

Do you believe in magic? We do with our 'Magic Mushroom' Latte! House made hazelnut milk spun with 5 mushroom immune tincture, cacao, vanilla, mesquite, maca and cayenne pepper. From Mother Nature to you 😉🌱🙏🏼❤️ #sisterofsoul #stkilda #aclandstreet #mushroomlatte #mothernature #plantbased #plantbaseddiet #immunebooster #vegan #whatveganseat #whatvegansdrink #vegansofig #vegansofmelbourne #vegansofaustralia #foodforthesoul #bliss

A post shared by Sister of Soul (@sisterofsoul_stk_rich) on May 20, 2016 at 8:43pm PDT

For thousands of year's medicinal mushrooms have been used in Chinese medicine and cooking, and now they are making their way into your latte!

Medicinal mushrooms are said to be highly potent, praised for their immune-boosting properties.

Rather than chopping and sautéing them to get the benefits, you could stir mushroom powder in to milk - but would you really want to?

Egg Latte

View this post on Instagram

[English caption below] Khi đến với Hà Nội, bạn đừng quên dành chút thời gian để thưởng thức thứ quà đặc sản này- Cafe Trứng. Cafe trứng mang trong mình vị ngon béo ngậy của trứng , hoà quyện với vị đắng chát , thơm lừng của cafe đen nóng hổi. Mùi vị tinh tế ấy thực sự dễ khiến con người ta lay động , bồi hồi mà nhớ về Một Hà Nội yên bình chứ không chen chúc ,xô bồ. Địa điểm bạn có thể thưởng thức : Giảng Cafe: 39 Nguyễn Hữu Huân , Lí Thái Tổ , Hoàn Kiếm Hà Nội Đinh Cafe : tầng 2, 13 Đinh Tiên Hoàng Giá: 20.000~35.000 VNĐ Don't forget to spend a little bit of your time(1~2 hours maybe enough) to experience this special drink whenever you come to Hanoi- The Egg coffee. The egg coffee has the combination of the rich form egg yolks and the strong bitten but so tasty with specific smell. All together, it creates an elegant taste which easily makes people fall in love with it at the first sight. Address for best cup of coffee you can have in Hanoi: Giảng Cafe: 39 Nguyễn Hữu Huân street , Hoàn Kiếm district ,Hanoi Đinh Cafe : 2nd floor, 13 Đinh Tiên Hoàng street, Hanoi Price: 20.000~35.000 VNĐ #coffee #vietnamese #vietnamesecoffee #eggcoffee #giangcafe #dinhcafe #vietnamesecuisine #hanoi #hanoian #hanoidrink #hanoicoffee #vietnamtravel #vietnamtraveling #hanoilife #hanoielegance #coffeetime #coffeeart #coffeeaddict

A post shared by Vietnam.traveling (@vietnam.traveling) on Feb 25, 2017 at 12:30am PST

How do you take your coffee? Two sugars, almond milk, an egg yolk?

Discover more

Lifestyle

The secret to cooking perfect sausages

28 Mar 10:55 PM

Egg lattes have been delighting locals and tourists alike at Hanoi's Giang Café.

While the exact recipe remains a secret, you can make your own egg latte using coffee, condensed milk, sugar and egg yolk mixed together in a blender. Uh, sounds "eggcellent".

READ MORE:
• Chef reveals secret to perfect poached eggs

Turmeric Latte

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The perfect anti-inflammatory turmeric latte to start the day after another fantastic @studioredyoga yoga class ❤️ I think it's safe to say I'm hooked 😋. If your interested in how to make turmeric lattes and want to know why there so good for us then make sure to check out next weeks article on the blog. Yum!!! The perfect winter drink. Happy Friday lovelies xx . . . #vegan #turmericlatte #superfoods #superfoodlattes #plantlove #plantbased #plantbaseddiet #dairyfree #wholefood #whatveganseat #foodie #foodshare #nutritionist #nutrition #cleaneating #almondmilk #wellnessblogger #breakfastlove #breakfastinspo #mornings #instafood #instagood #instadaily #latte #postworkoutfuel

A post shared by Renee Brown (@littleplantbasedtummies) on Jul 14, 2016 at 1:40pm PDT

A favourite of actress and health guru Gwyneth Paltrow, turmeric lattes, or "golden milk", are another trend that's stemmed from health claims, in particular, healing and anti-inflammatory properties.

Made using almond milk, coconut sugar, turmeric and ginger, these amber coloured beverages have been making their way into niche cafes and eateries.

Modern medical studies have also found that cur cumin, found in turmeric, helps kill cancer cells.

• Blue Algae Latte

View this post on Instagram

Algae Latte created by @matcha_mylkbar 😳

A post shared by Rosie Mansfield®️ (@rosiemansfield) on Jul 13, 2016 at 3:25pm PDT

They've been doing the rounds on Instagram for a while now, but it seems customers at Melbourne's vegan Matcha Mylkbar can't get enough of these bright blue lattes.

Containing ginger, lemon, coconut milk and blue algae powder, people are paying big bucks to get their hands on the trendy beverage - also purported as having powerful antioxidant properties.

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Boasting a strong seaweed-type smell and a taste resembling sour milk, the lattes are far more Instagram-able than they are drinkable,

So is it goodbye trim latte, hello blue algae with extra activated charcoal? We'll let you be the judge.

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