30 May 2024 , 03:00
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Adding vegetables to your morning brew may not sound ideal.
But coffee drinkers are now doing just this, as a surprising 'Scallion Latte' has taken social media by storm. The drink recipe, believed to be from China, involves topping a caffeinated beverage with a heavy layer of spring onions - giving it an unconventional crunch.
Unsurprisingly, this has polarised countless people online, with many taking to TikTok to try it out for themselves. US and Australia-based brewers, Golden Brown Coffee, are among them, sharing a tutorial for other intrigued viewers to follow.
A creator at the firm, @goldenbrown.coffee, explained: "This is a viral drink that came straight out of China. So, of course, yours truly has to taste it. Start by chipping just the green parts of fresh spring onion.
"Then just make an iced latte how you would with ice, milk and of course, some espresso. Then we have to heavily garnish our drink with spring onion." After giving it a stir, the creator was left with a typical-looking latte - aside from the green lumps floating around in it.
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Giving it a sip, he immediately gagged, adding: "You can't even fake any redeeming qualities. That is horrific. Coffee down!"
This 26-second clip was quickly met with a flurry of comments, as various users chimed in to draw attention to other unconventional recipes. One person wrote: "Have you tried it with diced tomatoes and mashed avocados? Top with a bit of tajin seasoning and chaat masala. Amazing!!"
Another said: "Coffee and butter is way much better and healthier," as others wrote: "Add some garlic and ginger and fish sauce in there too," and: "Coffee becomes weirder and weirder these days."
According to Yahoo! Taiwan, the Scallion Latte is part of a much wider 'dark cuisine' trend, focused on creating recipes that put our senses to the test. This has reportedly led to a wave of bizarre coffee flavours in mainland China - whether this be soy sauce-flavoured coffee, or even putting baby octopus in lattes.
Dipping beef balls in drinks has been a part of this too, with one café owner in Xiamen, telling the publication: "When eating, you can first dip the beef balls into the top part of the sand tea milk cover, and then you can move around in circles after eating," according to a translation.
This also comes as China's independent coffee shops are facing intense competitive pressure against international chains like Starbucks. So, opting for a more unconventional drinks menu, gives them a unique edge.
What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below...