Worldwide coffees: The unique, The bizarre & The delicious

Posted on March 11, 2015

Many of us can’t start the day without our caffeine fix, and the same goes even when we’re travelling! But if you really consider yourself a coffee connoisseur, think about whether you’d try these strange coffee concoctions!

Bulletproof “Butter” Coffee, US

Would you like butter with that?

It’s a fad that’s recently hit Australia, but it originated in the Silicon Valley – putting butter in your coffee instead of milk.

They call it Bulletproof Coffee and it apparently aids weight loss and digestion, and gives you more of a long-lasting kick than ordinary coffee. Health experts, however, aren’t sure they agree.

Elephant Dung Coffee, Thailand

Yes, it is what it sounds like. In northern Thailand, acacia beans are fed to elephants, digested and then scooped out of their dung and made into coffee.

It might not sound very appealing, but apparently this is one of the most expensive coffees in the world and is commonly served in places like the Maldives and Abu Dhabi.

Kopi Luwak, Thailand

If you’re willing to try coffee from elephant dung, why not cat dung?

Kopi Luwak is the predecessor here and is made in much the same way – only the dung this time comes from a civet cat. Once again, the civet’s digestive acids break down the coffee proteins, eliminating that end-user bitterness.

Cream Cheese Frappuccino, Japan

This one isn’t as exotic as you think. Just head to good ol’ Starbucks in Japan and you can buy almost any coffee and request that fluffy cream cheese be dolloped all over the top. Bizarre yet tasty!

Kaffeost, Scandinavia

If the idea of coffee and cheese has grown on you, you can also sample a Kaffeost. In this beverage, cheese curd made from reindeer milk is tossed into a mug, with coffee poured on top.

After you’ve finished sipping, tradition says you must eat the cheese at the bottom. Kind of like coffee and cheese caked rolled into one!

Egg Coffee, Vietnam

Imagine starting your day with this! In this coffee concoction, Robusta coffee is mixed in with egg yolks, sugar and condensed milk and then topped off with egg cream. Sweet and smooth, this drink is a favourite in Hanoi.

Edible Coffee Cups, US

Q. What could be better than drinking your coffee? A. Eating your cup afterwards!

Edible coffee cups have become all the rage in Los Angeles. Known as the ‘Alfred Cone’, this cone-cup is dipped in chocolate and then filled with coffee. You’ll have to be prepared to pay a little more for this one – an espresso in a cone will cost around US$8.00.

Mazagran, Algeria

If you love your coffee cold and sweet, the Mazagran is a great choice that is very similar to iced coffee – with a kick!

Hot coffee is poured over ice in this drink and then rum is also added. Lemon is a popular addition in other places like Portugal. Often served in a tall glass, this drink is easy to find in various European destinations.

Kopi Susu, Indonesia 

Sick of putting 4+ sugars into your coffee every morning?

A common coffee concoction in Indonesia, this drink is made by combining black coffee with hot, sweetened condensed milk. After it’s left to cool, you simply drink the condensed milk and eat the coffee at the bottom.

Espresso Soda, US

Just in case you dislike the idea of a fizzy coffee, the Espresso Soda will make your dreams come true. Fashioned by Manhattan Special, this coffee has been around since 1895 and comes in full sugar and diet versions.

Photo credits: Leendertz, junbucks, miaisageek, David McKelvey, Lawrence Bonk, Smuconlaw, globalcitizen01, laughingsquid

à phê phô mai Kaffeost – Phần Lan và Thụy Điển

Phô mai Phần Lan được dùng trong cà phê Kaffeost, một món đồ uống nóng ở Bắc Phần Lan và Thụy Điển. Khi nhúng một miếng phô mai vào cốc cà phê đen, cà phê sẽ có vị phô mai nhè nhẹ và miếng phô mai sẽ có mùi cà phê thơm phức. Bạn có thể thưởng thức Kaffeost khi chiêm ngưỡng khung cảnh lộng lẫy của vùng biên giới Thụy Điển – Phần Lan

MONDAY, 6 OCTOBER 2014

Homemade Coffee Cheese (Kaffeost)

This recipe was passed on to me by Chris Kridakorn-Odbratt, who lives in the Jungles of Laos.

I am yet to try this out, but seeing I live in a city with a pretty big coffee culture, I would be crazy not to try this out pretty soon.  Chris sent through a couple of photos, so you can get an idea of what this cheese is all about!

Here is the recipe;

Homemade Coffee Cheese

Coffee cheese originally made from the milk warm, straight from a cow or reindeer and used in coffee as a kind of snack. Irresistible for a Northern Swede in general and a Tornedaling (border to Finland) in particular! At least if they belong to the middle-aged generation with a plus sign ...
If you have no barn, or reindeer (as the best Coffee Cheese is made from), use whole milk or preferably raw milk...

Ingredients

2 liters of milk
60 ml heavy cream
2 tsp rennet (available at the pharmacy and in some stores)

Method

1.  Pour the milk and cream in a 3-liter saucepan

2.  Heat to lukewarm (37 degrees C)

3.  Lift off the pan and mix in rennet. Let stand for about 30-40 minutes until the liquid has solidified (curdled itself )

4.  Stir gently with a slotted spoon while you heat up the liquid to lukewarm again.

5.  Steer meanwhile the cheese from the edges toward the center of the pan.

6. When the cheese is gathered into a ball in the middle heat the whole thing up to the boiling point - but it should not boil! Take the pan off the heat just before the whey boils.

7.   Place the cheese in a fine mesh colander / strainer large / or in a cheese mold if you have one of those.

8.  Press out as much whey as possible out of the cheese. Set a weight and leave for a few hours so the last whey is pressed out and the cheese gets dry.

9. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Press the cheese into a well greased casserole dish - cheese should be a maximum of 3 cm thick. Bake the cheese in center of oven until browned. The cheese can also be used without baking but I think it will be tastier to bake it.

10.                    If the edges become hard - wrap the warm cheese in aluminum foil afterwards so they soften.

11.                     When the cheese has cooled - cut into small cubes or strips, put a pile in the coffee cup and fill the cup with fresh coffee. 

12.                    Stir and eat with a spoon…enjoy the taste and the sound 

If there is anything left - package well and freeze down or make dessert with warm cloudberries or raspberry coulis. The whey may be used as liquid to bake soft bread.

 What do you think?  Who is going to try this and report back to the curd nerd community?

http://www.littlegreencheese.com/2014/10/homemade-coffee-cheese.html