Six Unusual Coffee Recipes from Around the World
For decades, coffee has vied with tea in the battle to be crowned the most widely consumed hot drink in the world. With around 8 billion cups consumed per year (source: Statista), it's no wonder that there is a whole world of unusual coffee recipes out there beyond your morning flat white or French press!
At Chimney Fire Coffee we love finding new ways to enjoy our roasts, so here are six of our favourite unusual coffee recipes from around the world - along with what each one tastes like, and how to make them if you want to try for yourself.
The Recipes:
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The Magic
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Belgie Cappucino
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Cafe Bombon
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Orange Espresso Tonic
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Avocado Coffee (Es Alpukat Kopi)
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Cà Phê Trứng (Vietnamese Egg Coffee)
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Bonus 'Coffee': Roobois Espresso
The Magic
What's the deal? Not so unfamiliar, but definitely delicious
Let's start with a pretty classic coffee recipe from the spiritual home of speciality coffee, Melbourne. A Magic is essentially what in the UK we might call a flat white, but made with a double ristretto. Ristretto is the smaller and more powerful cousin of the classic espresso, and it's really easy to make at home - all you need is a small 6oz cup (like this one), and to stop your extraction about half way through - after 15-20 seconds instead of the full 30. It won't look like there's very much coffee in your cup, but what there is really packs a punch.
You'll be surprised at how much of a difference this makes, with extra chocolatey sweetness from our Brazil Signature Espresso - our Ops Manager Row says it tastes like a Tiramisu! This is a really easy way to change up your morning coffee routine, so we definitely recommend anyone with an espresso machine gives this one a go.
Ingredients:
Double Ristretto
Steamed Milk
Method:
Extract your double ristretto (remember: stop the machine after 15-20 seconds), steam milk, pour in, boooom.
Belgie Cappucino
What's the deal? Delightfully calorific
With our neighbours across the English Channel having such a sweet tooth, it should come as no surprise that in Belgium a cappuccino is served with... whipped cream on top!
The Belgie Cappuccino is truly the antidote to sore heads and weary bikepacking legs. Sweet, cold whipped cream (or Chantilly cream if you want to be really fancy) balances the strong double espresso flavour underneath, creating a thick and more-ish combination which slips down just a little too easily.
We're not qualified to give medical advice here at Chimney Fire Coffee, but we wouldn't recommend having too many of these in a week or you may need to get a cholesterol check!
Ingredients:
Double Espresso
Whipped (or Chantilly) cream
Optional waffle with ice cream on the side
Method:
Extract your double espresso, squirt whipped cream on top in the style of a Mr. Whippy.
Cafe Bombon
This Spanish classic combines espresso with condensed milk, which is so thick that your double shot sits right on top! We recommend a dark roast such as our Americas House Espresso for this recipe, as you want lots of body or even some bitterness to counter the sickly sweetness of the condensed milk.
And how does it taste? Kinda like your dessert and your coffee all at once...
Ingredients:
Dark roasted double espresso
Condensed milk
Method:
Put some condensed milk in the bottom of a tall, thin espresso glass, and extract your double espresso on top.
Orange Espresso Tonic
What's the deal? Perfect for fancy dinner parties
We've talked a bit about orange espresso in the past, but this recipe from friend and former chef Ed is classy as all get-out. Perfect as an aperitif before dinner, or to accompany a good book in the sunshine.
With its notes of dark chocolate and orange, our Guatemala Finca Medina makes the perfect espresso for this cocktail!
Ingredients:
Double espresso
White sugar
Freshly squeezed orange
Tonic water
Method:
Make a sugar syrup using a 2:1 ratio of sugar to freshly squeezed orange juice, topping up with water if required to get to the correct ratio.
Add orange peel and bring gently to the boil - you don't want the sugar to caramelise. It's ready when you can dip a wet tip of your finger into the syrup, tap it against your thumb, and it will be tacky/stringy (Ed says only dip your finger in boiling sugar when it is wet to avoid burns!)
Strain through a fine sieve, add a small amount of orange syrup to your espresso or longer coffee, add plenty of ice top off with tonic. Enjoy!
Avocado Coffee (Es Alpukat Kopi)
What's the deal? Off the charts crazy
Coffee and avocado are frequently seen in the same place at the same time (think trendy brunch spots), but rarely in the same cup!
Brewed using a traditional Vietnamese phin coffee brewer, this iced coffee drink is sweetened with condensed milk and balanced with the good fats from any true Millennial's favourite breakfast item. If you want to try this at home and don't own a phin brewer, you can make a similar style coffee using our Condensed Aeropress recipe.
Ingredients:
Medium roasted coffee
Avocado
Condensed milk
Whole milk or alternative
Ice
Optional chocolate syrup for drizzling
Method:
Blend all the ingredients together for 1-2 minutes until light and smooth, then pour over ice.
Cà Phê Trứng (Vietnamese Egg Coffee)
What's the deal? WTF (what the froth?!)
Surely this can't work, can it? Another infamous coffee combo from the Far East, it's egg and coffee - but not as you know it!
Ingredients:
Medium/dark roasted coffee
Eggs
Condensed milk
Cacao powder
Method:
First, brew your coffee using a phin (or an Aeropress or stove top if you don't have one). Then, separate two egg yolks from their whites and put the whites aside.
Mix condensed milk with the egg yolks and whisk until combined, then whisk the egg whites until they have stiff peaks (as if you were making meringues). Add a spoon or two of the egg white mix to the yolk/condensed milk mix to create a silky smooth foam, and pour on top of your coffee. Finish with a dusting of cacao powder to serve.
Bonus 'Coffee': Roobois Espresso
What's the deal? Not actually coffee, but still tasty
We thought we should end with something that isn't going to give you a heart attack from all that sugar...
Roobois tea can be made into a caffeine-free espresso when finely ground - just be sure to dedicate a spare portafilter + basket to it as the residual flavour is quite hard to remove!
So there we have it, some of our favourite unusual coffee recipes from around the world. Have you found another coffee recipe that we missed off the list? Get in touch to let us know about it and we'll be sure to give it a go!
