Cafes in Australia are serving coffee from scooped-out avocados and carrots – is this a fad too far?
Hail the weekend – it’s finally here! And as I sit down to my weekly Saturday treat (French-press coffee in my giant bowl-like mug), I’m pondering whether I could ever be persuaded to consume my coffee out of an avocado skin…
Veggie vessels
Yes, you read that right.
At first I thought someone was ‘aving a laugh when I read about ‘avolattes’: a latte served in a hollowed-out avocado.
But then this week I read that a cafe in Sydney has taken experimental drinking vessels one step further – by serving a piccollo-sized coffee in a scooped-out carrot – and I wondered if perhaps I’m missing a trick here.
Coffee shop in UK has created the new #CarrotCino #Fusion #Coffee #Coffeelovers
Maybe a step too far or would you like to try it? pic.twitter.com/bwtKUrmVEf— CoffeeClick (@CoffeeClick_Ire) June 6, 2017
The cafe behind the ‘carrotcino’ claims its main motivation is to just keep trying to produce something different. But is this different for different’s sake, or is there method in this madness?
Could it be that the avocado or carrot somehow improves the taste of your coffee? Maybe it’s a new way to dodge washing-up (albeit expensive)? Or, given that in the UK alone, seven million coffee cups are thrown away every single day, a more environmentally friendly way to enjoy a takeaway coffee?
Plus, once you’ve successfully swerved avocado hand while making your brunch on Saturday morning, you can then make use of the avocado skin. Or would that lead to more avocado-related cases at A&E with people scolding their hands because the skin has cracked or caved in, spilling the hot coffee?
Cup of choice
Knowing how particular my grandmother is about fine china, I can’t see that hollowed-out fruit and veg will take off as a drinks receptacle.
Personally, I don’t like the taste of coffee served in paper, plastic or, worse, polystyrene cups. For me, it has to be in a solid mug with a good handle, and be big enough for me to clasp my hands around it – a hug in a mug-style vessel.
Recognising that my bigger-than-my-head mug isn’t everyone’s cup of tea (or coffee), when I’m hosting, I’ll get out my more dainty tea cups. No saucers, though – I’ve never seen the point unless you intend to serve the drink with a chocolate or a biscuit. Although my mother tells me that my great-grandmother used to pour her tea into the saucer…
I certainly shan’t be trying an avolatte or carrotcino anytime soon, but will you? Can you think of any other fruit or veg that could be hollowed out to serve coffee in? What’s your go-to drinking vessel for your morning brew?