Can Coffee Taste Like Chicken and Still Be Coffee?

Baristas in Guangdong have built specialty drinks around ginger-scallion chicken, coconut chicken, sesame-oil Qingping chicken, and even lap cheong and roast duck. Ginger juice and cream mimic the oily richness of chicken skin, coconut chicken hot pot is reduced into a single cup, and sesame oil with vodka recreates the aroma of white-cut chicken.

The trend rides on the Cantonese saying that no feast is complete without chicken, extended now to coffee. Several of these drinks include spirits, which is one reason a coffee taste like alcohol shows up alongside the savory notes. Shredded scallion, toasted sesame, and sesame salad dressing carry the ginger-scallion dipping sauce profile.

In Guangdong, chicken is the absolute star of the dining table—one phrase, "no chicken, no feast," says it all. But can you imagine? Guangdong's baristas have actually poured ginger-scallion chicken, coconut chicken, sesame-oil Qingping chicken, and even lap cheong and roast duck right into coffee cups. From ginger juice with cream mimicking the oily richness of chicken skin, to the essence of coconut chicken hot pot condensed into a single cup of specialty coffee, to sesame oil and vodka clashing to create the aroma of ginger-scallion white-cut chicken—these wildly imaginative creative coffees are overturning people's understanding of coffee. This article takes you through tasting these "so weird you want to try" Cantonese specialty brews one by one, and feel the wonderful sparks that fly when coffee collides with Cantonese cuisine. For more specialty coffee bean news, welcome to follow Coffee Workshop and Front Street Coffee.

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Just how deep is Guangdong people's obsession with chicken? For instance, unfold a map of Guangdong and its outline is practically a chicken drumstick! Chicken also features heavily in everyday slang—"teng gai" describes being in a fluster, "zau gai" means missing a good opportunity, and "tau gai"—well, that's you slacking off right now.

There's an old saying in Guangdong: "No chicken, no feast." No matter how Cantonese cuisine blossoms in diversity, only chicken can firmly sit at the head of the table—even coffee is no exception.

How far can this trend go? In one sentence: coffee paired with chicken, invincible under heaven!

"Ginger-Scallion Chicken Coffee"

This specialty brew uses ginger juice, cream, sesame salad dressing, shredded scallion, and toasted sesame seeds.

Shredded scallion, ginger juice, and sesame dressing give the coffee the savory aroma of a ginger-scallion dipping sauce, while the cream mimics the smooth, oily texture of chicken skin. Whether you love chicken or don't, one look at this cup will make you freeze!

"Coconut Chicken Coffee"

The ingredients include kumquat juice, coconut water, a blended juice of water chestnut, sand ginger, and coconut flesh, plus small chili peppers.

The essence of coconut chicken hot pot is sealed entirely within a cup of coffee. This brings to mind a classic exchange: "So Hainan coconut chicken is actually Shenzhen's signature dish, not Hainan's—because it's Hainan coconut chicken."

"Sesame Oil Qingping Chicken Specialty Brew"

Sesame oil, vodka, lime, and cantaloupe are infused into the coffee—it's a alcoholic coffee drink.

It smells of ginger-scallion white-cut chicken, yet goes down crisp and smooth. Enjoy it with hot and sour chicken feet, and the sweet-tartness of the coffee cocktail interweaves with the kick of the chicken feet—your taste buds and stomach alike seem to step into a whole new dimension.

"Durian Coconut Chicken"

I wonder if any of you have tried durian shell chicken soup? It sounds like dark cuisine, but it's truly a soup only Guangdong people would make, and it tastes pretty good.

This specialty coffee was probably inspired by that—and if you added a few goji berries, it'd have even more soul!

Besides chicken, roast duck, roast goose, and lap cheong have also "fallen," poured into coffee by Guangdong people. For example:

"Lap Cheong Iced Coffee"

It uses rose liqueur, Shiwan Yubingshao, Emperor Brand lap cheong, pineapple, and perilla.

The lap cheong is wrapped around pineapple and torched before serving, so the fat and aroma drip into the wine-scented specialty coffee—full of Emperor Brand flavor!

"Roast Duck with Sour Plum Sauce Coffee"

"Eating roast duck or roast goose without sour plum sauce is like having no soul!" This specialty brew adds sour plum sauce, lime juice, sour plum powder, and Chaoshan southern ginger plum powder.

Salty, sour, and sweet all in one—exactly the taste left on your tongue after dipping roast goose or duck in sour plum sauce! I wonder if this coffee uses a coffee liquid with wine aroma? If so, it'd be perfect!

"Coffee Chicken Meal"

"So many things are like street-side sticky rice chicken—predestined."

Coffee or a coffee cocktail paired with sticky rice chicken: one bite greasy, one sip refreshing—Mom no longer has to worry about me eating too much sticky rice chicken!

After reading all this, you can only exclaim:

"So weird! Not sure, let me look again! Mm! Want to try!"

Specialty brew sources: the wild imaginations of Guangdong's baristas!

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.