Why Does This Specialty Coffee Come With Real Insects?

The Beijing Museum of Everything has launched a Bug Specials drink series that includes a specialty coffee topped with crushed cockroach and barley worm. Staff crush processed dried insects and sprinkle them on the cup. The 45-yuan drink is meant to challenge stereotypes about cockroaches, and the museum says all insect ingredients come from traditional Chinese medicine pharmacies and meet food safety standards.

Daily sales run around a dozen cups, bought mainly by curious young people, while many parents decline because of psychological acceptance. The museum, themed on natural history and scientific exploration with dinosaur, insect, and reptile exhibits, designed the series to match its reptile area. Similar coffee culture stunts have used cockroach latte art or chocolate insects, but real insect toppings remain rare.

Can you imagine cockroach bits and barley worms floating on the surface of a cup of coffee? The "Bug Specials" series of drinks recently launched by the Beijing Museum of Everything has sparked heated discussion on social media. One of the products, which sprinkles processed dried insects directly onto the surface of the coffee, has drawn strong visual impact and made netizens say they would not dare try it. The museum said all insect ingredients are purchased from traditional Chinese medicine pharmacies and meet food safety standards, and the core purpose of developing this 45-yuan drink is to break the public's stereotypical impression of cockroaches. Staff revealed that current daily sales are about a dozen cups, with consumers mainly curious young people, while many parents with children find it hard to try because of psychological acceptance issues.

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Recently, a special coffee with barley worms and crushed cockroaches spread on the surface has triggered widespread discussion on social media.

It is understood that this cockroach coffee, which has stunned many netizens, comes from the Beijing Museum of Everything, a museum themed around natural history and scientific exploration, with exhibitions covering dinosaurs, insects, and reptiles. To echo the atmosphere of the reptile exhibition area, the museum specially created the "Bug Specials" series of drinks, among which a coffee product with barley worms and crushed cockroaches is particularly eye-catching.

From the images and videos posted by netizens, staff use tongs to take several cockroaches from a plastic container, crush them into pieces, and sprinkle them onto the surface of the coffee together with barley worms. Although the cockroaches and barley worms used are processed dried insects, their clear textures still deliver a considerable visual shock to viewers.

In the past, some businesses also used cockroach-pattern latte art or fake cockroaches made of chocolate to attract attention. However, coffee that directly uses real insect ingredients like this is still something most people are seeing for the first time. After seeing this cup of coffee, netizens expressed shock, and many frankly said that seeing cockroaches floating in liquid made them not dare to drink it at all.

However, some consumers who enjoy trying new things have become interested in the flavor of cockroach coffee and said they are willing to place an order to take on this unconventional drink. At the same time, some netizens are concerned about the sourcing channels of the cockroaches used to make the drinks and questioned whether this strange combination of coffee is suitable for public consumption.

In response to various questions online, a media reporter sought verification from museum staff. According to them, the "Bug Series" special drinks were launched in June this year and currently include barley worm coffee, barley worm plus cockroach coffee, a special drink containing pitcher plant digestive fluid, and a Halloween-limited ant drink.

All insect ingredients used to make the drinks are purchased from traditional Chinese medicine pharmacies to ensure that the materials meet food safety standards. Among them, the ant drink is a Halloween limited edition and has now been discontinued.

The museum director pointed out that there are more than 5,000 species of cockroaches worldwide, with about 250 species in China. The vast majority are not pests, but rather decomposers in the wild, and they also have medicinal and cosmetic value. The public has a serious stereotypical impression of cockroaches. The museum's fundamental starting point in developing this 45-yuan coffee is precisely to break this prejudice.

In addition, according to medical classics such as Shennong Bencao Jing and Compendium of Materia Medica, blatodea, that is, cockroaches, have medicinal effects and can be used clinically to treat mouth ulcers, gastric ulcers, and more, and can also be applied externally to treat skin injuries. The active ingredient in the Chinese patent medicine Kangfuxin Liquid is Periplaneta americana extract. Regarding the taste of the drinks, staff described barley worm coffee as having a roasted aroma, while cockroach coffee has a slight sourness in addition to the roasted aroma.

Although these products have attracted a lot of attention and discussion from onlookers, staff also admitted that insect coffee is still a niche category. "Sales are okay, but many customers do not dare to try it because it is psychologically hard to accept, especially parents with children." Staff said that currently about a dozen cups are sold per day, and buyers are mainly curious young people.

Image source: Internet

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