What Is the Ingredients in Coffee When Chengdu Adds Chili Oil

A street stall in Chengdu is selling a spicy ice coffee for 6 yuan a cup, and a blogger's video of it has drawn wide discussion. The drink mixes coffee with sago, liangxia, pickled mustard tuber, MSG, scallions, Sichuan peppercorn powder, and chili oil, an ingredient list closer to hotpot base than to a normal cup.

The vendor calls it a Chengdu snack and refuses to make it less spicy, saying two ladles of chili oil are the rule. Asked what is the ingredients in coffee here, many Chengdu locals say they have never seen or dared to try it, while others are curious. Mixing coffee with savory and numbing elements pushes far past the bitterness and aroma of traditional coffee.

Chengdu, a city famous for its spicy hotpot and skewered snacks, recently made headlines again thanks to a "spicy ice coffee." A blogger bought a cup of this special coffee on the street for 6 yuan, and it turned out to contain sago, liangxia (a cold shrimp-shaped rice snack), pickled mustard tuber, MSG, scallions, Sichuan peppercorn powder, and chili oil—an ingredient list comparable to hotpot base. The vendor insisted this is a "Chengdu snack" and that adding two ladles of chili oil is the rule. The video sparked heated discussion among netizens, with Chengdu locals saying they had never seen or dared to drink it, while others were curious to try. Is this coffee creative or outrageous? Let's take a look.

When people mention Chengdu, most immediately think of spicy hotpot, skewered snacks, rabbit heads, and sweet water noodles—foods full of local flavor. This city, known for its vibrant street life, often becomes a hot topic online because of its various foods.

Recently, a blogger on social media shared a cup of "Chengdu special"—"spicy ice coffee"—that they bought on the streets of Chengdu, quickly sparking discussion among netizens.

According to Sichuan Observer, the blogger was strolling the streets of Chengdu when they came across this stall selling "spicy ice coffee." Out of curiosity, they spent 6 yuan on a cup of this oddly ingredient-laden spicy coffee.

From the video posted by the blogger, this creative yet jaw-dropping coffee is made by mixing coffee with sago, liangxia, pickled mustard tuber, MSG, scallions, Sichuan peppercorn powder, chili oil, and other ingredients.

The ingredient list of this drink rivals that of hotpot base. These originally unrelated ingredients are combined in such a shocking way—truly an unheard-of new-style coffee.

Notably, the stall owner is particularly fond of chili: the coffee can be made with less ice or less sugar, but absolutely cannot be made less spicy.

The blogger, who cannot eat spicy food, hurriedly tried to stop the owner, asking if less chili could be added, but was firmly refused: "No less. Adding two ladles of chili oil is the rule!" "We Chengdu people all love it this way."

Below the blogger's video, many netizens commented that they were curious about the taste of this spicy ice coffee. Unlike the bitterness, richness, and aroma of traditional coffee, its taste might be closer to spicy soup.

According to the blogger, the first sip brings the coldness and richness of ice coffee intertwined, but don't relax yet—soon the spiciness slowly rises from the tip of the tongue, quietly spreading to the center of the taste buds, delivering a tingling sensation.

The vendor in the video explained that this is not their own dark cuisine invention, but a "Chengdu snack." It seems only in Chengdu, a city known for its spiciness, could you see sago dancing with liangxia, and Sichuan peppercorns and chili oil leaping in coffee.

However, under the blogger's video, netizens first questioned: "Do Chengdu people really drink this?"

Chengdu locals chimed in, saying they had never seen this local specialty drink: "This is not a Chengdu snack," "The owner alone can't represent all of Chengdu," "As a Chengdu person, I've never seen it and don't want to drink it," "My brows are furrowed just watching this—I feel like a fake Sichuanese."

Chengdu coffee lovers, meanwhile, said these innovative coffee-flavored drinks could apply for a world record—scallion latte, century egg latte, green pepper latte... and now spicy ice coffee, all dark cuisine.

Faced with spicy ice coffee, most netizens felt they wouldn't dare drink it: "These things can meet in my stomach, but must never appear in my mouth at the same time," "Oh my! Can't accept it at all—a niche dark cuisine I respect but don't understand," "I feel like after drinking it, I'd become a 'jet warrior.'"

But some netizens said they were willing to try: "Last month I went to Chengdu and had pepper-flavored ice cream. Not bad, actually quite tasty," "This thing must be quite a kick to drink—I want to try it. I've had spicy ice cream, but never spicy ice coffee!"

Image source: Internet

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