Cockroach-ino, anyone? China museum serves roach-infused coffee at $8.20 a cup

Fancy some cockroach with your cappuccino?

The concept may seem icky to some, but a museum in Beijing is betting that – instead of howling in righteous indignation – you will actually want to pay for coffee sprinkled with cockroach grounds.

Or perhaps some ants, mealworms or a carnivorous plant’s digestive juice.

The news outlet The Cover did not name the museum, which has gone viral online, but described it as “insect-themed”.

The roach coffee is going at 45 yuan (S$8.20) a cup at the museum’s cafe, and those who have tried it say it has a “burnt and slightly sour” flavour.

“As an insect-themed museum, it seemed like a good idea to have drinks that match,” The Cover quoted an employee as saying.

The roach coffee is part of a broader series of experimental beverages the museum has begun offering in line with its aesthetics.

One coffee uses digestive fluid collected from a pitcher plant; another, sold only during the Halloween season, incorporated ants.

These brews serve up more than the novelty factor.

The museum said it sources its ingredients for the beverages from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) herb shops.

Some people who swear by TCM cocktails believe cockroach powder can actually help boost immune systems.

Some doctors, meanwhile, believe protein-rich yellow mealworms can help to reinforce immune systems.

The museum employee said the cafe sells about 10 cups of roach brew a day.

It is mainly consumed by curious young people, he said.

Mr Chen Xi, a Beijing-based blogger who has sampled the crushed insect drink, said it was “not as disgusting as I thought”, though he had to close his eyes and down the drink as quickly as he could.

Others were less accepting.

“I dare not drink it even if you pay me,” said one person.