Break out your Doc Martens and turn on some My Chemical Romance, because the goth drink of your dreams is here. Meet the Matte Black Latte.
The cool new beverage is “darker than your soul,” Ockhyeon Byeon, the creator of the drink, told HuffPost:
Byeon runs Round K in the Lower East Side of New York City, a coffee shop that also sells inventive drinks like an egg cappuccino and a wasabi latte. He said he created the Matte Black Latte drink because he was inspired by his customers, who like to order black coffee, though it isn’t actually black.
The unexpectedly sweet, non-dairy drink is made with almond milk, espresso, 98 percent Dutch process cacao and a topping of coconut cream and marzipan, according to Gothamist. It also contains a very unexpected ingredient: coconut ash.
“Coconut ash is an activated charcoal that is proven to whiten teeth. Say good-bye to coffee stain on your teeth. Aside from teeth whitening, coconut ash also has antibiotic effects and mostly importantly it helps with digestion and detoxes your body,” Byeon said. However, there is no scientific evidence that proves coconut ash can do any of these above things.
Despite those questionable declarations, Byeon said that customers love the drink and he wants to make it a permanent menu offering.
″[Customers are] always surprised and shocked [when they first try the drink]. No one expected it to be actually black, so when I serve people the drink, their first response is often, ‘Wow, it really is black,’” Byeon said.
“After they take a sip of the drink they are amazed by how Matte Black tasted like ‘sweet dessert.’ Then they ask us for the ingredients in the drink and how we made it taste so sweet and unique.”
Despite its uniqueness, the Round K owner says he has seen a few copycat drinks at other shops, but it doesn’t upset him.
“We encourage innovations in coffee industry and everyone has their own goals for their creations,” Byeon said. “My goal for Matte Black is to justify the term ‘black coffee’ and at the same time provide a vegan, non-diary, and healthy drink for people.”
Check out more pictures of the drink below:
