Japanese man invents coffee made from garlic
Drink apparently tastes and looks like regular coffee but is made from locally grown garlic, says its inventor from northeast Japan.
Love your daily cup of coffee? Well then this news is all geared up to tingle your taste buds. A Japanese man, who was inspired to create ‘garlic coffee’ following a cooking blunder some 30 years ago is ready to commercialize it.
The drink apparently tastes and looks like regular coffee but is made from locally grown garlic, according to its inventor who hails from northeast Japan.
According to an article published in Asia One, Yokitomo Shimotai, told Kyodo News that the drink was probably the first of its kind in the world.
He went on to add that it contains no caffeine so it's good for those who would like to drink coffee at night or pregnant women.
Shimotai, who used to be a coffee shop owner in Aomori Prefecture, launched the drink early this year in January.
The cooking mistake happened when he burnt a piece of steak with some garlic while cooking and serving customers at the same time, Kyodo News reported.
He proceeded to mash the burnt garlic with a spoon and mixed it with hot water. When he downed the mixture, he was surprised at its bitter "coffee-like taste", the report continued.
Post retirement, Shimotai invested his full time to the drink and after five years of trial and error, he finally settled on a brew he was satisfied with.
He later acquired a patent on this method in 2015 and started a workshop in Iwate Prefecture.
The packet containing a cup of garlic drip coffee will set you back at least 324 yen (S$3.90) and is currently on sale at only two souvenir shops in Aomori Prefecture or via phone orders.