Edible coffee cup

A new and very exciting concept in the world of coffee – an edible coffee cup!

Created by Venezuelan designer Enrique Luis Sardi for Lavazza, its made of pastry lined with sugar, and based on the idea of drinking the coffee then eating the cup.

Descibed as ‘an ice cream cone for your coffee’ it could potentially be even more eco-friendly than the current re-usable keep-cups. Just think of the water saved in washing those pretty lil’ things, not to mention all the other cups used in cafes daily and the phenomenal waste from throw-away cups.

One thing however that’s on the tip of everyone’s tongue will be how this cup really affects the taste. Baristas have already lots to contend with in getting the perfect tasting coffee (the beans, the grind, the water temperature, the machine… and that’s only a small percentage of the coffee journey). So would a pastry cup with a sugar lining have any noticeable impact on the final flavor? Although, considering the plastic on take-away cups, how bad could a sugar lining really be?

Other points of interest to look out for:

• how well does the cup handle lots of movement? For those fitness affecionados that like to bring their coffee with them on a walk, including the mums with bubs who run with coffee in the holder of their pram… will this little edible cup be able to stand the battering?
• how well will it handle the heat? I’m typing from a pretty warm climate as it is and we’re not in the throes of summer yet, so will this little edible cup be able to stand the heat from both the inside and out?
• how much will it add on to the price of my daily grind? If it means that the cost of a coffee will have to increase, will that cause coffee buyers to seek reprieve from somewhere else on the coffee supply chain, in order to keep prices ‘reasonable’ for the end consumer? The worrying aspect of this would be that obviously the groups that would have the least say in would be the farmers and producers, so let’s hope this scenario is as far-fetched as it sounds and doesn’t have any impact at all. In fact it could actually force people to consider the environmental benefits to the cup and in doing so consider the bigger picture to include ethical farming.

The main point however, will most definitely be starting with the taste. If that works then there’s no reason why any other minor imperfections couldn’t be ironed out. I’m very excited about getting my hands on one of these fancy little edible coffee cups asap! Lavazza…?