CARSON CITY, NV, U.S. – Yet another trend is currently making the rounds in the hipster coffee world. The so-called “Avocado Latte” is the most recent addition to the ever-growing list of unusual coffee drinks that have gained popularity on social media, particularly among millennials.
Aroma Bravo Coffee and Tea has been monitoring this latest trend and is somewhat worried for the future of specialty coffee.
“While the Avocado Latte is literally just latte served in an avocado skin, it has the potential to impact the direction that specialty coffee is headed towards.
In my opinion, this said latte along with other viral sensations such as the unicorn frappe could encourage more coffeehouses to start creating outrageous drinks just for the sake of viral popularity.
They could take away the essence of drinking real roasted coffee, which is what specialty coffee drinks should be about,” an expert from Aroma Bravo commented.
The Avocado Latte actually started out as a joke in a small Australian cafe. It was not part of the menu but one day, a customer came in and requested for his coffee to be served in an avocado skin. The café staff posted the unique creation on Instagram and it went viral from then on.
“While it is artistically pleasing, there’s really no added value to it. The fruit skin could even affect the latte’s taste and ruin the entire coffee experience. It’s alarming how many people are wasting money to order the Avocado Latte just so they could post it on social media. I’ve even seen some baristas serve them in kiwi skins as an alternative,” said the expert.
There’s even a more pressing issue about the use of avocado skins to serve coffee. The demand for avocados in the international market has gone up in recent years, causing the prices to be higher than ever.
“We’re headed for a dangerous path. I’m all for making coffee drinks more interesting to the public, but if it wastes produce and roasted coffee beans that farmers work so hard to cultivate, then it’s time to reconsider. We can’t just irresponsibly consume expensive avocados and roasted coffee beans for a few Instagram likes,” the coffee expert cautioned.
