Part of what makes caffeine such a great drug is how inexpensive it is. Sure, Millennials might be blowing their retirement savings one cortado at a time, but with the typical hit of drip coffee costing little more than two or three bucks, it’s still a small price to pay to make your morning bearable.
Still, as democratic an institution as the morning cup of coffee is, there will always be those pushing the boundaries of humble ingredients, even if it means a finished product that sets you back 24 dollars. And where better for that kind of fancy experimentation to happen than in a three-Michelin-starred restaurant? Or, rather, where else?
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According to the Wall Street Journal, Daniel Humm’s Eleven Madison Park is now serving a cup of coffee that’s more expensive than an entire bag of nice coffee, or even an entree at a mid-level restaurant. Using ultra-premium Wush Wush beans from Colombia and a Silverton coffee dripper, Eleven Madison Park’s coffee director Maya Albert will concoct a ten-ounce brew (yielding about two cups of coffee) at your table for the princely sum of $48.
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“It’s got this creamy texture that reminds me of dough or yogurt,” Albert told the Wall Street Journal, comparing the flavor to “blueberry pie.” Of course, you could buy dough, yogurt, a blueberry pie, and coffee in a grocery store for the same price, but that’s not the point.
If you’re going to a restaurant as distinguished as Humm’s, where maintaining high standards and pushing boundaries is paramount, having a coffee that tastes like blueberry pie could be a fun way to cap Eleven Madison Park’s much-revered, eight-to-ten-course tasting menu. And realistically, $24 is a drop in the bucket after a $295 meal.
RECIPE: Humm Dog
Those familiar with Humm’s work shouldn’t be too surprised that Wush Wush coffee is being served in his restaurant. Last year, he started a food truck that served the “Humm Dog“; a hot dog topped with truffle mayonnaise and Gruyère cheese and wrapped in bacon. Clearly, Humm is a fan of combining high-brow and low-brow ingredients.
MUNCHIES reached out to Eleven Madison Park to see how Wush Wush coffee was being received by customers, though the restaurant refused to comment, with a rep saying that they were “stopping down on the coffee press train at this moment.”