Chinese Museum Sells Cockroach and Ant Coffee for $7 a Cup, Sparking Reactions of "Yikes"

About 9,200 Won per Cup
"Ingredients Used in Traditional Medicine... Comply with Food Safety Standards"

An insect museum in China is attracting attention for selling unique coffees made with insects.

On November 12, Chinese media outlets such as China.com and Guangming Online reported, "An insect museum in Beijing is selling coffee with insects, including cockroach coffee and ant drinks."

Photo of cockroach coffee posted on China's Weibo. Weibo.

Photo inside the museum cafe store. Weibo

On Chinese social networking services (SNS), photos and videos are being shared showing roasted mealworms placed on the rim of a coffee cup, topped with freshly ground cockroach powder. Online users have commented, "45 yuan is too expensive, but I wouldn't eat it even if it were free," "Just looking at it is horrifying," and "How could anyone eat that?"

A museum representative stated in a media interview, "The coffee was created to match the museum's theme, and edible insects were added to the coffee." They emphasized, "All insect ingredients comply with food safety standards and are also used in traditional Chinese medicine." The representative further explained, "Cockroach coffee has a nutty and sour flavor, while ant coffee is even more sour. Nepenthes (a carnivorous plant) does not have a particularly distinctive taste."

They added that only about 10 cups are sold per day, mainly to curious young people, and noted, "Many people, including parents with children, feel a psychological aversion."

The price of cockroach coffee is reported to be 45 yuan (about 9,200 won). The limited-edition ant coffee, released for Halloween, is no longer available.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.