We Tried Egg Yolk Coffee. It's worth the wander. | The Kuju Journal (2024)

Thisarticle is part ofHOME: YOUR NEW BASECAMP– a Kuju Journal series providing you tips, ideas and inspiration to help you Cultivate Rejuvenation at home during this new shelter-at-home era. #ForWhereverYouWander

All the rage in the past few weeks has been about the now internet-famous Dalgona Coffee. In fact, we even put together our own version of it using real pour over coffee instead of instant coffee. But the newest coffee concoction that has arisen on the internet is egg coffee.

A concept that comes from East Asian countries like Korea, Japan and Vietnam, egg coffee is almost exactly what it sounds like – coffee with an egg mixed in. More specifically, an egg yolk.

There are a multitude of variations of this drink that include ingredients like pine nuts, salt, sesame oil or the traditional cream, but we were curious to see how only an egg yolk would change the flavor and texture of coffee.

(As a side note, there is an incredibly rich history behind this drink and how it’s served in other countries. We won’t be covering that here, but if you are curious, you can read about it here.)

At first, we were hesitant about putting a raw egg yolk into our coffee. We thought about pasteurizing the egg in hot water, but quickly realized that the residual heat from the coffee actually “cooks” the egg yolk. So we were off.

We grabbed our favorite Basecamp Blend pour over coffee, brewed a cup of coffee and dropped the yolk in. After a quick and somewhat vigorous stir, the egg began to lightly color our coffee in a very similar way milk would but with a slightly yellowish cream color.

When we tried this, we thought the egg would really thicken the coffee, but we were surprised to find that it only added a slightly creamy mouth feel. We wouldn’t describe the consistency to be custardy, but more creamy.

So how did it taste? Well, it tasted just like our Basecamp Blend mostly, but the egg yolk added a subtle egg flavor almost like what you might tasted in cake. The egg flavor wasn’t overwhelming, but instead enhanced some of the more nuanced notes of the coffee almost similar to how a light amount of cream might.

The beverage really came alive when we added about a teaspoon of sugar because the balance of the bitter, creamy and sweet was a completely new flavor experience never had before in a drink.

The verdict? Adding an egg yolk to your coffee can be a great way to experiment with creating your own unique coffee beverages if you’re looking to try something new. The creaminess from the egg yolk can be a great complement to other additional ingredients like sugar, but don’t expect it to completely change the flavor or turn your coffee into a custard. Think of it as a way to enhance it with a little extra added protein. Alternatively, it’s a great replacement for milk if you happen to run out!

Try egg coffee for yourself and let us know what you think in the comments below.