Crushing an egg into your coffee sounds disgusting - but it makes an amazing-tasting drink
The downside of egg coffee? The cleanup. But if you're hosting family and friends for breakfast, it'd be a fun treat — especially if your guests see the swamp monster that made their tasty cup of brew.
The albumin in the egg whites had absorbed most of the tannins, clarifying the coffee and dramatically cutting its bitterness while leaving all the precious caffeine behind.
I skipped my usual spot of milk, which cuts bitterness by binding up tannin molecules in coffee. I didn't need it, though: The egg coffee was surprisingly smooth, non-bitter, and delicious. It reminded me of tea but gave me a strong caffeine buzz after just a few sips.
The color looked like weakly brewed coffee — or even black tea. I was a little nervous that I'd just wasted precious minutes en route to my morning caffeine hit.
You can use a coffee filter or fine-mesh sieve to filter the coffee, but I don't mind a little extra protein. So I ladled a few scoops of the liquid from the top of the pot into a mug.
The coffee you want will remain on top.
Once brewed, pour one cup of cold water on top. The same way that colder, denser air sinks, the water will push your monster into the depths below.
Keep an eye on the monster in your pot, especially if partially covering it. The egg-and-coffee mixture likes to boil over if heated at too high a rate.
And yes, it looks indescribably disgusting.
I decided to try a quicker recipe, which calls for simmering the mixture for three to five minutes.
Some recipes instruct you to use the whole egg, so I crushed the shell and added it, too. If you try this, I'd recommend washing the shell before you get cracking, especially with farm-fresh eggs.
Next, one egg. The idea behind this process is that albumin in egg whites can absorb coffee's tannins, cutting its bitterness.
Mmm, no scent is holier in the morning.
... Set the device to a grind suitable or drip-style coffee, and got cranking.
Dropped the beans into this magical grinder ...
The Handground precision coffee grinder is one of my favorite coffee objects ever created. Luckily, it was gifted to me, since the retail price is about $100.
One egg coffee recipe I saw called for 20 grams of ground beans, which is enough for two standard cups. So I measured it out...
Also required: coffee. Ground varieties from a can reportedly work well, but I used my favorite premium whole-bean roast, since I already had it at home.
I don't have a stove-top coffee pot, which is ideal, but figured this one-quart pot would do the trick. Recipes for egg coffee vary between cultures, but hot water is a must. I put two cups on to boil.
