Food & Drinks

Does a 24-Carat Gold Cappuccino Taste Better?

gold cap

A generous quantity of 24-carat gold flakes are sprinkled on the drink, luxury edible Sweet Williams petals and chocolate adorn the cappuccino served with gold cutlery. PHOTO | COURTESY

You must be wondering how your stomach can ingest “a generous quantity” of 24-carat gold blended into cappuccino. Well, the coffee that was introduced at Villa Rosa Kempinski, Nairobi as a morning drink has its intrigues.

It takes 24 hours for the gold flakes to go through the digestive system. They are non-toxic but it is not ideal for those with metal allergies.

“The edible gold actually has health benefits including smoothening and brightening skin,” said Mohammad Mohammad, the director of Food and Beverages at Villa Rosa Kempinski.

The coffee costs Sh5,500 per cup and just like normal coffee, it is best taken without sugar. Petals sprinkled on top are sourced from Italy while the gold flakes come from Dubai.

I drank the money-shot drink, the gold flakes are tasteless and they do not have a texture, as they are super light in weight. The edible petals were mildly sweet.

Adding gold to meals is a trend that has been in existence around the world, although it does not add any flavour to the food.

“We decided to introduce this gold cappuccino in the Nairobi hotel as opposed to other Kempinski hotels across the world because making it using Kenyan ingredients was achievable as opposed to other destinations,” Mohammad said.

They picked cappuccino from other hot drinks such as the espresso and hot chocolate because of its artistic presentation and adding gold flakes enhances the artistry.