MALAYSIANS always had a special relationship with coffee. Office workers swear by it while food connoisseurs find much to love in its bitterness.
But Malaysians being the creative lot that we are well known for, our coffee entrepreneurs simply can’t leave this timeless drink to itself.
Somewhere, someone will add avocado into coffee, thinking it was a good idea. Either that or cheese, and a steak of butter too because the apparently, the average Malaysian diet “lacks” calories.
Not too far back into the past, people even added curry and durian too.
These unusual combinations leave customers wondering whether they are ordering a beverage, dessert or an experiment from a chemistry laboratory.
And when we think those innovations are horrifying enough, here comes another video post on Threads, proving that human foolishness is bottomless.
In the viral video, red hot coal could be seen placed into a glass of coffee, making the drink bubble, spit and gurgle.
The video post has since invited various comments from many dumbfounded netizens.
For example, netizen _ieput_inquired about the person who came up with the idea, adding that he did not do his research.
No further information could be derived from the video, such as the location of the stall selling these burning hot charcoal coffees.
But one thing is certain. It appears to be a rip off from the popular Kopi Joss of Indonesia.
At least we Malaysians won’t take the blame for this particularly disastrous innovation.
More importantly, the Ministry Of Health previously warned that drinking coffee mixed with charcoal is bad for health as the substance is carcinogenic. In other words, consumers can get cancer just by drinking it.
Even more alarming was the fact that the addition of charcoal into coffee is an offence under the Food Regulations 1985 and can be prosecuted.
The ministry in a statement said any food premises operators found serving coffee with charcoal can be fined up to RM10,000 or face imprisonment for a maximum of two years if convicted.
Netizen tg.puteri94 in the comment section further pointed out that eating the charred parts of a satay will cause cancer, so what about consuming coal directly?
Mdm_vihar joked that the locals may have ordered this drink to feed their jin, but the tourists saw it and wanted to try it too.
Check out this winning comment by asyr_af1992 too:
“Inviting cancer because life is too boring to be healthy,” continued ji_breeel.
Also, haizahassan_ reminised that the drink draws parallels to the story of P Ramlee where the character Pak Belalang advised to prepare coffee in such a manner.
But how did the Kopi Joss become popular in the first place? Surely there is more to it than the unique and fiery presentation.
According to a report from New Straits Times, it all started due to claims that coffee mixed with charcoal can eliminate toxins from the body besides having a unique taste.
However, the Ministry Of Health already warned that hot charcoal added directly to coffee is different from activated charcoal, commonly used in the food industry as it has been processed and purified, therefore being safe for use.
Perhaps the next entrepreneur will throw in a handful of burning wood and call it smoked espresso.
But if your morning caffeine fix requires a fire extinguisher, perhaps it is time to stick to the good old kopi-O.—Nov 8, 2026
Main image: discoveryourindonesia.com
