While we at Lantern Club are known for our amazing espresso coffee, we understand that countries around the world have their own amazing hot brews that doesn’t use coffee beans. Here are a few:
Hindu Masala Chai
Masala Chai is Hindu for “mixed-spice tea” and it’s nothing like the chai lattes your average hipster drinks.
It’s a combination of black tea and a mix of Indian spices, herbs, as well as hot milk. Traditionally, you get it flavoured with green cardamom, ground cloves, cinnamon, ground ginger and black peppercorns.
For the record, a Chai latte or Chai tea latte is made from steamed milk with spiced tea concentration instead of espresso. Try an Indian cafe or restaurant for proper Chai, as much as the bearded guy in your local espresso house tells you his is genuine.
Russian sbiten
It gets cold in Russia, damn cold. So to stay warm they make a hot brew which is made out of spices, honey, jam and hot water. Being Russian, of course you can get it in an alcoholic version where wine is used instead of water.
Italian bicerìn coffee
Better than your average mocha, this Italian traditional drink is made from espresso, liquid chocolate and whole milk broken up layers in a rounded glass. Bellissimo!
Australian Wattlecino
Native to Australia, wattle seed is a part of our national flower. The seeds can in fact be ground into a coffee substitute though it is doesn’t have caffeine. Hence we love a flat white or cappuccino a lot more than this whacky combination.
Indonesian Saraba
Many night shift workers in southern Indonesia drink this hot drink which contains a lot of ginger and white peppercorns as well as palm sugar and coconut milk temper.
Egyptian Sahlab/Turkish sahlep
This is mad by grinding up the bulb orchid Orchis mascula and is found in most pastry shops or in an urn run by street vendors in Egypt and Turkey. The brew is mixed with boiled milk and sugar which is a lot thicker than our common coffee. Though it can apparently be quite the aphrodisiac, so take with caution!
Hot brews at Lantern Club
For a nice fresh hot tea or a cup of the best coffee in Sydney, visit MaZi’s cafe at Lantern Club in Roselands. For directions to Lantern Club, click here.
