Instagram-Famous Blue Lattes Contain No Coffee and Stink of Seaweed

From the country that brought the world the flat white comes an entirely new beverage bearing zero resemblance to your standard cup of coffee. The so-called blue latte has crashed onto the Australian coffee shop scene courtesy of Melbourne’s Matcha Mylkbar, and unsurprisingly, it's captured the hearts and minds of rainbow food obsessed Instagrammers.

According to the Guardian, the drink is made with ginger, lemon, coconut milk, agave, and a blue algae powder. Per a report from an Australian news outlet, it smells like seaweed and costs around $8. It is also fully vegan and devoid of both caffeine and sugar — so, the somewhat frothy appearance of the blue beverage notwithstanding, calling it a "latte" seems like a pretty big leap.

The coffee shop says it has already served more than 100 of these pricey oceanic-smelling drinks, which are also being affectionally referred to as "smurf coffee":

Australia is a pioneer of other non-traditional beverages as well, like these seasonal eggspressos, espresso shots served in hollow chocolate eggs. And for now, those with a hankering for smurf coffee will have to head Down Under, as the algae powder is not yet FDA-approved.

• Blue Latte: The Vegan Coffee That Smells of Seaweed and Contains No Caffeine [The Guardian]
• Meet the New ‘It’ Vegan Coffee — a Blue Algae Latte That ‘Smells Like Seaweed’ [News.com.au]
• Eggspressos Are Espresso Shots Served in Chocolate Easter Eggs, Obviously [E]