Fast food chain KFC is developing a recipe for a completely edible coffee cup for its UK market. Called the “‘Scoff-ee Cup” (a play on the word meaning “to eat quickly”), the vessel is made of a special recipe biscuit wrapped in sugar paper and lined with a layer of “heat-resistant” white chocolate.
Designed to melt slowly, the chocolate layer is there to hold the coffee’s temperature and keep the cup crispy and intact—essentially like a sugar cone holds ice cream, but in this case, to hold the Seattle’s Best Coffee that the company serves in its UK outlets.
As if the aroma of coffee melting chocolate in a sugary biscuit is not enticing enough, the cups being developed with “food futurologists” at The Robin Collective will be infused with scents like coconut sunblock, freshly cut grass, and wild flowers.
“These scents were used in our recipes as they have a natural ability to evoke the positive memories we associate with warm weather, sunshine and summer holidays—things that make everyone smile,” explains The Collective’s co-founder and creative director, Brandy Wright. Comprised of designers, artists, chefs, entertainers, photographers, actors and writers, The Collective has also developed products like color-changing cocktails, medicinal marshmallows and edible terrariums.
While the prospect of tasty and eco-friendly cookie coffee cups is captivating, many questions remain unanswered: How may calories does the biscuit and chocolate layer add to a cup of coffee? Are edible coffee lids also being developed? Is the scent of freshly cut grass in coffee really necessary? How long do drinkers have to scoff down their coffee before the chocolate melts and the cup disintegrates?
The announcement was made this week but technical details of the design are scant. “The cups are currently still in the test and development stage under lock and key,” a KFC representative tells Quartz.
