JULY 1 (Reuters) — A Slovakian entrepreneur thinks he has hit on the next big trend in the beverage market: colorless coffee.
David Nagy, from eastern Slovakia, is hoping to tempt consumers worried about staining their teeth but who cannot bring themselves to give up the taste and smell of a traditional coffee.
“I got the idea [to make the clear coffee] two years ago and the reason was to eliminate the color which stains your teeth,” said Nagy, himself an avid coffee drinker who was worried about the discoloration of his enamel and wanted to find an alternative solution to teeth-whitening.
Nagy said he believed that the closeness of the recipe to coffee itself set it apart from other energy drinks.
“The clear coffee contains roasted coffee beans, drinking water and quality caffeine extracted from coffee beans in a natural way. We don’t use any preservatives, stabilizers, sugar, sweeteners or aromas,” Nagy explained.
The recipe and method remain top secret, although former electrician Nagy says he uses high-quality Arabica coffee beans.
The drink is marketed as a light, refreshing coffee best served cold.
All-important will be the taste test for consumers. Barista Jozef Nemeth gave the drink a cautious thumbs-up when he tried it for the first time outside his cafe in Kosice.
“When I close my eyes it really tastes like a coffee, something like very cold espresso lungo. It feels weird because everyone is used to drinking coffee with the right color and creamy consistency, which is missing here. But it is not bad, it is a pleasant refreshment so quite okay, I would say,” Nemeth said.
The next step for Nagy, who is now working full-time on promoting his invention, is a round of chemical and food tests on his product in order to acquire a license to sell it.
If all goes to plan, Nagy hopes to sell the drink in plastic bottles in shops and cafes for around €2.50 per bottle. He also aims to extend the current two-month shelf life to up to half a year.
