Spicy Coffee: How Danish Champion Created 'Ma La' Coffee

You’ve heard of light, medium, and dark roast coffee. But have you ever wondered what happens when someone adds red chili flakes to your espresso? In a quiet corner of Chongqing’s Guanyinqiao shopping mall, a small Nordic-style café is doing just that—and customers are lining up to try it.

Yes, there is such a thing as spicy coffee. Made with crushed red chili , this coffee comes in three heat levels: mild, medium, and hot. About 20% of the café’s daily coffee sales are this unusual blend, mostly ordered by adventurous younger drinkers.

What Is This Spicy Coffee Made Of?

The ‘ma la’ coffee—meaning ‘numbing-spicy’ in Chinese—is simply a regular cup of coffee with finely chopped red chili flakes stirred into the milk foam before serving. The coffee itself is normal, but the chili is concealed under thick steamed milk, slowly releasing heat as it warms.

According to staff, the chili is not brewed directly with the coffee grounds (as tried in early versions), but added afterward to the foam. The heat builds gradually—the longer it sits, the spicier it gets. It’s served with a warning: drink it fast or risk a lingering mouth burn.

How Spicy Is It Really?

On the mild setting, the coffee delivers a smooth bitterness with a subtle kick of heat and a numbing sensation on the lips. After ten minutes, the spice travels from the tongue up to the throat—but the effect fades quickly, leaving behind an oddly addictive taste.

One customer described needing three glasses of juice just to cool down after a particularly intense first sip. Staff now dilute the chili slightly compared to early test recipes, making it more tolerable for the local palate while keeping the kick.

Where Did the Idea Come From?

This isn’t just a random stunt. The spicy coffee concept originated as the winning routine of Fritz Storm, the Danish champion at the 2002 World Barista Championship (WBC) in Norway. Storm reportedly visited Chongqing, tasted local hotpot, and was inspired to merge Scandinavian coffee tradition with Sichuan spice.

The café’s co-owner, a 40-something former Denmark-based student with a deep love for coffee culture, brought the idea back to Chongqing. The goal: to make coffee more fun for people who already crave bold flavors.

Though not an official coffee category, the WBC has long included a creative competition segment where anything goes—as long as coffee is the base. With over 3,000 identified flavor compounds in coffee (ranging from acidic to sweet), judges encourage experimentation.

What Makes This a ‘Thing’ in Coffee?

Coffee flavor is amazingly diverse. Industry experts recognize five main profiles: acidic, fragrant, bitter, sweet, and mellow. Spicy coffee fits right into that spectrum, though it’s rarely seen outside of experimental cups.

In Chongqing, where chili is a dietary staple, adding heat to coffee isn’t as strange as it sounds. The café reports strong interest from trend-conscious young adults looking for something beyond the usual latte or Americano.

The drink is priced the same as regular coffee and comes in the same sizes, but only around 20% of buyers go for the spicy version. Still, that’s enough to keep it on the menu—and keep ice water close at hand.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is ‘ma la’ coffee?

‘Ma la’ coffee is a regular coffee drink with chopped red chili flakes mixed into the milk foam. It originates from a creative routine by the 2002 World Barista Championship Danish winner, Fritz Storm, who was inspired by Sichuan hotpot. It comes in mild, medium, and hot heat levels.

Does the coffee actually contain chili in the brew?

No, the chili is not brewed with the coffee grounds. It is finely chopped and placed under the milk foam, where it heats up gradually and releases spice as you drink. Early versions mixed chili directly with coffee grounds, but that was found to be too intense.

How spicy is the coffee?

On the mild setting, it offers a slight kick with a numbing lip sensation. The spice intensifies the longer it sits, spreading from the tongue to the throat. Most find the effect short-lived but noticeable. Drinking it quickly helps avoid prolonged heat.

Where did the spicy coffee idea come from?

The concept was created by Danish WBC champion Fritz Storm in 2002. He was reportedly inspired by the spice of Chongqing hotpot. A former Danish resident and coffee lover, now based in Chongqing, introduced the idea locally, adapting it to suit Chinese taste preferences.

Is spicy coffee a real coffee category?

No, it’s not an official coffee category. However, the World Barista Championship includes a creative competition section where baristas can experiment using coffee as a base. Over 3,000 flavor profiles exist in coffee, and innovation is encouraged within the rules.

Who typically orders spicy coffee?

Most customers ordering the spicy coffee are younger, trend-driven drinkers looking for new experiences. It makes up around 20% of the café’s total coffee sales, with mild being the most popular heat level.

Recommended FrontStreet Beans for Spiced Coffee Experiments

Try FrontStreet’s Ethiopia Huakui for bright fruit and floral notes that can hold up to bold flavor pairings, or their Yirgacheffe for citrus and jasmine tones that contrast intriguingly with heat. For a deeper base, their Black Cocoa Blend adds chocolatey richness that balances spice well. All three beans are excellent foundations if you're experimenting with flavored or spicy coffee drinks. Freshly roasted within 5 days · Orders placed before 17:00 ship the same day · Next-day delivery across most of Guangdong Province.