Take the world’s greatest beverage and fuse it with the world’s greatest fruit (possibly the world’s greatest thing), and you’ve got durian coffee.

Yet even though it seems like a combination that’s so simple, it took a Malaysian Einstein with a stroke of culinary genius to come up with such a gourmet treat.

I was visiting a friend when he casually asked me if I’d like a cup of durian coffee.

My eyes must have bulged from their sockets – I had never even dreamed of such a creative and attractive brew.

And that’s how I had the pleasure of sipping on my first ever cup of durian coffee.

Hailing from Penang (an epicenter of Malaysian street food), it was concealed in a typical 4-in-1 sachet – coffee, milk, sugar, and durian.

Let me tell you, I had never been so excited about a cup of instant coffee ever before in my life.

As I peeled open the baggy, the all-so familier scent of man’s best friend (durian) erupted in a small gaseous aroma that could only be the product of something durian.

It was a mouthwatering smell.

The cup of coffee was by far the best cup of instant coffee I’d ever had, a rich concoction of creamy instant coffee with a noticeable durian dimension to it.

To be honest I thought the durian flavor should have been stronger – but as a durian lover, I’m sometimes immune to a dominating durian flavor or smell.

The more I drank the more the durian came through, a pleasant flavor that really worked well with the coffee.

So, Glory or Gag?

Well, if you don’t have a good relationship with durian, it may be a bit gag inducing…

…But as a voracious consumer of all things weird and pungent, I would have to say that durian coffee may be up there with the wheel as one of the world’s best inventions.

Glory to say the least.

However, instant coffee is not my preference, nor is anything that’s been packaged up and mixed with lots of sugar.

So though I’ve never actually tried it before, how would a real coffee mixed with fresh durian be?

Someone on Facebook mentioned that they make great durian coffee in Bandung, Indonesia – maybe a food migration would be in order?

Anyone have any suggestions, comments, or tips?

What about you? Glory or gag?