Coffee with Your Sex?
2007/11/03Mail & Guardian reports today that DKT International has introduced coffee flavored condoms in Ethiopia in an effort to encourage safer sex.
Reaction to the condoms is mixed, however at three condoms per birr (when I was there, the exchange rate was about 8 birr to the dollar) these are quite cheap. While I was there, I heard many locals comment that one of the largest problems was that the population was growing faster than the economy. If this helps to slow the population growth there, it will benefit Ethiopia. DKT International claims that 2.1% of Ethiopians are infected with HIV/AIDS so this effort should complement government efforts to encourage safe sex.
The article claims these comdoms are made to smell like Ethiopia's popular macchiato, however the description of that drink does not match with any drink I was served there. While there are many espresso machines in Ethiopia, I have not encountered one that was used to prepare what most people would consider espresso. On my return, I began experimenting with an attempt to duplicate the drink which was most commonly spelled (when not in the Ethiopic script) makiato. Here is the nearest match I could produce locally:
Fill a small steaming pitcher partially with half & half with raw sugar (sweetened to taste), steam this with the steaming wand of an espresso machine. In a glass with an approximate capacity of 4 ounces, pour the sweetened half & half such that there is about one and one half ounce of liquid and about one ounce of foam. Carefully pour strong brewed black coffee (perhaps brewed with a few cardamon seeds in with the coffee grounds) such that it floats between the liquid and the foam. A dark roast Ethiopian coffee would be most authentic, but if only light roast Ethiopian coffees are available, any strong dark roast coffee will work.