Breaking new ground: The 10-shot coffee that comes with a health warning

Saturday, 20 June 2026

A Blenheim cafe is serving up what could be the region’s biggest cup of coffee, a whopping 1.5 litres packed with 10 shots of espresso.

CBD Eatery co-owner Mike Godsall said the giant coffee came about as an extension of the cafe’s Dawn Destroyer Challenge, a supersized breakfast event inspired by a friend’s cafe in Timaru.

“They do a big boy challenge using the old enamel-type oven dish,” he said.

“We create a meal in that which is super-sized.”

In an effort to “take it to the next level”, Godsall and his wife had the idea to have a matching coffee when they spotted oversized cups at a shop in Kaikōura during a trip.

“I just went, ‘that’s what I need’,” he said.

“Initially when I first looked at it, I thought maybe it’s a litre, but then when we got it back and did a proper test, yeah, 1.5 litres.”

The drink contained 10 shots of coffee, or five doubles, and 1.3 litres of steamed milk.

It was sold at $25 on its own, or as part of the full Dawn Destroyer Challenge for $75.

The challenge itself was no small feat though. Contestants had 30 minutes to finish the coffee, six pieces of toast, six rashers of bacon, two extra-large sausages, mushrooms, baked beans, roasted tomato, four eggs, four hotcakes with maple syrup, and several hash browns.

Godsall said his trainer estimated the total meal came in at over 3000 calories.

Challengers were required to sign a disclaimer acknowledging the associated health risks before tucking in, and those who completed the meal and kept it down for five minutes received their $75 back in voucher form, effectively a free feed.

Three people had taken on the full Dawn Destroyer Challenge since it launched earlier in the year.

One challenger made a valiant effort, but came unstuck in the final two minutes, undone by the mushrooms and tomato he had saved until last, while a second challenger tapped out around the halfway mark. A third contestant however managed to polish off the whole meal in 18 minutes.

“He had a wee sweat going on afterwards, but it was quite impressive to watch,” Godsall said.

On June 7 the cafe shared a video of a regular customer taking on the coffee.

“He sat there and made sure he finished it, but you can tell who can handle it and who couldn’t. He said it will probably calm him down,” Godsall said.

Others had also taken to ordering the coffee, and Godsall said his personal trainer was among them.

“I asked him how he felt after having 10 shots of coffee and he went, ‘Yeah, I’m a bit jittery’,” Godsall recalled.

The barista took only three to four minutes to prepare the drink, using an oversized stainless steel jug to steam the 1.3L of milk needed.

Godsall said the giant coffee had become a talking point, with customers either lighting up at the sight of the mug, or saying “hell no”.