Black market coffee

Moscow – Chernyi Black might not be the most addictive substance on the dark web, but it might be the first coffee to be marketed there.

• People can only buy Black Cooperative’s dark roast by accessing a website using the Tor browser, which enables anonymous browsing online
• The company worked with Possible Moscow to create a Facebook and flyer campaign

According to Black Cooperative co-owner Artem Temirov, in Russia, coffee is considered almost as an illicit substance, so the connection to the dark web, which is notorious for its drug-trafficking links, made perfect sense. ‘There is a generally held perception in Russia that coffee is harmful and should not be consumed on a daily basis,’ he told AdWeek. ‘We love flipping stereotypes upside down and decided to confront this stereotype about coffee being a drug with the stereotype about Tor as a platform that exists solely for drug trafficking.’

A film campaign posted to social media encourages consumers to use Tor to visit cherniyx23pmfane.onion where they can purchase the product, which is listed under its molecular formula C8H10N4O2 (caffeine), using Bitcoins or the QIWI payment system. They then receive directions to a legitimate and legal coffee shop where they can pick up their goods.