Robert Irwin reveals he’s never tried coffee before: ‘First time ever’

If you’ve ever wondered where Robert Irwin gets his seemingly boundless energy from, now we know it’s not from his morning coffee.

The 19-year-old conservationist and son of the late Steve Irwin has left his social media followers shocked with the revelation that he’s never tried caffeine.

In a video shared to TikTok, he’s attempted to change that by getting behind the coffee machine at the cafe in his family’s wildlife reserve Australia Zoo in Queensland, captioning the clip, “Taking the morning shift at the Crikey Cafe at @australiazoo.”

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“Get your coffee order ready next time you visit, it might not be right, but I’ll try my best,” he joked.

His attempts to grind coffee beans and froth milk proved to be a challenge, as he admitted, “To give you some context, I’ve never had a coffee before. I’m not even kidding, this is my first time ever having a coffee, and I’ve made it.”

Fans were quick to share their surprise by commenting on the video, with one writing, “When you said you had never had a coffee before I was truly shocked.”

Another commented, “I can’t espresso how shocked I am that you have never tried coffee before. I’m a 6 shot a day kind of person.”

Others noted that the wildlife warrior appeared to have finally met his match in the coffee machine, noting, “Robert looked way more nervous about using the espresso machine than he does wrangling crocodiles.”

Several professional baristas also shared their thoughts on his attempts at making a coffee, with one writing, “As an ex barista of 16 years this both warmed my heart and made me cringe at the same time,” and another admitting “As a barista this was hard to watch.”

Others were left baffled as to how Irwin keeps his energy levels up without a hit of caffeine.

“So what you’re saying is that you’re naturally this chirpy? Without caffeine?? Couldn’t be me,” one viewer commented.

“The guy with the most spirit born from the guy with the most energy has never had a coffee?!” another wrote, referring to his late father Steve Irwin.

But on to the real question - is Irwin a coffee drinker now?

Trying his first sip on camera, he gave an unconvincing “I love it” - but the look of distaste on his face told us all we needed to know.

“Not a very convincing ‘I love it’ will probably never drink coffee ever again,” one said, with another agreeing,“His mouth says I love it but his face says, ‘make it stop, please.’”

But his dislike of the hot beverage might just be hereditary. His famous dad Steve was known for avoiding coffee, as he told Rove Live in 2002, four years before his death.

Asked by host Rove McManus if he was a coffee drinker, he replied, “No no, heck no”.

“Mate, top of me head would blow off. I tried it once, it was 10 years ago, I haven’t recovered yet!”

Robert and his sister Bindi, who were just two and eight years old respectively when their famous father died, have worked tirelessly alongside their mother Terri to honour their father's wildlife warrior legacy.

Steve Irwin died on September 4, 2006, after being struck by a deadly stingray barb while filming for one of his many TV shows off Port Douglas in North Queensland, and left a family, a nation, and the world in shock. He was 44.

This article was first published by the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.