Chicory Coffee
I can't remember when I first read that the roots of Chicory (Cichorium intybus), a common roadside alien plant, make a decent coffee substitute. I remember being intrigued and planning to try it. Years went by and I never bothered. This Christmas I got an awesome coffee grinder and French press from my sister. The wheels were set in motion.
Chicory is pretty abundant right now, but Beth and I weren't able to find a spot that was easily accessible (AKA not in the middle of a main road) to pick some. Lucky for me, Beth brought me home a gift yesterday – a big bunch of Chicory!
I cut the roots off and composted the remains (although we could have eaten the leaves I guess). I cleaned the roots with a scrub brush and lots of water, then cut them into small pieces. I had read that I should roast them at 250 degrees for 2 hours. I laid them on a cookie sheet and popped them in the oven. After an hour, the root chunks had reduced to about half the size and looked like little twigs. There was also a distinct nutty aroma in the kitchen. The "twigs" looked pretty dry to me, so I took them out.
I let them cool, then ground them up into what looked like sawdust. I decided to make a brew of half coffee (shade-grown of course!) and half chicory. Beth had read that pure chicory coffee is very bitter. After tasting the concoction, I couldn't really discern any distinct flavor, but I did notice that the coffee tasted less bitter normal. Beth quickly quipped, "Well, that's probably because you used half as much." Good point.
So, I feel like I still don't know what chicory tastes like. Perhaps I didn't roast it long enough to bring out its flavor or perhaps mixing it with coffee was the wrong approach. I have a little of the chicory left so maybe I'll try a pure chicory coffee tonight.
In retrospect, I should have taken some pictures of this effort. Sorry readers! For an excellent history of chicory and chicory coffee, check out Coffeeproject.com.
6 comments:
Patrick,
I don't see a way to contact you directly by email... I wanted to say that if you want some real chicory I can send you a sample so you can compare.
james@coffeeproject.com
Chicory coffee is quite commonly consumed in Germany, and now that you write about it: I never noticed it in stores here.
It is often referred to as "Kid's Coffee" because it is better suited for children and I sometimes drink it at the office to get a "feeling" of drinking coffee without having the negative side effects 2 cans of coffee a day would have.
I have never tried making it myself though. The chicory coffee you can buy at stores doesn't only contain chicory, so to drink it pure might taste different, but I don't know what else is put in.
Patrick,
I buy chicory in the grocery, though sometimes it's sold as endive. I'd imagine it's the tamed version of that familiar roadside weed. Anyway, it makes a lovely salad - a bit bitter, but that's nicely countered with a drizzle of a good balsamic.
I seem to remember my dad talking about chicory coffee - maybe from the depression days when coffee was scarce and especially pricey - the real stuff was cut with chicory and made to go that much further.
Now that's pretty interesting-I know where I can get lots of chickory right now.-probably easier to try it in a salad though.
It's very cool that you tried this, Patrick. Wait until you get the recipe right... you'll be foraging for your morning coffee!
hi mike,
Do you know where I could buy chicory powder in woodbridge new jersey?
try a 80% to 20% ratio of coffee to chicory..your coffee should come out nice and thick..add pure milk to this mixture and you should have yourself a fine latte.
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