coffee chicory

Sparticle · #1 10/10/08, 08:13 AM

Anyone roast and grind their own coffee chicory. I'm having a hard time finding info on it. The most I've found so far is to dry, then roast, then grind the chicory. What is the best way to roast it? Most places say home roasting is too difficult. How hard could it be?

Alice In TX/MO · #2 10/10/08, 08:27 AM

http://www.mothernature.com/Library/...oks/15/134.cfm

Read down for instructions.

Sparticle · #3 10/10/08, 08:31 AM

I just found this

http://www.ehow.com/how_4482021_herb...ubstitute.html

Sparticle · #4 10/10/08, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rose

http://www.mothernature.com/Library/...oks/15/134.cfm

Read down for instructions.

That's the method I tried and it didn't work. The roots are burned on the tips and rubbery in the middle. They should have been dried first.

pheasantplucker · #5 10/20/08, 08:43 PM

Had it once. That was enough.

Modern Pioneer · #6 10/20/08, 08:52 PM

I never cared for it either. They say its a good substitute for coffee. I think whomever said that was way off base.

Keep your powder dry

sage_morgan · #7 10/20/08, 09:18 PM

No one is saying it tastes like coffee, just that it's a coffee substitute. Heck, tea is a coffee substutite and so is chai in a manner of speaking.

Coffee substitute
A coffee made from the Chicory root is tasty and helps the digestion. It was often used in times, when coffee was difficult to be bought. To prepare Chicory-coffee:
* cut the root in small pieces and dry them
* roast the dry roots
* make a powder of the roasted roots
* cook this powder like normal coffee. The taste of the drink reminds on coffee.

I have no personal experience with it.

Wildcrofthollow · #8 10/21/08, 06:22 AM

I tried roasting chicory some years ago. I can offer some advice on it. DONT BURN IT. Tastes nasty. It took me several tries, the method i ended up with was to cut it up, dry it for several days and then roast very lightly. Then, when my wife was gone, I used the blender to get it chopped up real fine. (Looking back on it, id have done better with a mortar and pestle.) Now, to be honest, chicory doesn't taste all that great by itself. especially if you have burned it at all. It's real claim to fame is as a coffee additive. Long time ago there was a brand of coffee "Sum-mo" That had chicory added to it. Makes the coffee go further and supposedly keeeps the coffee from being bitter. I wouldn't knock anybody down to get to it.

pheasantplucker · #9 10/21/08, 09:22 AM

I suppose you could let a chain sit in some bucket filled with water for a month and have that as a coffee substitute as well. Actually sounds better than the chickory.

Sparticle · #10 10/21/08, 09:27 AM

I've found with my chicory that it tastes just fine not ground. I cut it in about 1" pieces and just throw some in my hot water. Then after it's ready, I just fish them out with my fingers and throw in the compost bucket, they float on top so it's easy. I'm really enjoying it's mild flavor. Maybe the different ways of processing it makes for different flavors and is why some of you have had bad experiences. I've let several people try mine and they honestly are surprised and I hear "hey, that's not bad!" A regular coffee drinker asked if she could take some with her. So I"m happy with it and when I grow it next year, I'm not going to bother grinding it up either, it's just too easy to use it like big tea leaves.

Ruby · #11 10/21/08, 11:48 AM

We use to drink French Market coffee with chicory, I liked it.