Cafe Dumond Coffee, with Chicory....

 

I think we've talked about coffee here at the Dragon's lair.  It's an important part of our day, and we do try to elevate every cup.  That means we are grinding our own beans and oftentimes even mixing them to taste.

But, sometimes you just want something different, ya know?

Today's pot #2 (Monday) is made with Café DuMond Coffee and Chicory.

Chicory has a long and storied history, and has been consumed by people since recipes have been recorded.   In this genre, like many of today's delicacies and acquired tastes, it began as something poor people settled for.

Hundreds of years ago, some major European nations wished to curb the drinking of imported coffee.  They limited the importation, which naturally blew the prices off the map.  Rich people?  No worries.  Poor people?  Yup, taking it right in the neck as usual.

Also as usual, we'un poor folk figured out a way around the rich folks snooby ways, and took to grinding and roasting chicory roots for our brekkie drinks.  Nobody could say no, as the chicory grows in the woods everywhere.  

Eventually, it became an acquired flavor in those fer-away places, and came over on the boats with our families back in the 1800-1900's. I recall my own parents, both of poor European immigrant stock in upstate New York, speaking of Chicory coffee of their youth.

Nowadays, the bitterness and deep roasted coffee-chicory flavor is considered somewhat of a gourmet consumable.  Modern versions typically mix the two around 70% coffee to 30% chicory, which suits us just fine.  It's almost a chocolate type of softer flavor, with great notes of the roast.

Today, coffee with chicory seems to be centered around New Orleans, although we still see it popping up almost everyplace us folk tend to live. Through the Appalachia's, sprinkled on the plains, and out on the edges.