Coffee Substitute Tasted and Explained by James Hoffmann
Level 1: Instant Substitutes
These are designed to be a straight swap for instant coffee and are typically brewed with hot water.
| Substitute | Ingredients | Taste/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Barley Cup | Barley, rye, and chicory | Woody, slightly herbaceous, and quite bitter, with an off-putting sweetness |
| Nestle Blend | Barley, chicory, and rye | Similar to Barley Cup, but more bitter, herbal, and slightly medicinal. |
| Pure Instant Chicory | Roasted instant chicory | Weirdly sweet, with an "extremely herbaceous" and "odd" flavour that is hard to describe (like coriander seed) |
Level 2: Ground Substitutes
These are designed to be brewed like filter coffee using methods like the V60 or a steep-and-release device.
| Substitute | Brewing Method | Taste/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Peanut Coffee | V60 (65g/L recommended) | Smells like dark roasted coffee with a sesame/peanut/barbecue quality. Tastes weak, with a slightly harsh, roasty edge. Closest overlap with coffee so far, but recommended to dose higher (e.g., 80g/L) and add milk/cream |
| Acorn Coffee | V60 (98.5% acorn, rest is spice) | Smells intensely spiced (clove, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon). Tastes "weird and interesting," very spice-dominant. If unspiced, it would "just taste like the color brown". |
| Dandelion Root | Steep-and-release (10 minutes) | The brew doesn't take on much color, tasting more like a tea. Smells like gentian root (found in Italian Amaro liqueurs) and is intensely bitter. |
Level 3: Self-Roasted Chicory (The Classic Substitute)
Chicory (specifically the root) has the longest history intertwined with coffee, often used as an adulterant to bulk out coffee or as a substitute during blockades (like the Napoleonic Wars and the American Civil War in New Orleans).
- Roasting: The speaker roasted dehydrated chicory root in an oven at 180°C for about 30 minutes, aiming for a balance between flavor development and bitterness.
- Brewing: Using a V60 with a high ratio, the chicory produced a very dark, molasses-like liquid .
- Taste: The pure chicory brew was intensely bitter—like a "bitter salad leaf". It had:
- No acidity.
- Tons of texture.
- Extremely high solubility (yields of 45–60% soluble material are documented).
- Conclusion: The speaker states that he doesn't enjoy drinking pure chicory but understands its use, especially when brewed weaker or blended with coffee, as it is a "pure expression of bitterness" .