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Acereal coffee (also known as grain coffee, roasted grain drinkorroasted grain beverage) is a hot drink made from one or more cereal grains roasted and commercially processed into crystal or powder form to be reconstituted later in hot water. The product is often marketed as a caffeine-free alternative to coffee and tea, or in other cases where those drinks are scarce or expensive.[1]
Several well-known cereal coffee brands are Nestlé Caro, Postum, and Inka. Other brands can be found at health food stores and at some grocery stores. Some common ingredients include toasted barley, malted barley, rye, chicory, molasses, brown rice, chickpeas, sorghum, and beet root.
Grain coffee came to Poland from Prussia (at the end of the 18th century), but since then little has changed in the production of this drink. Just like in the past, it is made from roasted rye grains, wheat (including spelled wheat from organic farming) or barley, and sometimes also from dandelion root, sugar beet or chicory. In some regions, coffee substitutes are prepared from fenugreek or lupine seeds. Less popular additions are figs or acorns. The first grain coffee factory in Poland was established on the initiative of Ferdynand Bohm in 1818 in Włocławek. It produced coffee from roasted grain with the addition of chicory. This plant was first imported from the Netherlands, but soon afterwards its own cultivation began on the outskirts of Włocławek. Initially, grain coffee was drunk only in Greater Poland and Silesia by the poorest social classes. Over time, especially during both world wars, it appeared on all tables.
In Czech Republic, a Kávoviny Melta brand has been roasting grain coffee since 1896.
Such roasted grain mixes are also used as a base to make podpiwek, a type of non-alcoholic beverage.
Cereal coffee is popular in East Asian cuisines—Korea,[2] Japan, and China each having one or more versions (usually roasted grains simply steeped in hot water).
Grain-like seeds and pseudocereals are used to make similar drinks.
Grain teas can also be blended with green tea or other tea drinks.
Traditionally known as "Kafir coffee[3]" in Ethiopia, cereal coffee made from roasted sorghum offers a bright, citrusy taste with a subtly astringent finish.
