Coffee substitutes are non-coffee products, usually without caffeine, that are used to imitate coffee. Coffee substitutes can be used for medical, economic and religious reasons, or simply because coffee is not readily available. Roasted grain beverages are common substitutes for coffee.
German coffee substitute, Koff, by J.J. Darboven (mid 20th century)German coffee substitute, Feigen-Caffee, historical advertisement (late 19th century)
For the stimulating property to which both tea and coffee owe their chief value, there is unfortunately no substitute; the best we can do is to dilute the little stocks which still remain, and cheat the palate, if we cannot deceive the nerves.
Things like rye and ground sweet potato were some of the most popular substitutes at this time. [2]
Coffee substitutes are sometimes used in preparing food and drink served to children, to people who believe that coffee is unhealthy, and to people who avoid caffeine for religious reasons. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) advises its members to refrain from drinking coffee, as church doctrine interprets a prohibition against "hot drinks" to include coffee in all forms.[3] The Seventh-day Adventist Church regards caffeine as an unhealthful substance, and advises its members to avoid all food and drink containing caffeine, including coffee.[4]
Some Asian culinary traditions include beverages made from roasted grain instead of roasted coffee beans (including barley tea, corn tea, and brown rice tea); these do not substitute for coffee but fill a similar niche as a hot aromatic drink (optionally sweetened).
The Native American people of what is now the Southeastern United States brewed a ceremonial drink containing caffeine, "asi", or the "black drink", from the roasted leaves and stems of Ilex vomitoria (Yaupon holly).[7] European colonists adopted this beverage as a coffee-substitute, which they called "cassina".[8]
The drink brewed from ground, roasted chicory root has no caffeine, but is dark and tastes much like coffee. It was used as a medicinal tea before coffee was introduced to Europe. Use of chicory as a coffee substitute became widespread in France early in the 19th century due to coffee shortages resulting from the Continental Blockade. It was used during the American Civil War in Louisiana, and remains popular in New Orleans.[10] Chicory mixed with coffee is also popular in South India, and is known as Indian filter coffee.
Postum is an instant type of coffee substitute made from roasted wheat bran, wheat and molasses. It reached its height of popularity in the United States during World War II when coffee was sharply rationed.
In 2021, media outlets reported that the world's first synthetic coffee products have been created by two biotechnology companies, still awaiting regulatory approvals for near-term commercialization.[14][15][16] Such products, which can be produced via cellular agriculture in bioreactors[16] and for which multiple companies' R&D have acquired substantial funding, may have equal or similar effects, composition and taste as natural products but use less water, generate less carbon emissions, require less labour[additional citation(s) needed] and cause no deforestation.[14] Products that are comparable to naturally grown coffee on the chemical molecular level would not be "coffee substitutes" but differ only in their method of production; hence they would be "lab-grown coffee".[15]
Earlier, in 2019, molecular coffee, made from undisclosed plant-based materials and caffeine, was demonstrated after being developed by an American company, Atomo. However, it is unclear how similar the composition is to coffee on a molecular level or in terms of its effects.[17] It was put on a short temporary sale in 2021.[15]
Coffee substitutes may be powder, which dissolves in hot water; grounds, which are brewed like coffee; or grains, left whole to be boiled and steeped like tea.
^Pickett, George Edward (1913). The Heart of a Soldier as Revealed in the Intimate Letters of Genl. George E. Pickett. New York: S. Moyle. ISBN9780331365740.
^ ab"Introduction: Chickpeas". International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2008.
Ciupka, Paul (1956). Ciupka, Friedel; Sachsse, Manfred (eds.). Kaffee, Kaffee-Ersatz und Kaffee-Zusatz [Coffee, coffee substitute and coffee additive] (in German). Vol. 4 (3 ed.). O. Meissner. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
Heistinger, Andrea (2020). "War coffee - Kaffee und Ersatzprodukte" [War coffee - Coffee and surrogate products] (in German). Translated by Desole, Barbara. Rifugio Averau, Italy: Autonome Provinz Bozen Südtirol, Abteilung 22 für Land-, forst- und hauswirtschaftliche Berufsbildung. Archived from the original on 2024-01-18. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
