chicory the Cafe Noir.

on the roadside

If you drive the Kentucky highways or interstate you'll see little periwinkle flowers lining that roadside or maybe even a field of them from county to county. Those little flowers are Chicory,a native plant to Kentucky, it usually grows in late summer throughout the fall. The history of brewing chicory dates back to ancient Eygptian time, however, is more commonly associated with  and became popular to us through French culture, especially popular in New Orleans. :)

chicory plant

The French traders and as well as new colonists to North America brought chicory in its dried root form, willing to move their lives to a newly discovered continent but not their acquired taste for chicory brewed. One historical and cultural example of chicory's use as a coffee substitute is found in New Orleans. Due in part to its influences from French culture, New Orleans was a major consumer of coffee prior to the Civil War. Then, in 1840, coffee importation to the New Orleans harbor was blocked. Taking a cue from their French roots, locals began to use chicory as a coffee substitute. Today, chicory remains a popular coffee replacement or coffee flavoring in New Orleans, and 'New Orleans Coffee' typically refers to chicory coffee. New Orleans coffee vendors often blend their coffee with up to 30 percent chicory root. At Coffee Times we have a New Orleans Blend, blended with French Roast, Vienna Roast, and chicory and this blend is delightful- just like brewed chicory alone. It adds a punch to your morning, wakes you up with its intensity and flavor and provides a great 'coffee-like' substance to enjoy if coffee isn't around. To make chicory root into an edible substance, the root is pulled up from the ground, washed, dried, roasted, finely cut and then steeped or brewed. Chicory's roasting process gives it a roasty flavor roughly akin to that of coffee, and is part of the reason why chicory is a popular coffee substitute, as well as a fairly common ingredient in coffee recipes. Typically, chicory is brewed with coffee at a 1 to 2 ratio (1/3 chicory, 2/3 coffee).

New Orleans coffee (a.k.a. “Cafe Noir”) has a distinctive chocolate-caramel flavor, intensely dark color, thick consistency and lower-than-usual caffeine content thanks to its secret ingredient, chicory. According to New Orleans locals, it’s what makes New Orleans coffee worth writing home about.

Ingredients:

•  tbsp. drip-ground coffee (It doesn’t have to be great quality – a little bit of salt will lessen the bitterness of cheaper coffees.)
• 2 tbsp. chicory
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 4 c. filtered water
• Sugar to taste

Preparation:

Set up your drip-style coffee maker so you can add water into the filter manually. (For most coffee makers, this means rotating the brewing basket to the side and placing the pot underneath.)

1. Place the coffee, chicory and salt (optional) into a filter in the brewing basket.
2. Bring the water to a boil.
3. Add enough water to moisten the grounds and chicory, and then pour about 1/2 cup of water into the filter.
4. Wait for the water to drip through, and then add another 1/2 cup of water. Repeat until you have brewed all 4 cups.
5. Serve immediately, or keep hot with your coffeemaker until ready to serve.
6. (Optional) Add sugar to taste.
7. (Optional) If you prefer milky coffee, you can pour equal parts New Orleans coffee and scalded milk into your cup for traditional New Orleans-style Café au Lait, or you can just add half-and-half to taste.