'... can be used to make a substitue for coffee' - if (like me) you're a reader of books about foraging, wild food and bushcraft, you'll have seen this phrase applied to an assortment of different things.
So it's possible to make fake coffee - OK, but how good is it? - let's find out.
Experiment Three - Acorns
Acorns are probably the best-known candidate for wild food-based coffee substitutes. I'm told they're also one of the poorest, but we'll put that to the test here.
I picked these acorns in October 2010 at Queen Victoria Country Park, near Southampton. They're from the same Holm Oaks I've used in previous articles exploring the general edibility of acorns - here.
The acorns were still a little under-ripe, but this made them really easy to peel just by slicing them in half and popping out the kernel pieces.
I put the peeled acorns in the food processor and ground them into small pieces. They discoloured to pinkish-brown - not a problem though, as they are to be roasted.
I tipped the acorn meal out on a nonstick sheet on a metal tray and spread it into a thin layer.
I put the tray in the oven (preheated to 180C) for twenty minutes.
After initial roasting, the meal had turned dark brown, but had also stuck together into a single flat, crispy layer.
I crushed it back into meal and roasted for another five minutes to darken it a little more.
I made the coffe substitute in my cafetiére as usual - two big spoons of the grounds and about half a pint of boiling water.
It made a really striking crackling sound as the water was absorbed into the grounds. I left it to steep for a couple of minutes, then poured a cup.
Tasting
It looks the part - dark - perhaps a little on the reddish side of dark brown.
The flavour is quite nutty with caramel tones - reminiscent of coffee with hazelnut syrup. There's a distinct and quite strong tannic bitterness that lingers on the palate a bit too long to be pleasant.
The aroma is fairly coffee-like, but a little bit burnt-toasty.
Verdict
The key advantage here is that acorns are big and abundant - so the raw materials aren't hard to prepare (unlike of some other coffee substitutes, which are very laborious in the making). However, the flavour still isn't really in the same league as real coffee.
3/5 - Flavour is fairly rich and deep.
3/5 - Aroma is fair.
2/5 - Fair, but spoiled a bit by the penetrating bitterness.
3/5 - Not brilliant, but not bad, probably better still with milk or cream.
Great site, I've bookmarked it. Also, try saving seeds from the ugly-ripe tomato- it is heirloom.