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A cereal coffee (also known as grain coffee, roasted grain drink or roasted 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.
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.
Some notable Polish brands which specialize in cereal coffee are Inka, Krakus and Anatol.
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.
Ethiopian cuisine characteristically consists of vegetable and often very spicy meat dishes. This is usually in the form of wat, a thick stew, served on top of injera, a large sourdough flatbread, which is about 50 centimeters in diameter and made out of fermented teff flour. Ethiopians eat most of the time with their right hands, using pieces of injera to pick up bites of entrées and side dishes.
Herbal teas, also known as herbal infusions and less commonly called tisanes, are beverages made from the infusion or decoction of herbs, spices, or other plant material in hot water. Oftentimes herb tea, or the plain term tea, is used as a reference to all sorts of herbal teas. Many herbs are used in herbal medicine. Some herbal blends contain actual tea.
Porridge is a food made by heating or boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants,
Postum is a powdered roasted grain beverage popular as a coffee substitute. The caffeine-free beverage was created by Post Cereal Company founder C. W. Post in 1895 and marketed as a healthier alternative to coffee. Post was a student of John Harvey Kellogg, who believed that caffeine was unhealthy. Post Cereal Company eventually became General Foods, then merged to Kraft Foods Inc. in 1990. Eliza's Quest Foods now owns the trademark rights and secret recipe of Postum.
Barley tea is a roasted-grain-based infusion made from barley. It is a staple across many East Asian countries such as China, Japan, and Korea. It has a toasty, bitter flavor.
Oksusu-cha (옥수수차) or corn tea is a Korean tea made from corn. While oksusu-suyeom-cha (옥수수수염차) or corn silk tea refers to the tea made from corn silk, oksusu-cha can be made from corn kernels, corn silk, or a combination of both. The caffeine-free infusion is a popular hot drink in winter. Along with bori-cha, oksusu-cha is one of the free grain teas served in many restaurants in place of water.
Sungnyung is a traditional Korean infusion made from boiled scorched rice.
Barleycup is an instant cereal drink, available in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Malta and Hong Kong. Barleycup was manufactured by the British company Ridpath Pek Ltd., until it was acquired in 2004 by the American firm Smithfield Foods Inc. and merged with Norwich Food Company Ltd. to form Smithfield Foods Ltd. UK. In 2013 the Barleycup brand was purchased by “Grana” Sp. z o.o., the company that had earlier been the manufacturer of beverages produced under this brand. The packaging and labels were modified in the same year.
Barley water is a traditional drink consumed in various parts of the world. It is made by boiling barley grains in water, then (usually) straining to remove the grains, and possibly adding other ingredients, for example sugar.
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.
Caro is a brand of roasted grain drink, a caffeine-free coffee substitute made of roasted barley, malted barley, chicory, and rye. It is manufactured by Nestlé and was first introduced in West Germany in 1954. It is available throughout Europe as well as other markets including New Zealand and Australia. It is imported to the United States under the name Pero and sold in Spain as Eko.
Korean tea is a beverage consisting of boiled water infused with leaves, roots, flowers, fruits, grains, edible mushrooms, or seaweed. It may or may not contain tea leaves.
Brown rice tea, called hyeonmi-cha in Korean and nước gạo lứt, nước gạo lứt rang, or nước gạo rang in Vietnamese, is an infusion made from roasted brown rice.
Caffè d'orzo or barley coffee is a type of hot drink, originating in Italy. Orzo is a caffeine-free roasted grain beverage made from ground barley. It is an espresso-style drink, and when prepared from the roasted barley directly, it can easily be made in typical espresso machines and coffeemakers. In Italy it is widely available in coffee vending machines. Although traditionally considered a coffee substitute for children, it is an increasingly common choice in Italy and other places for those who choose to avoid caffeine or simply enjoy the flavor.
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Inka is a Polish roasted grain drink. Developed in the late 1960s, Inka has been produced in Skawina since 1971, a centre of coffee production since the early 20th century. Currently it is manufactured by GRANA Sp. Z O.O. While it was used in part as a coffee substitute to alleviate coffee shortages in the 1970s, Inka remains popular, in part because it is caffeine-free. It is exported to Canada and the United States as Naturalis Inka in packaging reminiscent of that used in Poland in the early 1990s.
Brown rice green tea is green tea blended with roasted brown rice. In Korea, it is called hyeonmi-nokcha and is considered a blend of nokcha and hyeonmi-cha. In Japan, green tea blended with puffed brown rice is called genmaicha.