History Confederate Coffee

[Pollaco]

It was no secret that the Union had a "secret weapon" and they knew it.

 

[Sowbelly and Hardtack]

If you really want to understand what your ancestors endured then I suggest you try these recipes. My grandmothers regularly consumed chicory coffee and only drank real coffee on Sundays. I was a progressive re-enactor and it was important to me recreate the hardships my ancestors experienced during the war. If it was hot and dusty then I experienced the hot and dusty. If it was wet and cold then I experienced the wet and cold. Civil War soldiers experienced some of the same things I did during my tours in Southeast Asia. Times change, but wars don't. I openly admit to having been an extreme progressive and it's not for the faint hearted.

I remember well the 125th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. Yes it was hot, but not worse than what I experienced in Vietnam. Most re-enactors are not disciplined hardened combat veterans.

 

[Rhea Cole]

There is an alternative to the grim business of
boiling charred (insert the roots, seeds & stems of your choice.) to experience grim & gritty historic "coffee." You don't have to just imagine what Civil War coffee tasted like, either. It is at your local grocery store or online.

When we moved to South Dakota my dad would tune into Clear Channel 650 on Saturday when the sun went down. The Grand Old Opry was a connection back home to Nashville. The Cajun music from Jimmy C. Newman's segment sounded wildly exotic to me. His show was sponsored by Lausanne Coffee:

"Luzianne Coffee with Chicory brings out coffee's flavor. Luzianne costs about half as much, Luziannne's a money saver."

Jimmy C Newman – LMHOF

louisianamusichalloffame.org

Chicory is the root of the endive plant. It is dried & roasted along with the coffee beans. The article from Epicurious covers the introduction of chicory & coffee as well as the modern use.

How New Orleans Made Chicory Coffee Its Own

The dried root was once an inexpensive filler ingredient. Now it's a sought-after flavor.

www.epicurious.com

I assume coffee with chicory is a Southern thing. It has a very pleasant flavor. The Newman family owns a cove east of Murfreesboro TN. I have known a number of folks who started drinking it because of the local connection but kept on because of the flavor.

 

[Seduzal]

Wow! What an amazing story of being in a war without coffee!

 

[donna]

There are many threads on Substitute Coffees on this forum. I try to bump several of them.

 

[Rhea Cole]

I came upon an excellent sidebar to this thread. It is a Smithsonian Magazine article about coffee during the Civil War.

Among other wonders, one of Robert E. Lee's emancipated slaves raised coffee to sell to the Union army. Who knew?

How Coffee Helped the Union Caffeinate Their Way to Victory in the Civil War

The North’s fruitful partnership with Liberian farmers fueled a steady supply of an essential beverage

www.smithsonianmag.com

 

[13 IL Cav & 64 GA Inf]

I came upon an excellent sidebar to this thread. It is a Smithsonian Magazine article about coffee during the Civil War.

Among other wonders, one of Robert E. Lee's emancipated slaves raised coffee to sell to the Union army. Who knew?

How Coffee Helped the Union Caffeinate Their Way to Victory in the Civil War

The North’s fruitful partnership with Liberian farmers fueled a steady supply of an essential beverage

www.smithsonianmag.com

Really good article!

 

[Rhea Cole]

Really good article!

It really is… I didn't know anything about Liberian coffee $.04 / $.06 / pound…

 

[Rhea Cole]

My wife's ancient relative was the Episcopal Missionary Bishop to Libera. One of the family's young ladies letter was written on a small piece of cartridge paper. It answers a letter that took six months in transit.

The tiny, exquisite crow quill script is accompanied by a
remarkable illustration. The antislavery squadron is hull down on the horizon in her delicate, nicely observed drawing… looks a lot like a lace border. It is a very accurate depiction of the top hamper of the frigates in the anti slavery patrol coming in for supplies.