If It's Brown, It's Coffee. Darn it.

JPK Huson 1863

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
Joined
Feb 14, 2012
Location
Central Pennsylvania
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We loved, and still love our coffee! This slightly prewar image entitled ' The Café ' combines exotic imagery ( and incomprehensively, a large fly ) with a coffee pot. It was an elegant past time fooling no one. Hooked. May as well be an opium den.

You know, if the North had been thinking clearly, the war could have been shortened quite a few years. The South endured shortages- women wore dresses threadbare, then hauled out spinning wheels. Medicine vanished- they went to the woods and fields for remedies of old, sugar and flour? Pfffttt. On it. One crochety theme running through the war, a necessity sought unsuccessfully? Coffee.

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Even shopping for coffee was elegant. This looks a little 1870, by her dress but the well dressed past time of shopping for these items is advertised in era publications- this in New York.

Substitutes were inventively brewed, some cheerfully ( bravely ) toasted as successful, the South still not brought to surrender because chickory, dandelion and even heck, boiled egg shells and bark could be brown and hot. The Federals did not go far enough- get rid of everything brown and we could have ended that war in a month. We. Love. Coffee.

Love this somewhat botanical, slightly grumbly, patriotic article- mid-war. Who can blame them?

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It begins well, and convincingly

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Getting a little grumbly....

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We used dandelion in salad, with a sweet bacon sauce. Still was awful so drinking it must have been worse.

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You do feel for J.S.W. His embittered finale is almost convincing- We. Love. Coffee.
 

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Wow, what an novel idea, JPK! Get rid of everything brown!:D Oh, coffee, how we love thee. I am drinking a cup as I read.
Imagine a world without Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts and all their siblings! In my case, Tim Hortons. We spent a month in England last year, enjoyed it thoroughly, except for the coffee. I refused to drink it and enjoyed the tea, but my poor husband soldiered on with the swill that was served. We found a little cafe in Ely that had a Bunn coffee maker and he drank three cups, telling the owner that that was the first good coffee he had had since arriving. First place we headed when arriving at Toronto airport was Timmies!:smile coffee:
 
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I'm also having my afternoon cup of coffee as I read this!
But here we still have coffee surrogates, and although they only have the color in common with real coffee, I like to drink a cup of "Caro" coffee now and then. It's made from rye, barley and barleymalt and as long as I live (and longer, it dates from 1954), there always was that "Kinderkaffee" (= kid's coffee).
There is another traditional brand, Linde's Kaffee, that is even older.
And in all innocence, the popular name for these coffee surrogates in Germany is "Muckef*ck".
@Schwallanscher will confirm that...

Even shopping for coffee was elegant. This looks a little 1870, by her dress but the well dressed past time of shopping for these items is advertised in era publications- this in New York.
That scene definitely reminds me of the "temples", where Nespresso is sold!
 
I only drink black coffee, nothing in it. I rarely buy coffee anywhere. I like Maxwell House and always have. I am not a snob, but I just like it best. I am no fan of chicory, but I know many who are though. I don't drink instant coffee or essence of coffee. I don't like any of the substitutes either really. Just real coffee and black. My all time favorite.
 
I only drink black coffee, nothing in it. I rarely buy coffee anywhere. I like Maxwell House and always have. I am not a snob, but I just like it best. I am no fan of chicory, but I know many who are though. I don't drink instant coffee or essence of coffee. I don't like any of the substitutes either really. Just real coffee and black. My all time favorite.
I drink mine black also. Starbucks tastes burnt to me and is extremely overpriced. I use our grocery store's "Great Canadian Coffee" which is supposed to be similar to Tim Hortons' coffee. It is quite good.
 
I only drink organic free trade Sumatran coffee that I buy in bulk and roast myself. I refuse to buy coffee at a coffee house. I guess I have too much Scottish ancestry. I'm stingy. It amazes me to see people spend $4 or $5 for a cup of coffee. I couldn't do it anyway because I refuse to ask the barista for a venti trenti or a benti or whatever they make you say to get a cup. Not gonna happen.
 
And in all innocence, the popular name for these coffee surrogates in Germany is "Muckef*ck".

yep, it's muckeburp <- there are two dots too many (it comes from mocca faux and the days when the french had occupied berlin)



... or some other italian stuff (that does not sport the word crema) and is sold in beans



... btw, i wouldn't call starbucks exactly coffee or cups made of paper (or styrofoam) to be anything but a disgrace
 
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