I decided to try something new with my coffee.

I know, I know, why mess around with a good thing?!

It started a couple months ago, when I bought a bag of herbal coffee substitute from my local health food store. It was on clearance for a buck, so I thought, why not? It was actually pretty great! I mixed it half and half with my coffee, and it made my coffee taste even richer and better than usual. I checked out the main ingredient, and it was chicory.

What is chicory?! It is an herb that originated in Europe, and has naturalized in the Americas.

Chicory has an amazing list of health benefits that is quite lengthy, so here is a link to an article that discusses it in more depth, if anyone is interested. Here are just a few:

• digestive aide (it contains inulin, which is a fantastic prebiotic!)
• reduces cholesterol
• is packed with plant phenols
• prevents cancer
• is anti-inflammatory and great for arthritis
• aids in weight loss
• treats constipation
• boosts immunity
• reduces anxiety (I'll have to give my daughter some and see if it helps!)
• and more...

I thought, hey! Why not buy chicory to mix with my coffee?! It's practically the elixir of life, after all!

Well, after months of putting it off, I finally got some! I tried it out this weekend, in my french press coffee maker!

 

As you can see, it looks like coffee. Perhaps a little lighter. It smells interesting. Herby and spicy...

This is one of my favorite coffees. It's strong, delicious, and even organic and fair-trade. Doesn't get much better than that!

I put one scoop of chicory and one scoop of coffee into my coffee maker.

If you're admiring my fancy coffee scoop, here is a link to a post I wrote about it. I bought it from a fellow steemian! (Not sure if they are still on Steemit though, it's been a while since they posted.)

I let the coffee steep for the desired length of time.

Then I got distracted. Someone made a mess. Someone needed something. The dog needed let out. A kid got hungry.

It steeped MUCH longer than it should have. When I went to drink it, the taste wasn't terrible, but it was VERY herby and strange. I hoped against hope that the flavor of properly brewed chicory was much easier on the palate. When I tried again the following day, I was relieved to find the flavor was quite good. Mixed half and half with coffee grounds, it tasted richer than my normal coffee and came out a little darker. I also made a batch in my percolator when my husband wanted some too, since my french press is quite tiny. He said he liked the mixture. :)

I am glad I finally decided to experiment with my coffee! The results were delicious, and if you are concerned about cutting back on your caffeine, this is one way to do it, while adding a healthy herb to your diet.

I think I'll continue buying chicory and mixing it into my coffee from now on. There just weren't any downsides, other than making sure it doesn't steep for too long, and nothing but extra-tastiness along with health benifits! It's a win, win, win situation!

Now, please excuse me while I go brew another cup! ♥