Postum Problems

[scoots]

Does anybody remember Postum? It was a coffee-substute that was rather popular once upon a time. Being a 60's baby I remembering it being on restaurant menus when I was a kid, but of course never tried it and by the 80's it had waned and I lost track of the drink.

A few years ago I went on a hunt and found that another company had purchased the recipe and it was on store shelves again.

My question is that, even when following directions, I have a hard time getting the mix to dissolve completely, and usually wind up with a puddle of undissolved postum in the bottom of my cup.

Does anybody have this problem and are there any old hands that remember if there was a solution? The original wording suggests you have to stir for quite a while. Maybe that's my problem?

Thanks

 

[sfh074]

My ....

Granddad used to drink this stuff. I remember him using boiling water to make. Straight off the stove eye the kettle of very aggressive sounding water would be poured into the cup. He would stir and stir. Seem to recall a bit of froth that he would try to work down into the mix till gone. Then a big dose of heavy cream to finish.

 

[ea56]

I drank Postum for a few months around 1977 when coffee went sky high in price. I don’t recall any problems with it no dissolving, but I do remember that it tasted terrible! One jar of it cured me from ever wanting it again. And the price of coffee went down thankfully.

Eddie

 

[goatfarmer]

Made with Chicory.

 

[joeekaitis]

But it saves marriages and families.

 

 

That is, if you can actually finish a cup.

https://www.lileks.com/institute/comicsins/comics/coffeenerves/index.html

 

[kennyt123]

I recall Postum is still sold

I seem to recall Postum being offered for sale in the Vermont Country store--amazing place. It's a little pricey but we're worth it.

I also loved those ghirabaldi current cookie slabs. those were the bees knees.

 

[frigilux]

Look what I found at Keurig’s website: A coffee + chicory blend!

Not Postum exactly, but this Creole blend has a small, passionate fan base at Keurig. Since it’s available in box of 12 (rather than Keurig’s standard of 24) I’m going to give it a try!

 

[d-jones]

Long Time Postum Lover

I’m in my mid fifties and have been a Postum fan since I was a kid. I love the stuff, especially during the winter months. I currently have five jars in the cupboard and Postum memorabilia on the counter. For as long as I can remember I have had trouble getting it to completely dissolve, but the hotter the water is the better it goes. I use boiling water to mix it and usually have a few tiny little lumps left at the bottom of the cup.

 

[frigilux]

The Creole Blend coffee (coffee + chicory) K-cups arrived! Just made one (at the 6-oz. setting + strong option), adding 1 tablespoon half-and-half.

I really like it. Can see where chicory alone—as in Postum—might be a bit much, but the coffee/chicory blend is quite good.

May try a bit of sugar in the next one just to see how that tastes. Normally I drink coffee black, but there were a lot of recommendations to add a bit of cream to chicory beverages.

I would imagine this blend is available in a bag, as well, for non-Keurig brewers.

Pleasantly surprised!

 

[tomturbomatic]

We had neighbors long ago who were from New Orleans and drank Luzianne coffee with chickory. 

 

[lordkenmore]

I would imagine this blend is available in a bag, as well

I'm guessing it's this bag:

https://www.frenchmarketcoffee.com/our-coffee/creole-blend-bag/

They apparently have a large variety of flavors and package formats. Even canned for those who insist on the full "like the old days" experience when using that 50s percolator!

https://www.frenchmarketcoffee.com/our-coffee/

I think I've seen the cans at some point in grocery stores, and I'm thinking I might have even tried a can, once. But assuming I did, I can't honestly remember my impressions.

 

[lordkenmore]

Chicory question

Am I right in remembering that there was a mainstream instant coffee that had chicory, and was advertised having chicory? (Advertising making chicory sound like a plus, although one wonders if the real reason wasn't a dollars and cents decision!) I'm thinking this might be late 70s/early 80s.

 

[justjunque]

I do remember that.
Unfortunately, I don't remember the brand. It seems like the chicory was claimed to make a smoother tasting coffee, if I recall correctly.

Barry

 

[ozzie908]

In the UK we had Barleycup

It was a coffee alternative and tasted revolting I prefer black tea to anything other than decent coffee lol

Austin

 

[lordkenmore]

>a mainstream instant coffee that had chicory, and was advertised having chicory?

I might have solved my own mystery. I'm thinking I might be remembering Sunrise.

Ad:


I have a vague memory that suggests that my mother might have bought this stuff at some point (probably to use when only making one cup--most of the coffee she made was regular coffee).

 

[tomturbomatic]

The plant that late 60's hunk is shlepping around is not chicory, a member of the aster family and a fairly ugly plant with usually bright blue flowers, as you can see at the link. After the late 60s, Nescafe became Taster's Choice in the US and Canada for many years. Now it is a premium brand. The Sunrise product is very popular in India and sold at many Indian online stores.

Chicory - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[sarahperdue]

Chicory coffee

Has a long history in New Orleans. When I was growing up, the Luzianne brand was the one most available outside of Cajun country. It came in both white and a red packages. One had more chicory that the other, but I'm not sure which.

Chicory coffee blends also seem to be popular in India and southeast Asia. When I lived in the DC area, Vietnamese grocery stores were the most reliable source of chicory blended coffee.

As New Orleans culture and cooking started becoming a fad in the late eighties and early nineties many brands, which had been available in Louisiana for generations, became available in other parts of the country--Community Coffee, Cafe du Monde, French Market.

In New Orleans it is served with boiled or steamed milk which, in my opinion, gives it a nutty, smoother flavor. My husband makes it fairly regularly and drinks it with milk straight out of the fridge. Unless I'm motivated to boil the milk, I tend to opt for regular coffee.

Sarah

https://www.communitycoffee.com/blog/detail/the-history-of-coffee-chicory#targetText=Chicory%20is%20a%20blue%2Dflowered,far%20back%20as%20ancient%20Egypt.&targetText=Though%20chicory%20root%20lacks%20caffeine,making%20it%20a%20logical%20additive.

 

[lordkenmore]

>The plant that late 60's hunk is shlepping around is not chicory, a member of the aster family and a fairly ugly plant with usually bright blue flowers, as you can see at the link.

Well, they might have figured that an ugly plant wouldn't market instant coffee!

Or maybe it was just the handiest plant they could grab before shooting the ad.

LOL

 

[frigilux]

Sarah- Thanks for the tip to try the New Orleans/Creole blend with steamed milk! It really did add a nice dimension to the cup, especially since I used unsweetened almond milk.

Your link above was to the Community Coffee website. Keurig’s site (where I purchase all my K-cups) used to feature a few varieties from that brand, but they disappeared a few months ago. I tried a couple different varieties from Community and liked it, but I guess it either wasn’t selling enough or something went awry with the sales agreement between the two companies.