Wednesday, May 29, 2013

dandelion: the new coffee


My husband is on a mission (not unusual) to convert all who care to listen away from drinking coffee to drinking roasted dandelion 'coffee'. He carries a container of roasted dandelion granules with him wherever he goes and whether he is meeting with a prospective bride and groom about photographing their wedding or a supporter of one of his social justice campaigns he pulls out the dandelion and convinces the barista to make a brew.


If you haven't yet tried dandelion seek it out. You'll find it at the health food shop and I think some supermarkets now even stock it in tea bag form (dandelion with chicory root). Be sure to get the roasted dandelion root for the coffee like experience, not the dandelion leaf.

Why drink dandelion?

There is a lot to love about dandelion. Let's start with the taste because that's what most people wonder about. While it doesn't taste exactly like coffee, for anyone trying to give up or cut down on coffee this is the perfect substitute. Dandelion has a slight bitterness similar to coffee and lends itself well to being brewed with a milk of your choice, making it as satisfying as drinking a latte made with coffee. Well almost.

The health benefits of dandelion are what appeal to me most. A good friend for your liver, dandelion is detoxifying and good for aiding digestion.

As dandelion is caffeine-free it is a perfect warm drink before bed to settle digestion and prepare you for sleep.

How to prepare your cup of dandelion

If like my husband you have the gift of the gab and your local cafe doesn't serve dandelion you can ask the barista to prepare it for you exactly the same way they would coffee, placing the dandelion granules in the coffee machine in place of coffee.

At home there are a couple of ways you can make yourself a delicious, health-giving dandelion brew. First option is using teabags and making it just as you would a regular cup of tea, you can drink it black or with a splash of milk, with or without a spoon of honey.
The second option is the cafe-at-home option. Brew the granules in a pot with a cup of milk, or half water half milk.


In winter we like to do this on the wood heater


Once it has brewed to a good strength and temperature you can either just strain it straight into your cup or for a fancy, frothy option you can froth it using a very simple, inexpensive milk frother. A milk frother is basically a slim, tall version of a coffee plunger you'll find them at kitchen supply stores or you could probably just use your coffee plunger.




And voila there you have it a very satisfying alternative to coffee.


Have you tried dandelion? Giving up coffee? Share what your favorite brew is...


20 comments:

  1. I've been wondering lately about preparing my own dandelion root. We have loads of Dandelion in our place - and some have nice big tap roots. Have you ever tried making the coffee from foraged roots?

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    1. Tricia I haven't ventured into foraging dandelion...love to hear how it goes if you do! x

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  2. I love a dandelion soy latte with the tiniest bit of honey.
    Unfortunately I need a caffeine hit first thing in the morning so real coffee it is.
    I tend to have dandelion brews just as a special treat.

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    1. I hear you Caitlin on the coffee, I don't so much need it as like it. Finding a dandelion soy latte in a cafe in Victoria is not an easy task that's why we've taken to making them at home. Thanks for reading x

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  3. How frothy and delicious does that look, you can make me one of those anytime. I LOVE dandelions , i love the drink, i love the leaves in everything from smoothies to salads, i love the health benefits and i love the absolute beauty of the planet. It is truly amazing.

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    1. Jay I'm smiling :) your enthusiasm is wonderful...I say this with great affection, you sound like you are on some sort of love drug! The beauty of the world is indeed amazing and I look forward to making you a dandelion very soon! xx

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    2. I cannot wait. Do you know the dates you will be up at all? I will be in Sydney for some of the holidays, so would love to work out when we should come up. much love to you. xx

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    3. Once we have flights booked you will be the first to know! xx

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    4. great, can't wait. xxxx

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  4. That is so spooky how that happens - about a month ago, my naturopath said she thought I could benefit from dandelion root tea. Before that I had never heard of it, but since then I have heard about it several times.

    So, taking her advice, I bought some tea, and some roasted dandelion 'coffee'. I'm not really a milk drinker, so I have it plain, and the brand I buy comes in tea bags. To me it tastes like coffee with a dash of soy milk.

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  5. I specialise in spooky Robyn, with a side of woo woo :) I have noticed this phenomenon at work too, once our consciousness is pointed in a certain direction it is as if we view the world in a whole different way and the universe presents to us precisely what we need to see. In your case, dandelion tea! I like the sound of drinking it plain I think I'll go brew one right now. Thanks for the suggestion x

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  6. New follower here and, wow, you just blew my mind with this. I have an itch to go foraging for dandelions now that summer is in full swing here, but I don't think I can wait to give this new drink a try. A trip to the store is indeed happening tomorrow!

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    1. Well hello and welcome! I am envious because you are in summer while winter's chill is wrapping itself firmly around us here. I am very much a summer person! Really thrilled this post has struck a chord with you love to hear what you think of the old dandelion brew x

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  7. Thanks for sharing about this. I have just started drinking coffee as the coffee sub I use to use has wheat in it. So thought that cafine was the lesser of two evils. I will search out my super markets and see if I can find it, I'm sure I have seen it before there.

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  8. Thanks for your comment Bec. Out of interest what was the coffee substitute that contained wheat? Thought it would be helpful for other readers to know this. Seek out the dandelion it is good stuff! x

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  9. Nice blog comment
    Dandelion Root(Taraxacum officinale) used in medicines and the leaves are not medically used. The chief constituents

    of Dandelion root are Taraxacin, acrystalline, bitter substance, of which the yield varies in roots collected at
    different seasons, and Taraxacerin, an acrid resin, with Inulin (a sort of sugar which replaces starch in many of the

    Dandelion family,Compositae), gluten, gum and potash.Dandelion Root provides vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D and

    vitamin B complex, as well as zinc, iron and potassium. Because of its iron content, it is widely used as a remedy for

    liver ailments, and has a diuretic effect that can help rid the liver of toxins.

    http://www.adeptimpex.com/dandelion_root_india.php

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  10. Will this work in one of those bean to cup grinding machines instead of coffee beans? Is that what your husband convinces them to do? Have you heard of anyone trying it? I want to get a bean to cup machine and just fill it full of dandelion and burdock root pieces if the machine can handle it

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  11. Hi Nikki, thank you very much for publishing such a nice health beneficial article.Brewing dandelion is completely a new idea to me and excited to learn it's health benefits. I am really please to get the idea how to make it. Surely I will take a try to have it following your method. I am not a coffee addict but I love to start my morning with a fresh cup of coffee and i can share my favorite coffee learning website and that's https://coffeextraction.com. May be some folks here find some interest.

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