Acorn Coffee

[Richie]

The previous thread prompted me to ask which way do people find best for making coffee from acorns?

Just peel and roast or boil in water first and then roast. Or do anyone have any other ideas?

Regards

Richie

 

[match]

I find that to make anything resembling a nice drink from acorns, they need a lot of treatment first to get rid of the tannins.

I tend to let them dry out a bit, then peel them, then soak them in 2-3 changes of cold water, for say at least 24 hours, before roasting them.

And I have to say that I don't do this that often, as I generally prefer dandelion coffee, which is much easier to make! Just dig up roots, wash them, chop them up and roast them.

Hope this helps!

 

[Paganwolf]

I agree eather soak or gently simmer and several water changes remove most of the tannins, some people get the wrong idea when they see the word coffee, and expect the rich aroma of nescafe, its just a warming bland drink really

 

[den]

I had a couple of goes at using acorns in the past.
As Pagenwolf just said Acorn coffee is no Nescafe and countless changes of water still don’t calm down the tannins much.

I thought the dry roasted nut after numerous water changes was just about edible.


The only bush coffee I made which can taste like real coffee is dandelion root.
It does vary from batch to batch and time of year but when you make a goodun it tastes great.

 

[Richie]

Thanks for the replies. Just simmering them now after 24hrs in cold water.

Not really a coffee drinker so I shall see what it is like.

I try the dandelion coffee later. I have enough of them in the garden.

What time of year have people found it to be best?

Richie

 

[match]

The best time of year depends a lot on location - however, for me its usually been mid-late summer, when the roots are getting quite fat, but haven't gone too woody yet. The same applies to using them in stir-fries etc.

And dandelion coffee can taste a lot like real coffee, although I usually think its a bit nuttier, less strong, and sometimes with a 'mocha' edge. Of course, thats just my tastebuds...

 

[maddave]

I had a couple of goes at using acorns in the past.
As Pagenwolf just said Acorn coffee is no Nescafe and countless changes of water still don’t calm down the tannins much.

I thought the dry roasted nut after numerous water changes was just about edible.


The only bush coffee I made which can taste like real coffee is dandelion root.
It does vary from batch to batch and time of year but when you make a goodun it tastes great.

I agree with ya Den. Dandelion root rocks if you need a decent coffee like brew. I've tried acorns both as a drink and ground to flour for dampers and even with numerous boilings and changes of water they're still far too bitter for me :shock:

 

[Ginger]

I think the trick to getting the tannins out of acorns may be to, shell and skin them, then crush them somewhat and put them in a cotton or muslin bag in running water for several days. Tied up in a stream might be the way to go but I haven't tried it.

Apparently the quantity of tannin varies a lot with the species but I imagine the above method would get rid of more tannin than any other method available to ordinary people.

 

[Ed]

Good tip, I've never soaked crushed acorns before to get rid of the tannin, I've always soaked them whole.

If you want your bush coffee to have a more nutty flavor, can I suggest adding some roasted goose grass seeds (crushed/ground after roasting).... they give off a wonderful nutty aroma when dry roasted in a bill can.


Ed

 

[Tantalus]

anyone tried using beech nuts for coffee?

Tant

 

[Moine]

Thanks guys

I didn't know it was possible to get a drink out of acorns. Just learned something :super:

Will any oak species do it, or do I need to look for some special kind of oak?

and expect the rich aroma of nescafe

... the what?

In chiapas, the indians have a great name for Nescafe. They call it "No es café"

Cheers

David

 

[Tantalus]

Yeah i think pretty much anything with acorns will do fine

the squirrels eat them .........

possibly the only reason they dont use hazel nuts is that they are edible just as they are, and too good to make coffee from

Have a look at coffee substitutes and see what they put in there

the one i like most has figs in it :yikes:

of course i would rather have a double esspresso but the doc told me to cut down on caffeine

Tant