compositions.

To introduce the powerful flavoring agents uniformly into the coffee beans, roasters use a

carrier—a neutral, non-toxic substance the flavoring agent is mixed with (often plain vegetable oil)

in a similar role as alcohol has, for instance, in vanilla extract.

Go ahead and buy hazelnut or cinnamon coffee if you really enjoy the flavor, but be aware

that you are adding still another chemical to your system, a fact that concerns many of us.

What about instant coffees? G. Washington, an Englishman who lived in Guatemala near

the turn of the century, was the first to come up with the idea of truly instant coffee. He noticed a

fine powder forming on the spout of the coffee pot as a precipitate from the coffee vapors. He

collected the powder and to his great surprise, he discovered that he could make an instant coffee by

dissolving it in hot water. He first marketed the idea in 1909 with obviously great success among

people who want coffee but don’t care about its flavor. Even though instant coffee has improved a

great deal over the years, it is still only has one notable attribute—it is quick to make.

Coffee substitutes

Coffee is such an overwhelmingly essential commodity that during World War II, when

shipments were blockaded and beans were very scarce in Europe, people had to look for substitutes.

They used chicory root (Cicoria entybus) most commonly, especially in Germany and Central

Europe where coffee beans were virtually non-existent. It made a poor substitute for real coffee

lovers having no caffeine and only a vaguely-resembling coffee flavor, but it was still better than no

coffee at all. Another substitute for coffee beans was dried and ground dandelion root. The resulting

brew has a bitter, coffee-like flavor but, again, without the important alkaloid, caffeine.

But people in the Southeastern U.S. still prefer their coffee with a little chicory added,

particularly in Louisiana. It adds a layer of pleasant bitterness, a flavor quality that comes through

acquired taste.

Some people use a beverage called Postum, a supposed coffee substitute made from wheat,

bran and molasses, has the color of coffee when you add hot water to it, but this is where the

similarities end. The flavor does not even remotely resemble coffee.

TEA

Aside from water, tea enjoys the highest consumption of any liquid in the world. This may

sound hard to believe but a large population of the world on the Asian continent are tea drinkers. It

is unfortunate that we are not a nation of tea drinkers. Tea is a very refreshing, pleasant beverage

that causes no harm to human physiology, even if you sip many cups during the course of a day.

In much of Asia untreated water carries harmful microorganisms, and is not safe to drink.

Brewing it into tea kills all harmful bugs and turns it into a safe beverage, thus over the centuries

tea-drinkers had a better health and better chance to survive.

Tea drinking in the world outside Asia is much less significant. Great Britain is the only

exception. Tea has been virtually idolized there and most people demanded good-quality tea they

properly brewed from loose tea leaves according to traditional rules and codes. Tea used to be taken

very seriously in every social and economic level. In fact, tea brewing and drinking transcended

social status. Tea bags were unknown. But in the last few decades or so, the British became very

fond of good coffee, too, tea consumption declined and even tea bags and instant teas appeared.

Serious Kitchen Play