Roasted Dandelion Root Camp Coffee
Roasted root and ground coffee brewed together, cut with milk powder. New Orleans habit, backpacking pot.
- calories
- 90
- weight
- 1.1 oz
- cal / oz
- 82
- protein
- 4 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 8 min
- total time
- 10 min
- water
- 350 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Drink
- Breakfast
- Canister stove
- Campfire coals
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Backpacking
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Winter / snow
- Vegetarian
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Dried roasted dandelion root | 1 tbsp | coarse grind, roasted dark at home |
|---|---|---|
| Ground coffee | 2 tbsp | coarse, or it silts the bottom of the cup |
| Powdered whole milk | 2 tbsp | |
| Sugar | 1 tsp | optional, the root is bitter |
| Water | 350 ml |
Method
- Bring 350 ml of water to a boil, then pull the pot off the heat for about thirty seconds so it stops rolling.
- Stir in the coffee and dandelion root together. The root needs longer than coffee does, which is why they steep as one.
- Cover and let it sit four minutes. Stir once at the halfway mark to sink the crust of grounds.
- Let the grounds settle a full minute, then pour slowly into your mug and stop before the sludge follows.
- Whisk the milk powder and sugar into the mug, not the pot. Powder dumped into a pot of grounds clumps around them.
Chicory and dandelion root got mixed into coffee because coffee was expensive, and the habit outlived the shortage. On trail the arithmetic is weight, not money: roasted root brings a dark, faintly bitter body to a weaker pour than you would tolerate at home, so a smaller scoop of coffee still tastes like a full cup.
The original is brewed and served with fresh milk. Powdered whole milk does the same job here and needs no cooler. The important part is the order: steep and settle in the pot, then finish in the mug. Milk powder added to grounds turns into gritty lumps you will be chewing at the bottom.
Packing
Root, coffee, and sugar premixed in one small bag per day. Milk powder rides in its own bag; it cakes if it sits against warm ground coffee.
Variations
- Drop the root to 1 tsp and raise the coffee if you want caffeine more than flavor.
- Straight dandelion root, no coffee, makes a caffeine-free evening cup that still tastes like something.
- Skip the milk powder for a dairy-free version; a spoonful of oil-free creamer substitute works too.
https://foragerchef.com/chicory-dandelion-coffee