# Survival > Foraging & Wild Edibles > Bush Recipes Only >  Acorn Coffee

## skunkkiller

HAVE ANY OF YOU TRIED ACORN COFFEE ? I LOVE THE STUFF. YOU LEACH THE ACORNS FOR THREE DAY IN 3 CHANGES OF WATER OR ONE DAY IN A STREAM THEN ROAST JUST LIKE COFFEE AND MAKE JUST LIKE COFFEE. :Drool:

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## canid

i know of an oak just down the street that recently dropped a heavy load of acorns for it's size. i meant to hit it up for collection anyway, and this is a good idea.

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## Trabitha

I love coffee taste...but it's the caffeine that keeps me a comin' back.  :Wink:

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## hunter63

I'll probably have to try this my self, but I agree, after trying some "coffee" substitutes, they don't seem to have the kick, (no caffeine).

SK have you tried making flour with acorns?

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## preachtheWORD

I have also heard of thoroughly dried, baked, and ground roots from dandelion and chickory being used as a coffee substitute.  (Not to mention Kentucky Coffee Tree)
I have not tried these, but I mean to someday.

Some previous posters seem to have hit on an important point - coffee drinkers want caffeine!

So, are there any natural sources of caffeine that are readily avaiable in North America?

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## crashdive123

> I have also heard of thoroughly dried, baked, and ground roots from dandelion and chickory being used as a coffee substitute.  (Not to mention Kentucky Coffee Tree)
> I have not tried these, but I mean to someday.
> 
> Some previous posters seem to have hit on an important point - coffee drinkers want caffeine!
> 
> So, are there any natural sources of caffeine that are readily avaiable in North America?


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caffeine

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## Rick

I've done the dandelion. It's okay. It's not coffee but it will do in a pinch.

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## hunter63

This is the part that kills me, all the stuff that was accidentally "discovered" by some important.

Stolt directly from the site Crash posted under history of caffeine:

Quote> According to one popular Chinese legend, the Emperor of China Shennong, reputed to have reigned in about 3000 BC, accidentally discovered that when some leaves fell into boiling water, a fragrant and restorative drink resulted.[32][33][34] Shennong is also mentioned in Lu Yu's Cha Jing, a famous early work on the subject of tea.[35] The history of coffee has been recorded as far back as the ninth century....... <Quote

I'm guessing a lot of slaves died as a result of all the big shots experminting with all things"fun".

"Your highness, this one didn't die, and is really toasted, maybe on to something "fun"?

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## Batch

We have wild coffee down here. It is caffeine free but contains a hallucinogenic called dimethyltryptamine.

The only North American plant with coffee like caffeine is Yaupon Holly.

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## wareagle69

the caffine for me is not the urge its the flavor, caff or decaf no matter like a good instant with a spoon of sugar and some french vanilla creamer or baileys.
one of the projects this year includes coffee substitutes, acorn, dandelion and chicory testing mixing all three and also mixing individually with my instnat to draw out me stocks, i would imagine there are many variables to these weeds as far as local influences and time of year when picked and dried

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## canid

> The only North American plant with coffee like caffeine is Yaupon Holly.


you are forgetting Theobroma cacao. chocolate contains both caffeine and theobromine, and almost identical alkaloid. while originating from the amazon basin, it has long been naturalized through cultivation in parts of Mexico.

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## Old GI

> I'll probably have to try this my self, but I agree, after trying some "coffee" substitutes, they don't seem to have the kick, (no caffeine).
> 
> SK have you tried making flour with acorns?


Coffee substitute?  Isn't that decaf (and a poor one at that)? :Innocent:

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## canid

i agree; there is no substitute for coffee. there are other fine hot beverages, but it isn't the same  :Big Grin:

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## crashdive123

I always thought that Army coffee was a coffee substitute. :Innocent:

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## Rick

Coffee....nectar of the gods and free in Traxistan.

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## Old GI

> I always thought that Army coffee was a coffee substitute.


crash:  I think you're right.

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## justin_baker

Ill try some this fall. Plenty of oaks around here  :Smile:

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## justin_baker

> I'll probably have to try this my self, but I agree, after trying some "coffee" substitutes, they don't seem to have the kick, (no caffeine).


Around here, there are nuts from the bay laurel tree. They are fully of caffeinee and the squirrels go nuts over them. Ill try using those and see what they taste like.

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## crimescene450

so what exactly do you do? soak the acorns for 3 days?
and how much acorn do you use?



and on the acorn note
does anyone know how to make flour out of acorn?

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## esp

During the civil war, soldiers used ground up okra seeds for coffee. Okra seeds are abundant (if you plant okra that is), so I save them for emergency coffee if need be.

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## esp

> so what exactly do you do? soak the acorns for 3 days?
> and how much acorn do you use?
> 
> 
> 
> and on the acorn note
> does anyone know how to make flour out of acorn?


To my knowledge, you de-hull the acorns to get the fleshy "nut meat" out, let them dry untill they are dry enough to break in two, and then grind them into flour.

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## crashdive123

I had a brief lesson on acorns during the class with the "Eat The Weeds" guy.  The two methods for removing the tannins from the acorns are either cold water (longer process) or boiling water (shorter process).  He said combining the two methods does not work.  His preferred method is cold processing.  He places the acorns in a mesh bag and puts them in the toilet tank (tank, not bowl).  Kind of an urban stream.  Every time you flush, you get a water change.  When the water filling the bowl is clear, they are done.  Then dry and process (roast, grind, etc.).

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## Rick

Yeah, but leave those blue thingies and the jars out of the tank while you soak the acorns. 

That is a good idea, Crash. Thanks.

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## esp

> I had a brief lesson on acorns during the class with the "Eat The Weeds" guy.  The two methods for removing the tannins from the acorns are either cold water (longer process) or boiling water (shorter process).  He said combining the two methods does not work.  His preferred method is cold processing.  He places the acorns in a mesh bag and puts them in the toilet tank (tank, not bowl).  Kind of an urban stream.  Every time you flush, you get a water change.  When the water filling the bowl is clear, they are done.  Then dry and process (roast, grind, etc.).


this is clever!

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## Erratus Animus

> I have also heard of thoroughly dried, baked, and ground roots from dandelion and chicory being used as a coffee substitute. So, are there any natural sources of caffeine that are readily avaiable in North America?


Chicory Is a New Orleans favorite and has been mixed in with other beans to achieve the flavor it is famous for. There is a brand in the store call choke-full-of- nuts that is a chicory coffee as well as mellow-yello. these may not be available in all areas.

Beechnuts can be roasted and ground for a coffee sub too and as mentioned the Kentucky coffee tree, and dandelion roots. the only other source I have read about is the berries of Goose Grass.




> I always thought that Army coffee was a coffee substitute.


We dipped or ate the coffee that came with our MREs rather than drink it when on watch at night and in the field. Remember the cadence " They say that in the army the coffees mighty fine! It looks like muddy water and taste like turpentine" lol I still remember them all lol

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## Qmser

> HAVE ANY OF YOU TRIED ACORN COFFEE ? I LOVE THE STUFF. YOU LEACH THE ACORNS FOR THREE DAY IN 3 CHANGES OF WATER OR ONE DAY IN A STREAM THEN ROAST JUST LIKE COFFEE AND MAKE JUST LIKE COFFEE.


Skunkkiller, Can I assume that you're talking about acorns from a white oak tree?  All of the other oaks that I know of produce acorns that are too bitter to make food or drink from.

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## Rick

Welcome Qmser, why not chop on some acorns on your way over to our Introduction section and tell us a bit about yourself?

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## Rick

While the red oak has more tannins, it also has more fats than white oak. It's one of the reasons squirrels eat the white ones when they begin to fall and bury the red ones. They need the higher fat content in the dead of winter. The white acorn will sprout faster than the red one, which is another reason they eat them.

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## hoosierarcher

> While the red oak has more tannins, it also has more fats than white oak. It's one of the reasons squirrels eat the white ones when they begin to fall and bury the red ones. They need the higher fat content in the dead of winter. The white acorn will sprout faster than the red one, which is another reason they eat them.


They also bury the red oak because they get sweeter tasting after they have frozen. Probably due to the germination process but Native Americans didn't eat red oak acorns until after they had been long frozen and then thawed.

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## skunkkiller

you can use any acorn as lomng as you soak them first in changes of water then dry and roast

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## birdman6660

I personally solved the coffee problem by having a huge amount in nitro pak storage ... instant but filled with caffeine ... and tis a necessity fro me ...  I believe i haven't forgotten anything in my 3 three years worth of survival gear and supplies we have stashed away !

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## jake abraham

I have plenty of acorns around so I'm going to try this

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## RandyRhoads

> We have wild coffee down here. It is caffeine free but contains a hallucinogenic called dimethyltryptamine.
> 
> The only North American plant with coffee like caffeine is Yaupon Holly.


What "wild coffee" are you talking about that contains DMT?

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## TresMon

At some organic shops, herb shops and some green groceries you can get "dandy blend"
http://www.dandyblend.com/

Good info in this thread! Thanks..

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## crashdive123

> What "wild coffee" are you talking about that contains DMT?


There is actually a Wild coffee  (Psychotria nervosa) that grows from just south of my area and extends down to the Keys.  http://www.sfrc.ufl.edu/4h/Wild_coffee/wildcoff.htm

It does contain DMT.

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## Stairman

The root of the Mimosa is used to extract DHT, not sure of the difference but a psycodelic drug nonetheless.

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## TresMon

I don't know waht DHT is but we're loaded with mimosa 'round here....

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## Stairman

I may be mistaken, I believe it is DMT, mixed up and still half asleep.

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## mountainmark

Never tried acorn coffee, but I suppose it does have the bitterness if nothing else. I have made dandelion coffee and found it to be pretty darn good though it doesn't have the caffeine. I think a lot of us will be getting over our addictions pretty quick post SHTF though and something that will at least remind us of the "good ol days" will go along way toward lifting the spirits. I dry the roots first in a dehydrator, then roast in a 325 degree oven for about 40 minutes. Then grind in my flour mill and boil about three teaspoonfulls per cup of water for three minutes. This, at least, will give you the impression you are drinking coffee  :Smile: 

As far as acorn flour goes, I don't think it matters much what type of acorn you use as long as you leech it long enough to remove the bitterness. The best way to do this is not a formula as the amount of tannin will differ from tree to tree, not just variety. I also prefer the cold leech method, but I dry the acorns first so I can coarsely grind them. this speeds up the leeching process considerably. Once ground I place the acorn "grits" in a finely woven cheesecloth, suspend them in a large mouthed mason jar and run water over them several times a day, pouring off the water from time to time. How long this takes will differ, but I continue until there is no more bitterness. Once they are leeched, I return them to the dehydrator and once dry, I have flour. If a finer flour is desired I then grind them again. Hope this helps.

mark

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## 1983

For that caffeine bump you could also look into buying pure caffeine extract, It's a little harder to get now a days and you need to be careful you don't overdose and kill yourself but a little goes a long way if you can get it.

Figure out an appropriate measuring apparatus and mix it with your desired "coffee" and go from there.

Hell a small Altoids tin of the stuff would probably last months if not longer.

Also lots of great ideas in here, Gong to need to write them down or print them off and try some of them out.

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## Rick

That "overdose and kill yourself" sort of put me off. I'll stick with my morning java but thanks.

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## Alan R McDaniel Jr

I darn near overdose on regular coffee every morning anyway. I dont need any extra help. 


Alan

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