Nothing beats a great cup of coffee. At the same time, nothing is worse than a bad one. Otherwise, people wouldn’t bother walking great distances every morning to buy their specific brand of coffee even though their workplace provides coffee for free. Never mind saving those couple of bucks for something meaningful like retirement by settling for the free coffee; folks have got to get that good coffee, stat. I’m ashamed to admit that I, too, belong to this frivolous group, which is why I so quickly fell head over heels for Café du Monde’s coffee and chicory in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Many think they know coffee. Being a Seattle-area native, I too, thought I knew coffee. I knew that Starbucks daily brew was terrible. I knew that anyone who said otherwise was lying. I knew when coffee was too strong, too weak and too flavorless. With age I have realized something: I knew nothing.
By no means am I a coffee snob. For one, I’m simply not that cultured. I spent a short stint overseas but not enough to really get that foreign coffee experience necessary to be taken seriously as a connoisseur. I also use flavored cream, specifically Vanilla Nut, which makes me a coffee traitor by some people’s standards. I will however, turn my nose to Folgers and other coffees that come in gallon size tins. I guess I’m just prejudiced that way. So when my husband brought back the infamous Café du Monde coffee from New Orleans, I welcomed it with open arms.
Café du Monde, which claims to be the original French market coffee stand, knows great coffee. Established in 1862 in the New Orleans French market, Café du Monde has been going strong ever since. The café is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and closes only for Christmas and the occasional hurricane. Nowadays, Café du Monde is known for many things. Mostly though, people come to the café for their coffee.
Cafédumonde.com describes the history behind their delicious coffee. “The taste for coffee and chicory was developed by the French during their civil war. Coffee was scarce during those times, and they found that chicory added body and flavor to the brew.” The coffee was then brought to Louisiana by the Acadians from Nova Scotia.
The chicory is roasted, ground and added to Café du Monde’s coffee to soften its bitter edge, while also adding an almost chocolate flavor to the coffee.
Who knew an endive root could add so much to the favored breakfast drink? Delicious, bold coffee with a hint of chocolate, it just doesn’t get any better than that.
Visit New Orleans today to get your Café du Monde coffee and chicory. Or just visit their website and order a can or two.
