Coffee is one of the great potent forces of the food universe, and perhaps the whole universe. When aliens land they may say, “We heard that you have this stuff called coffee …” In any case, we have at hand today two inky brews: Puroast Low Acid Coffee and Cafe du Monde Coffee and Chicory. Puroast retains bitterness while reducing the sharp undercurrent, Cafe du Monde adds bitterness. Both are roasted quite dark.

Chicory grows throughout most of the United States. It’s usually a weed. It has blue flowers and medium brown clusters of seeds. You can see the blown flecks of chicory in the Cafe du Monde grind.

Chicory coffee is favored in New Orleans. The label says it is best consumed with a beignet, a sweet French-style donut. It certainly calls for something very sweet, and it is a bitter brew. Unless you really like bitter brews, I’d suggest you pass it by unless you happen to be in a beignet shop in New Orleans.

The Puroast is user friendly. It might work well if you have a slightly unsettled stomache, but still need an eye-opener. It’s worth a try.