New Orleans Chicory Coffee: The Story and How to Make It

Chicory coffee is coffee blended with the roasted, ground root of the chicory plant, which adds a dark, slightly bitter, almost chocolatey depth and stretches the coffee further. In New Orleans it is a tradition with roots in French habits and Civil War shortages, and it is best known today as café au lait: chicory coffee mixed with an equal amount of hot milk. Below you will find the story, the flavor and an easy recipe to brew it at home.

What Is Chicory?

Chicory (Cichorium intybus) is a hardy plant with bright blue flowers, related to endive and radicchio. Its long taproot can be cleaned, cut, roasted and ground. Roasted chicory brews into a dark liquid with a toasty, woody flavor that blends naturally with coffee.

Two practical details explain why it became so popular:

• It is caffeine-free. Replacing part of the coffee with chicory lowers the caffeine in each cup made with the same scoop.
• It is inexpensive and easy to grow, which made it a go-to way to stretch coffee whenever beans were scarce or costly.

The History of New Orleans Chicory Coffee

A French habit

French colonists who settled the Gulf Coast and the lower Mississippi in the 1700s brought a taste for coffee prepared the French way. In France, chicory became especially common in the early 1800s, when Napoleon’s Continental Blockade cut off imported goods and people looked for ways to stretch their coffee. The habit of blending coffee with chicory took hold in French culture and in French-influenced Louisiana.

The Civil War shortage

The American Civil War made coffee scarce across the South, as the Union blockaded Southern ports. In New Orleans, a coffee shortage pushed local Creoles to rely on chicory blends to make what coffee they had last. The taste stuck around long after the war ended. For more on how the war shaped American coffee habits, see our article on coffee in the American Civil War.

Café du Monde and the French Market

In 1862, a coffee stand opened at the upriver end of the French Market in the French Quarter. That stand became Café du Monde, famous for dark-roasted coffee with chicory, served black or au lait, and beignets dusted with powdered sugar. Its short menu has barely changed since the 1800s, and it helped turn chicory coffee and beignets into a symbol of the city.

New Orleans has other legendary coffee traditions too, like the flaming spiced café brûlot; read about it in our story of café brûlot.

What Does Chicory Coffee Taste Like?

Chicory deepens and darkens coffee. Many people describe it as having chocolatey, woody or slightly earthy notes, with a pleasant bitterness and a heavier feel in the mouth. It also makes brewed coffee look darker than its strength would suggest.

Because chicory brings bitterness of its own, it pairs best with a dark roast and plenty of milk. That is exactly why New Orleans-style café au lait works so well.

How to Make Chicory Coffee at Home

You will need roasted ground chicory root, sold in many grocery stores and online, plus a good dark roast coffee. Feel Espresso does not sell chicory, but our dark roasts are a natural match.

Chicory coffee (makes about 2 cups)

• 3 tbsp (about 15 g) medium-ground dark roast coffee
• 1 tbsp (about 5 g) roasted ground chicory
• 16 oz (480 ml) water, about 200°F (93°C)

1. Mix the coffee and chicory in your filter or French press.
2. Brew as usual: drip machine, pour-over or French press (4 minutes steep).
3. Taste black first, then adjust the blend next time.

New Orleans-style café au lait

1. Brew the chicory coffee above, a little stronger than usual.
2. Heat whole milk to about 150°F (65°C), just steaming and not boiling.
3. Pour equal parts hot coffee and hot milk into a large mug at the same time, about 6 oz (180 ml) of each.
4. Sweeten to taste and serve with something sugary, like beignets or a pastry.

For the French original and how it differs from a latte, see our guide to café au lait.

Ratios to experiment with

• Light chicory: 4 parts coffee to 1 part chicory. A gentle introduction.
• Classic: 3 parts coffee to 1 part chicory, as in the recipe above.
• Bold: 2 parts coffee to 1 part chicory, for a darker, more bitter cup.

Variations and tips

• Iced chicory coffee: Make cold brew with the classic ratio, then serve over ice with milk and a little sweetener. Our cold brew guide has the full method.
• Grind matters: Chicory is often sold fairly fine, so if your French press brew turns muddy, use a slightly coarser coffee grind to compensate.
• Too bitter? Reduce the chicory, add more milk or try a medium-dark roast.

Chicory Coffee FAQ

Why do people in New Orleans drink chicory coffee?

The tradition comes from French coffee customs and was reinforced during the Civil War, when coffee shortages pushed locals to stretch their supply with chicory. The flavor became part of the city’s identity.

Does chicory coffee have caffeine?

Chicory itself is caffeine-free, but a chicory coffee blend still contains caffeine from the coffee. A cup made with a blend generally has less than one made with the same scoop of pure coffee.

What is the best ratio of coffee to chicory?

Many people start around 3 parts coffee to 1 part chicory. Use less chicory for a lighter taste, or move toward 2 to 1 for a darker, bolder cup.

Can I drink chicory without coffee?

Yes. Roasted chicory brewed on its own makes a dark, caffeine-free drink. It tastes coffee-like but lighter in body and without coffee’s aroma.

Conclusion

Chicory coffee is New Orleans history in a mug: French taste, wartime resourcefulness and a café au lait tradition that still draws crowds to the French Market. To brew your own, pair roasted chicory with a bold dark roast like our French Roast or the cocoa-and-caramel Cowboy Blend. Feel Espresso roasts every order 1–5 days before delivery, so your base coffee is as fresh as the tradition is old.