Dandelion coffee Dandelion coffee Dandelion 'coffee' (also dandelion tea) is herbal tea used as a coffee substitute, made from the root of the dandelion plant. The roasted dandelion root pieces and the beverage have some resemblance to coffee in appearance and taste. Susanna Moodie explained how to prepare dandelion 'coffee' in her memoir of living in Canada, "Roughing it in the Bush" (1852), where she mentions that she had heard of it from an article published in the 1830s in "New York Albion" by a certain Dr. Harrison. Dandelion 'coffee' was later mentioned in a "Harpers New Monthly Magazine" story in 1886.
Drink be processed in different ways resulting in a drink which appears and tastes different. Chinese yellow and green tea are steamed, roasted and dried; Oolong tea is semi-fermented and appears green-black and black teas are fully fermented. Around the world, people refer to other herbal infusions as "teas"; it is also argued that these were popular long before the "Camellia sinensis" shrub was used for tea making. Leaves, flowers, roots or bark can be used to make a herbal infusion and can be bought fresh, dried or powdered. Throughout history, people have come together in establishments to socialise whilst drinking.