I'm always the last to know - so this won't come as a surprise to many of you but Postum is gone...if you want to read it's obit, click on this Deseret News article. A friend and devoted Postum drinker was bemoaning the fact that her last jar of Postum will indeed be her last - and with her precious and limited supply she very generously made me a cup of the stuff - loaded with creamer and sweetener it wasn't half bad. I seem to remember my grandpa drinking Postum - and I even found an old jar of it in my pantry. In an effort to help my friend with her addiction to this wheat-based drink, which really has an acquired taste, the mister and I went on a hunt for Postum - after checking 4 different grocery stores we found the cupboards were bare - not one jar left anywhere! But we did find Inka and Pero - and so I decided to have a little taste test myself and for you Nancy - so when you've drunk your last cup you can replace Postum with one of these...
As you can see, Postum has the darkest color - which means nothing. (Do you think I could sell this 10 year old half-empty jar of Postum?!?)
Pero is in the middle and has granules, like coffee and Postum
Inka is a powdered mixture - made from barley, as is Pero.
Both Pero and Inka suggested using either hot water or milk to mix - Postum only mixed with water. I used hot water for my scientific taste test.
Both Pero and Inka look like Postum/coffee....both smelled about the same, too. But that's where the similarity ends.
After much sipping, spitting and sipping - unadulterated and with creamer and sweetener I'm happy to announce that my highly evolved taste buds have picked.....drum roll please....PERO!!
Actually, it wasn't much of a contest - Inka was just plain blah but with a nasty after-taste. Pero was almost good...and certainly better than Postum. I realize that this is practically blasphemy, writing about coffee alternatives while living in Seattle, but there you have it.
So, for all of you Seventh Day Adventists, Mormons and Health Nuts out there -
Pero is new the Postum. Bottoms up.
