Okra Coffee. Café Quimbombo.

Florida Permaculture Okra Seeds, ready to roast and grind for a great brew

I traded for a fat bag of okra seeds last week.  A foot rub for a bag of cleaned grey-brown kernels.

As we've mentioned here before, okra is a member of the hibiscus family.  The flowers, leaves, buds and seeds of hibiscus family plants are used in a variety of worldwide cuisines.  

Okra, like many of the other mallows, has a long-standing relationship with humans.  I've read where okra seeds have often been roasted, ground and used to make a coffee substitute throughout history.  For example, during the civil war coffee was often a scarce commodity.  The tradition of roasted okra seed brew had been passed down through the generations of plantation workers and with okra being a convenient crop, the plant was turned to when coffee beans were unavailable.

The strong brew is really tasty and I believe the aroma of roasting okra seeds is sweet, much like the scent of heated coffee beans.

Florida Permaculture, hot, rich cup of okra coffee

Our seeds had been harvested from longer sun dried pods, much too tough to eat.  Once the seeds were cleaned Judy stored them in a freezer bag and there they set until I traded for them.

Florida Permaculture, roasted okra seeds ready for grinding

Best roasting temperature I've found is about 375 F.  I spread the seeds across a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie tray and place in our convection oven.

The seeds are roasted and ready about five minutes after you begin to smell the aromatic, coffee like scent coming from the stove.

Remove the seeds from the oven and allow them to cool.  I process the seeds in a coffee grinder on an espresso type setting and store in an air tight glass jar in the refrigerator.

Florida Permaculture, roasted and ground, ready to make okra coffee

Use about the same amount of ground okra seeds as you would coffee.  You can use a drip pot, boil in a pan or use a French press.

Florida Permaculture, pot of okra coffee, smooth as Starbucks

Be sure and save any left over brew as it makes excellent cold tea.

Florida Permaculture, leftover okra coffee makes a delicious tea

The flavor to me is slightly bitter, like coffee and possesses many layers of fruit and wood flavors.

Here in Florida okra coffee is certainly much more sustainable than beans imported from far away countries.  Okra is easy to grow too, and the plant gives much more than just the seeds.

Okra coffee does not contain caffeine but a simple hack would be to add a bit of dried yaupon holly leaves to your okra java; that'd get your engine revved.  And tastes delicious too.