The product is often marketed as a caffeine-free alternative to coffee and tea, or in other cases where those drinks are scarce or expensive.
The first grain coffee factory in Poland was established on the initiative of Ferdynand Bohm in 1818 in Włocławek.
Initially, grain coffee was drunk only in Greater Poland and Silesia by the poorest social classes.
Such roasted grain mixes are also used as a base to make podpiwek, a type of non-alcoholic beverage.
Cereal coffee is popular in East Asian cuisines—Korea,[2] Japan, and China each having one or more versions (usually roasted grains simply steeped in hot water).