The ‘coffee’ that caused a crisis

The dreadful coffee mix in the old days of the German Democratic Republic was a blend of half roasted coffee, and half substitutes ranging from roasted peas to rye, barley or beet pulp. Photo: dpa

In the German Democratic Republic, the only thing more bitter than the “coffee mix” created by the leadership and rejected by the populace were the jokes about it.

“What’s the difference between coffee mix and the neutron bomb? Nothing: The cup stays whole, but the person goes to pieces.” Others slammed it as “pure rat poison”.