Camp Coffee Essence
What Camp Coffee is: the Glasgow coffee and chicory essence first made by Paterson & Sons. How to use it, its history and its changed label.
Contents
What is Camp Coffee?
Camp Coffee is a liquid coffee and chicory essence, a syrup you stir into hot water or milk, first made by Paterson & Sons in Glasgow, usually dated to 1876. It was meant as a quick, simple alternative to brewing coffee, and tradition says it was made for the Gordon Highlanders to use on campaign. Today it's also used in baking, such as coffee and walnut cake.
At a glance
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Method
Heat the water or milk
Heat water or milk for your mug.
Add the essence
Stir a spoonful or so of Camp Coffee into the mug, using the amount on the bottle as a guide.
Top up and stir
Pour in the hot water or milk and stir. Add sugar to taste.
Camp Coffee is a coffee you pour from a bottle: a sweet, dark coffee and chicory essence, stirred into hot water or milk. It was first made by Paterson & Sons in Glasgow, usually dated to 1876, as a quick alternative to grinding and brewing at a time when coffee equipment was complicated and expensive. Tradition says it was made for the Gordon Highlanders on campaign. Today it’s as likely to end up in a coffee and walnut cake as in a mug. Here’s what it is and its story.
The short version
- A liquid essence of coffee and chicory, sweetened.
- Stir it into hot water or milk.
- First made by Paterson & Sons, Glasgow, usually dated to 1876.
- Said to be for soldiers on campaign, though accounts differ.
- A baking staple today.
What is Camp Coffee?
A syrup of coffee and chicory essence, sweetened with sugar and sold in a tall bottle. Because it’s already brewed and concentrated, there’s nothing to grind, brew or strain: you just add hot liquid. Despite the name, it’s mostly chicory: Wikipedia lists the ingredients as sugar, water, chicory extract (25%) and dried coffee extract (4%). The chicory, a roasted root long blended with coffee, gives it its dark colour and slightly bitter edge. Wikipedia also suggests stirring it into cold milk over ice for an iced coffee.
How do you make a drink with Camp Coffee?
- Heat water or milk.
- Stir in a spoonful or so of Camp Coffee, using the bottle as a guide.
- Top up and stir. Add sugar to taste.
It makes a mild, sweet coffee, especially made with milk.
Where did Camp Coffee come from?
- 1876: most sources date the first Camp Coffee to this year, made by Paterson & Sons Ltd in Glasgow. Wikipedia also gives 1885, so the date isn’t certain.
- The story: the Gordon Highlanders are said to have asked Campbell Paterson for a coffee drink that could be used on campaign in India. Other accounts say it was developed for home use, to spare people the expensive equipment coffee then needed. Treat the soldiers’ story as tradition.
- 1974: Paterson merges with Jenks; in 1984, Paterson Jenks is bought by McCormick & Company.
- 1975: after frosts in Brazil double the price of coffee, Camp briefly becomes a popular alternative to instant in the UK, Wikipedia says.
- Today: Camp Coffee is made in Paisley, Renfrewshire.
Why was the label changed?
The original label, drawn by William Victor Wrigglesworth, showed a seated soldier in Highland dress, sometimes identified as Major General Sir Hector MacDonald, being served by a Sikh attendant carrying a tray, under a flag with the slogan “Ready Aye Ready”. The tray held a bottle of Camp Coffee, whose label showed the same scene, and so on. A mid-20th-century version removed the tray, and since 2006, according to Wikipedia, the two men sit together as companions, each with a cup. The BBC says the change is widely believed to have been made to avoid the imperialist idea of the Sikh as a servant. I haven’t found a company statement on it.
Camp Coffee vs other convenience coffee
| Camp Coffee | Spray-dried instant | Canned coffee | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form | Liquid essence | Powder | Ready to drink |
| Contains | Coffee, chicory and sugar | Coffee | Coffee, often milk and sugar |
| You add | Hot water or milk | Hot water | Nothing |
| Also used for | Baking | Baking and drinks | Drinking |
General guidance only. Camp Coffee contains sugar and caffeine, and chicory, so check the label if you’re avoiding any of them.
Camp Coffee vs other methods
- Spray-dried instant: the powder that replaced coffee essences.
- Freeze-dried instant: premium instant granules.
- Chicory coffee: coffee blended with roasted chicory root.
- South Indian filter coffee: brewed coffee often blended with chicory.
Explore every industrial method in the instant and industrial chapter.
Words in this guide
- Extraction
- Extraction is the process of water dissolving flavour compounds out of ground coffee.
- Agitation
- Agitation is any movement of the coffee and water during brewing, such as stirring, swirling or a turbulent pour.
Questions & answers
What is Camp Coffee made of?
It's a sweetened liquid essence of chicory and coffee, sold as a syrup in a bottle. Wikipedia lists the ingredients as sugar, water, chicory extract (25%) and dried coffee extract (4%), so it's mostly chicory. You stir it into hot water or milk.
When was Camp Coffee invented?
Most sources date it to 1876, when it was first made by Paterson & Sons in Glasgow. Wikipedia also gives 1885 for its creation, so the date isn't certain.
Was Camp Coffee made for soldiers?
That's the tradition: the story is that the Gordon Highlanders asked Campbell Paterson for a coffee drink they could use on campaign in India. Other accounts say it was made for home use, to avoid the expensive equipment coffee then needed.
Why was the Camp Coffee label changed?
The original label showed a seated Highland soldier being served by a Sikh servant carrying a tray. A mid-20th-century version dropped the tray, and since 2006, Wikipedia says, the Sikh has been shown as a soldier sitting beside the Scot with a cup of his own. The BBC says the change is widely believed to have been made to avoid the imperialist idea of the Sikh as a servant.
What is Camp Coffee used for today?
As a quick drink, and very often in baking, such as coffee and walnut cake and coffee icing.
Sources
- Camp Coffee. Wikipedia
- Original Camp Coffee label. BBC, A History of the World
- Camp Coffee. CooksInfo
- Camp Coffee. Asian Heritage
- Camp Coffee. People's Collection Wales
General guidance only. Not medical, food-safety or professional advice. Always follow your equipment's own instructions.