Postum

Key takeaways

Postum belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Postum to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Postum from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Postum (US: ) is a powdered roasted grain beverage used as a coffee substitute. Post Cereal Company founder C. W. Post developed the caffeine-free beverage in 1895 and marketed it as a healthier alternative to coffee. (Post was a student of John Harvey Kellogg, who regarded caffeine as unhealthy.) Post Cereal Company eventually became General Foods, and merged into Kraft Foods Inc. in 1990. Eliza's Quest Foods assumed the trademark rights and secret recipe of Postum in 2012. The "instant" drink-mix version, introduced in 1911, replaced the original brewed beverage. Postum is made from roasted wheat bran and molasses. In addition to the original flavor, coffee-flavored and cocoa-flavored versions have been introduced.

Acrylamide When tested by the FDA, Postum had more acrylamide than any other product, by dry weight.

History

Postum quickly became popular, making Post wealthy. The aggressive advertising, with the slogan "There's a Reason", warned against the alleged dangers of coffee and caffeine, and promoted the benefits of Postum. When imitations appeared, the company introduced a cheaper drink called Monk's Brew that was identical to Postum, but discontinued it after competitors left the market. Instant Postum appeared in 1911. A 1912 advertisement for Instant Postum is the earliest known use of the word "instant" to refer to a processed food that can be prepared immediately. Although the Post Cereal Company explicitly stated in its advertising that Postum did not taste like coffee and was not a coffee substitute, the drink enjoyed an enormous rise in sales and popularity in the United States during World War II when coffee was rationed and people sought a replacement. Postum was sometimes marketed by a cartoon ghost named Mr. Coffee-Nerves, who would appear in situations wherein people were shown in uncomfortable life situations (e.g., irritability, lack of sleep, lack of athletic prowess) due to their use of coffee and its negative effects. These cartoons always ended with the afflicted people switching to Postum and Mr. Coffee-Nerves fleeing until the next cartoon. The company sponsored the radio shows Lum and Abner, Beulah and The Aldrich Family, and the radio version of Father Knows Best. Postum was popular with members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and part of Mormon culture for many years because Mormons abstain from coffee. It was also popular with those following religious dietary restrictions of Seventh-day Adventists. The US government used Postum as a code name for polonium, used in the Urchin-style nuclear weapon initiators. Kraft discontinued production of Postum in 2007. In 2012, Kraft sold the Postum trademark and trade secret to teachers from North Carolina who are the owners of Eliza's Quest Food. In 2018, Postum was available at Albertsons, H-E-B, Ingles, Kroger, Natural Grocers and Walmart.

Gallery

In popular culture In "All by Herself", episode 14, season 5 of The Facts of Life, Mrs. Garrett offers the girls a nice, piping hot cup of Postum. In "The Pez Dispenser", episode 14, season 3 of Seinfeld, George and Jerry briefly discuss how Postum is underrated as a drink. In “Homer the Smithers”, episode 17, season 7 of The Simpsons, Homer becomes Mr. Burns’ assistant. In a montage of Homer’s ineptitude on the job, Mr. Burns throws a drink in Homer’s face, shouting: “You call this Postum?!”

See also Barleycup Caro (sold as Pero in the United States) Coffee substitute Inka List of barley-based drinks Ovaltine Roasted grain drink

References

Further reading "The Growth of an Idea - The Story of Postum", Michigan Manufacturer and Financial Record, vol. 10, no. 20, p. 40a, May 17, 1913 Gilman, Sander L. (2010), Obesity: The Biography, Oxford University Press, pp. 91–94, ISBN 9780191614088 Postum Cereal Company (1906), This journey through the pure food factories that make Postum..., Battle Creek, Michigan: Postum Cereal Company, OCLC 2490956 Postum Cereal Company (1920), A trip through Postumville where Postum cereal, Instant Postum, Grape-nuts, Post Toasties, etc., are made, Battle Creek, Michigan: Postum Cereal Company, OCLC 2787245 Emmons, Minnie Alice, ed. (1916), Good things to eat from Wellville: dainty dishes made with Postum products, Battle Creek, Michigan: Postum Cereal Company, OCLC 644148837

External links

Official website A biography of C.W. (Charles William) Post Vintage Postum radio advertisements

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Postum

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Postum claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Postum before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Postum ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Postum

In research: Postum appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Postum in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Postum is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Coffee substitutes, Cuisine of Utah, Drink brands, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Postum outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Postum in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Postum means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Postum out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Postum in simple terms?

Postum (US: ) is a powdered roasted grain beverage used as a coffee substitute. Post Cereal Company founder C.

Why does Postum matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Postum?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Postum.