Crossword Genius

Coffee substitute that comes in a cup (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

acorn

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'coffee substitute that' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both plants as well as being singular nouns.
Maybe you can see a link between them that I can't see?

'in a cup' is the wordplay.
'in' indicates putting letters inside.
'a' becomes 'an'.
'cup' becomes 'cor' (I can't explain this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'an' placed around 'cor' is 'ACORN'.

'comes' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for acorn that I've seen before include "mast" , "Potentially future tree" , "oak's fruit" , "Fruit of the oak tree" , "Tree seed" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app