All right, Im turning to the SDMB in the hopes that someone can help out this poor hopeless coffee adict.
I am currently completing studies in University, and I CANNOT work consistently without some sort of hot beverage to keep me company. As such I dring what can only be described as WAY THE Hell too much coffee (and unfortunately love doing so) but health wise, it’s not doing me any good.
I’ve been trying various teas and alternatives but its just not the same. They seem to lack “body” or some such.
Decaf doesn’t work in that it tends to give me headaches if I drink in the quantities I have a tendency to do.
So the questions: Today I saw “Kronus Coffee Substitute” at a store I was in. Ingredients are rye, hickory and beet root. Has anyone tried it? Whats it like w/comparison to coffee?
Secondly, can anyone recommend any other alternatives? Please? Needed!.
But because of little glitch with my heart last year, I’ve been ordered off coffee. Which sucks. I’ve switched to hot chocolate. There’s still a little caffeine, and since it’s milk, I guess it’s good for me. Better than nothing, because tea just wasn’t cutting it.
I make a blend of part decaf/part regular ground coffee. My preferred proportion is about 3/4 decaf to 1/4 regular, which blend I can drink with impunity. It contains just enough caffeine to keep me from going into withdrawal, but not enough to give me the jitters.
I do the decaf/regular mix, but trust me, I drink A LOT so even there I get too much caffeine, not to mention I just don’t like the side effects of decaf.
Like I said though, I really don’t feel right if I dont have a hot mug of something next to me while working. Its almost a requirement.
Ive tried a whole slew of stuff, some good some not so good, all having their plus or minuses.
For example, I can only drink so much tea (green or black) before it starts doing stuff to my tounge, plus it has caffeine.
Mint/peppermint teas are nice, but rather weak in substance.
Boldo tea is great but very pungent and not really meant for more than a cup or two, as I’ve heard its actually mildly poionous.
Mate is great, but also lacks substance, plus it keeps me up if I drink it too late into the night which is something Id like to do with a coffee sub.
Licorice, good in limited quantities, hurts the tummy if more than 3 cups drunk.
Hot chocolate/cocoa is nice but I’ve just not found one I really like enough to drink constantly.
Hot cider is great, but too much acid for more than 2 or 3 cups.
Keep in mind I tend to drink a LOT. Its not particularly unusual for me to drink about a mug an hour. Its just a comfort thing while working I guess.
Celestials seasonings makes something called Roastaroma, which is supposed to be a coffee substitue. To me it tastes like black tea with a sort of “toasty” background.
You could also try Rooibos tea, which has a nice flavor, but no tannins or caffeine, so it shouldn’t do a number on your tongue.
I don’t think there is anything like coffee, except coffee.
Your best bet is to find something you like the taste of.
I have all of these in my cupboard, for those days when I know that coffee is not currently my friend. Like the days when I’m taking painkillers with caffeine in them, or I’m sick or tired. I like variety in my non-coffee hot beverages.
Tea (ordinary or fancy stuff like Earl Grey or Lapsang Souchong)
Rooibos tea
Green tea
Fruit and Herbal teas ( I like mint, camomile, ginger and raspberry)
Hot chocolate
Bovril
Ovaltine/Horlicks
Try a cup of something in a cafe before you commit to buying a whole box of it… I’ve got a box of really nasty vanilla and honey tea because I didn’t do that.
oh, Im not trying to replace coffee. Don’t really think there is a replacement. But as you say, Im trying to find something else to drink the ISNT coffee, but that Ill like. Rooibos? Sounds intriguing.
Basically want something that isnt bad for me if drunk in large quantity and someone can recommend as being palatable for someone who likes the richness of coffee (as opposed to say, someone who prefers the milder herbal teas).
I do mix it up a bit as they say and drink various thigns throughout the day, but I just really like having a solid base to work around. Ill drink various teas and accent them here and there with either coffee or decaf (depending on the time). I’d just like something as strong without the caffeine, and Im flat out of personal experience with the stuff Ive had, and as has been mentioned, it is just no fun to buy a box of something and decide it is better as mulch than as a beverage.
I used to drink several POTS of coffee every day, and that was the jet fuel in Germany they call coffee.
Then one day I stopped. No reason whatsoever. Have no idea why. Just stopped drinking coffee altogether.
Now, however, I drink Diet Coke every morning and the day just can’t start without one, and I pretty much drink it all day at work. So, one vice for another.
Maybe give up coffee and take up smoking crack? Nah…that’s a bad idea.
You could try making your coffee weaker and weaker every day until you finally have no urge to drink it anymore.
You do know that caffeine withdrawal can give you headaches, don’t you? My guess is you aren’t getting headaches from anything in the decaff (decaff coffee doesn’t normally have anything added to it, it is just missing caffeine), you’re getting headaches because the quantity of decaff you are drinking is preventing you from getting your normal caffeine fix. Cutting back gradually would help this.
BTW I’ve tried the Roastaroma cher3 mentions and found it to be an interesting coffee alternative. Again, it has no caffeine in it so if you drink it in the kinds of quantities you usually drink normal coffee you could get caffeine withdrawal headaches.
In terms of suggestions for coffeee substitutes, have you tried chai? (by which I mean, tea with spices in it, optionally with milk). The spices may give it enough additional flavor that you might find it interesting.
I know about the headaches brought about by caffeine withdrawl, but I get the headaches directly after drinking a couple cups of decaf (no pain, then pain) plus theres some weirdness going on in the tummy, so I know its the decaf, mind you it might just be the stuff I drink (ie, cheap).
Im not cutting coffee out. I just dont want to be drinking that quantity of it, and besides I like the thought of variety.
Going to try that roastaroma and rooibo, see what they’re like.
Anyone tried that Kronus coffee alternative I mentioned?
My favorite coffee substitute is Pacific Chai. It’s a mix, (traditional chai with real milk makes me gag). It comes in 2 flavors. Vanilla - which doesn’t taste like vanilla, but has a milkier taste, combined with several spices. And Spice- which only taste like cloves.
I also like Hills Bros. Cappuccino mix in English Toffee. It has very little caffeine and it’s like drinking a cookie.
You can always try chickory “coffee.” I know they drink it down in New Orleans, but I’ve always gotten my stuff from Eastern European groceries, where it’s sold under the brand name Inka. I can’t really say it tastes like coffee, but I think it’s a pretty good hot beverage, especially with milk and sugar. I normally drink coffee black, but Inka I prefer sweet & creamy. I love the stuff.
Chemicals are used to make decaf. There are supposed to be only trace amounts left of them in the coffee, but maybe you’re sensitive to them. Try water decaf.
Try Dandyblend. It sounds similar to what you found, but it has roasted rye, dandelion root, barley, chicory, and beetroot. When I was weaning off coffee, I’d pour half a cup of coffee and half a cup of Dandyblend. A few days later, it was 1/4 and 3/4. Then all Dandyblend. It really, actually does taste like coffee.
It’s especially good with milk and sugar, shaken over ice.
