If you are anything like me, and have been drinking coffee from when you can’t remember — yes, that long ago — then, you know for sure you are a coffee drinker.
I still like my cup o’ Joe every so often. However, I do not have to have it daily. When I do, I am very selective on the quality.
Besides organic fair trade coffee, you will only find the following healthy alternatives in my house:
Teeccino:
One morning in 1993 award-winning tea designer, Caroline MacDougall, awoke from a dream with a compelling vision to create a bold, robust brew from roasted herbs. She even dreamed the name of it would be Teeccino (pronounced tea-chee-no).
This was my very first coffee alternative which I was introduced to nearly a decade ago. When I learned of what the ingredients consisted, I felt safe enough to even give it to my children.
No coffee beans + No tea leaves = No caffeine!
Teeccino’s ingredients consist of a blend of naturally caffeine-free organically grown roasted herbs, roots, fruits and nuts that are roasted and ground to brew and taste like coffee. Teeccino hit the shelves in 1995 and is the #1 brand of coffee alternatives and the premier line of roasted herbal teas with over 35 organic and gluten-free blends.
If you haven’t already, indulge in the seasonal “Pumpkin Spice” blend.
Dandy Blend:
The late Dr. Peter Gail combined his love for making plants edible with dandelion root to make it more therapeutic and flavorful, and, in 1994 Dandy Blend was born.
This coffee alternative, is also, my go-to as it is easily and immediately blended. It consists of five ingredients: roasted barley extracts, roasted rye extracts, roasted dandelion root extracts, roasted chicory root extracts, and roasted sugar beet root extracts
Dandy Blend provides the goodness of dandelion in an instant while still having that coffee taste, smell, look and feel. It comes in powder form which is soluble in any kind of liquid in any temperature.
Cafix:
Believe it or not…I just discovered this alternative yesterday. Although I have yet to explore the taste, this seems to be the closest similarity to Dandy Blend, as it is an instant ingredient.
Created by Carl Moll some 40+ years ago, Cafix coffee substitute offers a rich, coffee-like flavor yet none of the caffeine or acidity found in coffee or tea which can stimulate the nervous system or cause an upset stomach. Cafix coffee substitute is not a decaffeinated product but a healthful coffee alternative that is a blend of all natural, caffeine free ingredients, so the whole family can enjoy it…anytime. Cafix contains roasted barley, rye, chicory, and sugar beets. On the red label, there is one additional ingredient of figs.
Golden Milk:
Although nothing like a coffee or tea, this is probably one of the most comforting beverages to consume right before bedtime. It’s becoming my all-time fav.
It is composed of less than a teaspoon of organic ground turmeric with a dash of organic ground cinnamon, a smidgen of organic ground ginger, along with a pinch of black pepper (which makes the turmeric more bioavailable), a half teaspoon of organic raw honey (I recommend organic stevia if you are diabetic), and one teaspoon organic coconut oil (to help our bodies absorb the turmeric), all mixed into a mug of warmed dairy-free milk, then frothed — aka “Golden Milk.”
Golden Milk is loaded with antioxidants for a healthier brain and heart to stronger bones, improved digestion and a lower risk of disease.
Are you ready for a coffee “fix?” 😉