Alternatives to coffee
I'm very fond of coffee, in fact, I have a grinder, grind my own beans and use a coffee stove to make it.
However, I've recently been advised to stop drinking anything containing caffeine (at least for a few months). I've always avoided drinking decaf because I read an article about the way that caffeine is removed, and I'm not sure it's wise to ingest a coffee bean that's been rinsed in (what appears to be) poison, for hours and hours.
I've noticed that there are certain teas that are naturally caffeine free, so I wondered if the same might be true for coffee. Are there any alternatives to coffee?
Best Answer
Wikipedia lists a few substitutes, some of which are fairly readily available. These may be based on roasted grains (like barleycup), chicory (though this is often combined with coffee), or both.
There are several processes for decaffeinating coffee. Not all rely on the organic solvents you're trying to avoid. The Swiss water process avoids then completely and is used commercially so you should be able to order some. CO2 decaffeinated coffee is rarer.
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Quick Answer about "Alternatives to coffee"
- Chicory Coffee. Like coffee beans, chicory root can be roasted, ground and brewed into a delicious hot beverage. ...
- Matcha Tea. ...
- Golden Milk. ...
- Lemon Water. ...
- Yerba Mate. ...
- Chai Tea. ...
- Rooibos Tea. ...
- Apple Cider Vinegar.
What is the healthiest alternative to coffee?
Best Healthy Coffee AlternativesWhat can I drink to wake up instead of coffee?
There are many alternatives to coffee that can help you wake up in the morning to greet the day.- Matcha tea.
- Cha\xef tea.
- Carob.
- Mat\xe9
- Lemon water.
- Chicory root.
- Peppermint tea.
- Golden milk.
3 Energizing Coffee Alternatives | Healthy Eating Tips | Healthy Grocery Girl
More answers regarding alternatives to coffee
Answer 2
Roasted barley tea
Mugi-cha, or roasted barley tea, is my favorite substitute because it also has a roasted, slightly bitter taste. It is commonly consumed in China, Korea, and Japan and is widely available elsewhere as well. There are also roasted barley and chicory blends marketed specifically as "coffee substitute."
Answer 3
Strictly speaking, caffeine is a poison that certain plants produce to ward off insects and other animals. Other popular examples of chemical defences that humans like to consume are nicotine and capsaicin.
I've noticed that there are certain teas that are naturally caffeine free
Tea - in contrast to cofee - can be made of any number of different plants like various fruits, herbs, tree bark (cinnamon), roots and leaves of different species. The traditional black, green, yellow and white teas all contain leaves of Camellia sinensis, the tea plant. Since this plant uses caffeine as a chemical defence like the coffee plant, there are no naturally caffeine free teas of it. The caffeine free teas you mean are all made of different plants like peppermint, rosehip or hibiscus, to name just a few.
Removing caffeine from plant material is just as much a chemical process as the (natural) synthesis that creates caffeine in a plant. Since millions of people around the world drink decaf each day, you can be reasonably sure not to be poisoned. The taste, however, will differ slightly from unprocessed coffee.
Answer 4
Decaffeinated coffee is generally produced using organic solvents. However, it isn't produced using harmful (carcinogenic) benzene anymore, so stories you might have read about how poisonous decaf coffee is are probably wrong. While not something you would want to consume in a high concentration, the solvents used today are harmless at the tiny concentrations that remain in the coffee after decaffeination.
Not all decaffeinated coffee is produced with organic solvents though, so you can avoid them entirely if you want to. Look for decaffeinated coffee which has been produced using the "Swiss water process" or "mountain water process", which only use water to draw out the caffeine. There is also decaf coffee which is produced using a carbon dioxide process, but that appears to be quite rare as it is a more expensive method.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Elton Sipp, Michael Burrows, Michael Burrows, cottonbro