Because I’d been feeling quite sick for over a month and suspected the culprit was caffeine – and I suspected it because I went through an allergic period in childhood when cola and chocolate made me violently ill – I have given the stuff up. It hasn’t been easy, but I really was feeling lousy, so a week ago yesterday was my first day without. So far I’m lethargic, but I sleep like a rock and I find it very hard to get out of bed in the mornings. The fatigue should last another week or two, I’m told.
The cravings are mostly gone, or I’ve gotten very good at ignoring them. I’m not sure which. But I believe that no coffee lover, former or current, can deny the comforting ritual of a hot cup of java, particularly in the mornings but really any time that has become habitual coffee time. For those of us going caffeine-free, there happens to be a naturally caffeine-free herbal substitute called Teeccino (tee-CHEE-no).
Teecino contains no caffeine, only carob, chicory, natural flavors, fruits and nuts, so it’s not for those who have nut allergies. Fruits and nuts, you say? You are what you eat… or drink, in this case, so I’m good with it. 😉 It’s also non-acidic, the chicory aids in digestion, and herbs give a gentle, natural energy boost. The package says it’s 75% organic, which I assume means that 75% of the volume is organic. The list of ingredients mentions which are organic and, by omission of the word “organic”, which are not.
I found the original flavor at Whole Foods today. When I brought it home and opened the package, I immediately noticed that it smelled pretty good, and that boded well. I spooned out a heaping tablespoon and brewed two cups easily, just as I would have brewed coffee in my coffee maker. It doesn’t taste exactly like coffee, as I knew it wouldn’t, but it approaches the flavor. This particular variety definitely has a fruity taste. I can clearly taste the citrus and the figs. I think I’d like to try the French Vanilla flavor next. Whole Foods doesn’t carry that one, so I’ll have to order from the website if I want it. They do carry some of their tea flavors, as I noticed some Chai next to the original.
So, from a taste perspective, I give it a thumbs up. It also mimics the coffee ritual well, and whether it’s placebo effect or not, I do feel a bit of an energy boost. One thing I will note is that buying any bag of coffee or in this case coffee substitute just to try it out is not cheap for many of us. Price-wise, this is about on par with similar bags of ground coffee from Jewel, if you’re local to Chicago. But at $8.99 for 11oz, it isn’t necessarily a good impulse buy for everyone. You can, however, buy variety trial packs and individual trial packs from Teeccino’s website. If you already like it, you can buy larger amounts at a better price from Amazon. You have to buy 3 bags at a time but it averages out to about $7.25 a bag instead of $8.99. I’d suggest tossing some in with another Amazon order if you get free shipping. You can search for it on Amazon’s site or you can click on the links to 4 of the most popular flavors below if you want to buy through Green In Oak Park’s affiliate links. It helps keep Green In Oak Park going.
