Being part Italian I love my double shots of espresso. Anyone that knows me will tell you I love espresso a little too much. I had to have an Italian semi-automatic coffee maker in my office so I can get my espresso fix at a moments notice. That should have been a sign to me that I was out of control.
It wasn’t until I read that caffeine is implicated in the mutation of DNA that I decided to cut way down on espresso. Well, I am one of those all or nothing people so I quickly decided to go cold turkey on espresso since cutting back wasn’t exactly in my vocabulary. Other than an occasional coffee while out at dinner I haven’t had a cup of coffee in over six months.
Even at home, occasionally I really want a cup of coffee. I love the flavor, the aroma, and the experience of sipping a cup of coffee. When I am having one of those moments I turn to teeccino. Haven’t heard of teeccino? Neither had I until about two years ago. I read about it in a magazine but had never seen it in the grocery stores. A month of so later I noticed it at our local Wegman’s and grabbed a container. The taste is like a very mild cup of coffee without the bitter back notes I love. It is so mild you can drink it black. I have given it to friends that don’t like coffee, and they have enjoyed it.
I have only brewed the teeccino in my French press so I can’t tell you how it works in a coffee maker or espresso machine, but according to the packaging it works.
According to the ingredient label teeccino contains the following: roasted carob, barley, chicory root, dates, orange peel, almonds and figs. Needless to say when I saw the ingredient label I was ready to try it based on the ingredients alone.
If you are trying to kick the caffeine habit but love the taste of coffee this is a reasonable approximation. I don’t drink it often, because I am afraid of going back to espresso, but every once in a while a few cups of teeccino just hits the spot.
Posts
Mmmm.... I LOVE coffee. As soon as I found out I was pregnant I gave it up. I didn't have any for about 4 months, but I caved and started drinking a cup of decaf about 3 times a week.
ReplyDeleteJanelle,
ReplyDeleteTeeccino tastes much closer to coffee than the ingredients make it sound. I have had quite a few friends try it and everyone has liked it so far. If you can find a bag it is definitely worth trying.
Alicia
I quit coffee cold turkey as well. Waiting on those seitan recipes!
ReplyDeleteShenandoah,
ReplyDeleteI am working on writing up the first seitan recipe now. Then I need to get back into the kitchen and make sausages. I only got one batch of seitan done yesterday.
Alicia
Hi Alicia, we have various brands of cereal coffee in France. The one I drink is called "Pionier Extract" and contains rye, chicory, barley, barley malt, figs and acorns. Acorns! I prefer the sound of yours but mine does taste good.
ReplyDeleteJenny,
ReplyDeleteAcorns? My husband and I were just talking about acorns last week and wondering if they had any nutritional value. We live in an older neighborhood (for America) and have huge old oak trees all around and at the moment are covered in acorns.
Teeccino has been the only coffee substitute that I have found acceptable. But ... I think this is due to my Italian proclivities. The darker the roast them more I like it. Most people here think the coffee I like is sludge.
Alicia
The first time I've heard about this, very interesting! I should check it out at my local market.
ReplyDeleteI'm actually not picky about coffee. I meant I can drink any kind of coffee eventhough I don't like coffee but I think I need it one cup a day every morning otherwise I'll get migraine headache!
Oraphan,
ReplyDeleteSounds like you may need to slowly reduce your coffee intake to avoid the headaches. I had the headache problem too. Since I gave up coffee abruptly my head hurt for about two days and then I was fine. They say the body develops an addiction to caffeine and that withdrawal is what causes the headache. Good luck cutting back on the coffee. :)
Alicia
Thanks, Alicia. I'm planning to drink tea instead (starting TODAY). Have a lovely Sunday:)
ReplyDeleteOraphan,
ReplyDeleteGreat plan! I drink green tea all day long. It has some caffeine (although much less than coffee) and contains EGCG, which is beneficial for reducing the probability of cancer.
Alicia
I like the South American Teeccino flavors better than the Mediterranean ones. Caffé and Chocolaté! Yum!
ReplyDeleteAnon,
ReplyDeleteI like all the teeccino flavors but find the original flavor to be the most like "coffee".
thanks for commenting,
Alicia