Herding Cats

My fave coffee substitutes.

As a Hare Krishna devotee and health foodie I am not supposed to drink coffee. Oh but how I enjoy the aroma and taste of it. I have worked as a barista for Starbucks, Boudin Bakery, and Zen Coffeehouse and Bakery. This is about seven years of my life and I have grown rather affectionate towards coffee and its products specifically espresso and French Press coffee. As I have grown older (and wiser I hope) I have begun to notice negative side affects when drinking coffee such as: racing heart, sweating, and panic attacks. I have gone back and forth on the coffee front for about five years now and I think I have finally found a point of equilibrium where I am content. I drink the “real bean” only once in a while and very rarely start my day with a cup of Joe anymore. Now to get my coffee craving satisfied I drink Pero or Roastaroma . Of the two I think I prefer Pero because of its ease of use. Its powdered and very easy to make. Its simply roasted grains and chicory and tastes and smells like coffee. Right now I am drinking Pero mixed with dutch process baking chocolate, (unsweetened organic soy milk, and turbinado (vegan) sugar) and it makes a delish Cadillac. A Cadillac is coffee with hot chocolate mix stirred in. I remade this classic drink vegan and caffeine free.

My second favorite coffee substitute is Roastaroma by Celestial Seasonings. It smells like a very mild coffee and tastes the same. I prefer it at night or late afternoon when I am craving a cuppa something warm and roasty. I like to add a little cream and sugar or agave to it. For some reason I only sweeten my coffee substitutes, but I never ever sweeten real coffee. It just seems sacrilegious to me.

My third fave and honorable mention goes to Good Earth Original Caffeine Free Blend. It has a nice roasty flavor and doesn’t need any cream or sugar added to it, however it is a little sweet for my taste so I don’t drink it very much. My husband on the other hand is a big fan of it. Sometimes though I do get cravings for it and I like to bring packets of it to work with me in the morning

Do you drink coffee or coffee substitutes? What are your favorite brands?