Substitute for coffee

I haven’t relied on coffee in the morning for years now… here is what I recommend: http://www.matefactor.com/loose-yerba-mate-12-oz-bags/organic-dark-roast-yerba-mate-12-oz-loose.html

I started to google yerba mate, it seems to be well known for its stimulating qualities. I’m going to go shop hopping today to see if I can find it.

Black tea, one or two cups in the morning. It was breakfast blend at first (after I ditched coffee), and now even Keemun is enough, but stronger brew though.
My digestion system doesn’t tolerate coffee anymore. I think I’ve developed ulcer or something that is triggered by single cup of coffee or eating hot and spicy food few days in a row.

I have tried black tea, and it doesn’t give me the same fullfillment – but that might be a mental block.

I too have a trigger on coffee. Coffee/coffeine was my main culprit in having gall stone attacks. Now I have had my gallbladder removed so, it’s not really a problem anymore. But still, I want a healthier alternative that works.

If you like mocha, try Teavana’s JavaVana. It’s a mix of yerba mate and assam black tea with chocolate, vanilla, and coffee flavorings. It gives pretty good energy and has a very coffee-ish flavor. If you don’t care about the coffee flavor, try yerba mate or black teas. Breakfast blends (especially those with assam) tend to work the best for me. Guayusa gives me tons of energy as well, but the flavor is very green, so I’m not sure it would be good as a coffee substitute.

JavaVana sounded great! I will have to put it on my shopping list. Teavana also have great international shipping rates. I purchased Earl Grey Creme from them and was very disappointed as I was remembering the velvety taste of Earl Grey Creme from TeaNy which I hope I will find again.

I purchased yerba mate from iherb today, so I’m looking forward to it. I love black teas, but I have to have that bitter and sweet taste (from chocolate/milk) at the same time.

I agree with Brandy, The javavana is excellent tea and I have a whole tin of it in my kitchen. It is a new staple for me.

What about Pu’erh?

Yes, what about Pu’erh? Does it work for you?

I looked here on steepster, and it seemed to be several Pu’erh (which was the first time I’ve heard of)

I’m a coffee drinker as well, I usually start every morning with a 16 oz cup of coffee, and then start hitting the tea supply after that. So, I can’t say I’ve tried to reach the same point of caffeine intake with tea as I get with coffee.

Looking at caffeine ratings, mate is your way to go. However, straight yerba mate is really, really ‘vegetal’. I.e. – it tastes like you’re drinking grass. Teavana’s Samurai mate is my favorite mate, followed by the My Morning Mate blend. I’ve tried both the MateVana and the JavaVana, and I was very unimpressed with either. I would recommend treading carefully on the javavana. It seems to be polarizing. But… they also tell you to brew it for… four or five minutes, I don’t remember. The assam tea in that blend gets bitter by that point, noticeably so (at least to me).

If you can’t find a mate you like – you have to consider that black tea runs 30-40% as much caffeine as a cup of coffee. If you’re like me and have 16 ounces of coffee, you’re looking at drinking at least 40 ounces of tea for a similar jumpstart. That seems really intimidating to me.