The Promised Coffee-Alternative Review!

Here it is! Are you ready?

Okay, the product I found is called Teeccino. While the sound 'tea' is in the title, there is actually no tea in Teeccino. I suppose that is why they used two 'e's. Anyway, they have blended roasted chicory, barley and other items in order to come up with a full line of coffee alternatives. You buy it and brew it the same way you would with coffee but without the downsides of caffeine. They claim their product is high in potassium and soluble fiber (from the chicory), is alkaline forming, and is free from the chemical residues you typically find in coffee (especially flavored and decaf).

Their claims sounded so good I couldn't help but try it! I purchased their Mocha Herbal Coffee (they say that one is good for beginners because of the familiar chocolate flavor) and the Mediterranean Java Herbal Coffee. Yesterday I came home to find them waiting for me on my doorstep, yay! So of course I was anxious to try them. I decided to try the Java first because I wanted to know if I'd like it before making it for my morning commute. I didn't want to be cursing at a whole cup of "gross" on the way to work.

Anyway, I have a Keurig machine and found that this herbal coffee substitutes scoop for scoop like regular coffee. (Awesome, easy!) I brewed it and it came out that lovely dark brown that coffee does with a little bit of a creamy brown froth. So I took a sip of it black to get the full effect. Complex without being complicated, much like coffee is. It also tasted thick, which is one thing that I couldn't ever find in tea and that I liked so much about coffee. It was slightly bitter, but I think I can correct that by using slightly less in the brew pod. So I put a dash of milk in it to counteract that bitter and voila! I had a real cup of joe! It was dark and strong, complex and delicious and without any caffeine! I know that part is true because I fell asleep on the couch not more than 4 hours later!

This morning I made my travel cup of joe: I used 2 tsp of my regular coffee and then filled the rest of the brew pod with the Mocha (which smells so good I kind of want to chew it). On their website and on each bag of brew they mention that you should wean yourself off of caffeine slowly, even if you don't consume too much now. So that is why I blended the two this morning. Also, who wants to waste? I hate wasting food I've already purchased (referring to the bag of coffee inmy fridge). The combination was delicious; smooth, full and satisfying. Actually, it tastes more like coffee than coffee from Dunkin Donuts. I realized that as I passed a billboard.

I really would like to not have to drink coffee. I really do love it though, but where all the coffee characteristics I cherish can be found in this Teeccino stuff, I wonder if this will be my new juice? I also wonder if, after a couple weeks without coffee, I'll notice a difference having been freed from my daily cortisol-jolt. Am I sensitive without knowing it because I'm so accustomed to it? I dont know! But I'm curious to find out!

*Is this paleo? The ingredients include roasted barley, which we know is not on the list. But I dont think Father Caveman would begrudge me this coffee alternative. I think the water in which the barley has soaked would be better to consume than eating the barley itself or simply drinking coffee. And if we put all these on a scale, I believe Teeccino will lie as the lesser of these evils.

If you are interested in purchasing Teeccino please visit:
www.teeccino.com