Saturday, January 12, 2019

Hot Beverages

I love the flavor of coffee but its caffeine revs my heart too much, so I limit my consumption. Since I enjoy drinking hot beverages I've looked for coffee-alternatives to round out the 6-8 cups of daily drink.

Of course tea was the first, obvious choice and I drink a lot of that, both looseleaf and bagged. But I enjoy hot drinks with richer flavor. Lately I've found two types.

The first is an all-natural mix of natural ingredients made by a company in Ohio. Called "Dandy Blend" it has dandelion root, chicory root and extracts of rye and barley. Dandy has a nice flavor, is slightly sweet (from naturally-occurring fructose) and has pleasant texture. It comes in powdered form which is easy to use: just add hot water. You can make it as light or rich as you prefer. Dandy is cheaper than coffee and, once you get used to the taste, it can become one of your regular daily drinks.

By the way, dandelions are actually vegetables and have been eaten for years for their medicinal properties. They were brought here from Italy by Italian immigrants and eaten in salads.

A second alternative is mushrooms. There are several hot mushroom drinks including some mixing the 'shrooms with coffee. My favorite manufacturer is Four Sigmatic, a California company that originated in Finland selling medicinal mushroom products. They're now in 65 countries and growing. They offer a wide variety of hot mushroom drinks; my favorite is Chaga Elixir which has superb health benefits. Unlike Dandy, mushroom drinks are more of an acquired taste so try them before buying.

If you'd like to sample these, just holler and I'll send you a taste.

14 comments:

  1. That is very interesting that people are looking for coffee alternatives. The Dandy blend sounds intriguing. I think the mushroom one would taste too much like soup to me.

    I drink water. Boring, I know. Hot water and cold water. Lots of variety! On special occasions I sometimes drink tea. I had to give up my regular tea habit many years ago when I saw it was staining my teeth.

    Suzanne
    http://www.suzannecarillo.com

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    1. Tea had the same effect on my teeth until I bought an electric brush. I'm gonna give you a little Dandy to try.

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  2. Tea stains my teeth but I don't care!
    I've drunk Dandy blend before. It is nice.
    Not sure about the mushroom one.
    I drink instant coffee to, my husband shudders! :-)
    But everything has to be decaf or I have issues with my bladder and heart.
    Xo Jazzy Jack

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    1. I approached the mushroom drinks with caution but some of them are tasty and healthy. Thanks for the feedback.

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  3. I do like coffee, but only drink it occasionally. Certainly not during the week, when I drink tea, usually Earl Grey or green tea in the morning and chamomile tea before bed. Otherwise, I drink water. The Dandy drink sounds interesting. Not so sure about the mushroom drink though ... xxx

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  4. No no no no no to the mushroom drink. Just no!
    Not sure how I'd feel about the Dandy drink. I LOVE my Earl Grey. In the Summer months I just LOVE adding Lemon balm leaves or lime mint leaves or peppermint leaves to hot water and having fresh mint tea- I never grow tired of it and am very sad when the mint starts dying back each year.

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    1. I like Earl Grey too and if you're happy, no need to try anything new. I like Dandy 'cause I get bored with tea.

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  5. This is good to know, I also love my coffee and would be so happy if I could enjoy a beverage that I like as much, several times a day, decaf coffe is toxic, as they remove the caffeine with chemicals akin to kerosine.. and water processed decaf is hard to find.
    I will try these out,
    I want to experiment with almond milk plus organic cinnamon and cocoa powder, too. Good antioxidants all,
    I wish I like tea more..
    Thanks for sharing this !
    ❤️❤️❤️
    Elle
    https://theellediaries.com/

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    1. Give Dandy a try. You might like it. If you want, I'll send you a taste. Just e-mail me an address.

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  6. This is a really cool post because when my friend Maria was pregnant, she would drink a cup or two of this instead of coffee. She loved it so much, she still drinks it. I might have to finally give it a try.

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  7. Hi, I am actually enjoying a cup of Dandelion tea as we speak. It also has some great benefits like cleansing the liver and it has been used for its medicinal purposes for centuries. Its one of the best replacement for coffee. You can also find it at your local grocery shops. I say give it a try, you might just be surprised!

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