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Ask HN: Are there any safe alternatives to coffee for all-day sipping?

5 points by maksimur ↗ HN
The realization that my current coffee consumption style may have adverse effects on my health has prompted me to seek safer alternatives. Throughout the day, I take veeery slow sips of black coffee without any milk (guess I like its bitterness), as I genuinely enjoy its raw taste, however I've found alternatives such as tea to taste too watery.

I'm on the lookout for alternatives that offer a similar taste profile, with little to no negative health effects for sipping all day.

If you have any recommendations I would greatly appreciate it!

30 comments

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znpy
Herbal teas can be a good solution.

Please note that herbal teas do not usually contain tea leaves, so they don’t contain caffeine.

I was in a similar situation with coffee consumption (at a certain age I realised that consuming coffee after say 3pm disrupted my sleep) and i looked at this kind of products.

The good news is that the world of infusion is very large and there is a lot of variety… for example i now often drink a mint based herbal tea, sometimes with honey, and it’s very nice even when cold.

maksimur
I've attempted to explore different teas before, but I always struggled with their plain taste, which eventually led me to give it up. However, your suggestion that there are more infusions than I could've tried makes me want to give it another go. Thanks.
znpy
Ginger has a very strong taste, you might want to try making an infusion with it.

Warning: it’s almost spicy. I don’t like it, but nonetheless its taste is definitely not plain.

Also, keep in mind that herbs for infusion can almost always be mixed together… creating your own blends could as well be an hobby.

Btw glad I helped :)

Houji
There are teas with very strong flavours, as other have mentioned.

Matcha ( Japanese powdered green tea ), houji-cha ( roasted green tea ), mugi-cha ( barley tea ), et al.

You're out of luck avoiding acrylamide though, as most teas have it as well.

There is a study about amounts of it in black vs green and other different types, but honestly, avoiding acrylamide in general is not just very difficult, but also not very useful considering as others have said something like the particulate matter in air or metals and PFAS in water.

Getting good air and water filters would be doing much more for your health than radically altering your diet to avoid all baked goods, bread, cacao, all teas, coffee and whatnot.

beardyw
I like the word "tisane".
znpy
That too works, i guess. I’m not a native speaker of English btw.
beardyw
It's French! Pronounced tizan. Poirot (in the TV series at least) often asks for his tisane.
znpy
Just for laugh, but I don’t speak french either ^_^”
jgrahamc
I used to drink coffee a lot. Multiple espressos a day. I went cold turkey and now I drink water.
maksimur
I'm curious about the approach you took to achieve that. I've made several attempts to switch to drinking solely water, but I struggle with its plain taste. Could you provide more details?
jgrahamc
My wife told me I had bad breath after drinking coffee. So I stopped dead. I switched to cold, carbonated water for sipping. And just plain water with meals.
DemocracyFTW2
I can recommend making your own soda with tap water, baking soda (Sodium bicarbonate), and either powdered citric acid or tartaric acid (the former being cheaper and more available where I live, the latter yielding the slightly-better result IMO). It's basically sherbet powder without the sugar, though nothing keeps you from adding whatever you like to the drink. The result is refreshingly sparkling water. The more soda you add, the less acid the drink becomes, and you can adjust the ratio to taste.
zer0tonin
Why not try decaffeinated coffee?
maksimur
I have actually considered that option, but unfortunately, it appears that it may contain similar or even higher levels of acrylamide compared to regular coffee, which appears to increase cancer risk.
graderjs
Try a different tea? Lapsang Soochong or Pu-er for stronger flavor? Herbal teas are good if caffeine is what is disagreeing with you: red bush tea (rooibos), chamomile. Matcha is also good if caffeine is OK for you. If you like bitterness it probably sounds kind of weird but you can steep some lingzhi mushroom dried slices in water and after steeping a while it's pretty bitter. There's probably other mushrooms you can find too.

Or just go simple and sip water, maybe you'll find infinite "wateriness" is like no wateriness at all! Ha ha ha! :) You can add like tobasco to it, or bitters, or bitter gourd if you want bitter.

lantry
Some people drink "coffee" made from roasted chicory root. I've never tried it, but it is caffeine free.
dangitnotagain
Tulsi tea.

No caffeine, flavorful, and has a ton of health benefits.

Quick googled response to “what does tulsi tea do for you”

> Strengthens the immune system, promotes longevity and enhances well-being. Promotes heart health by lowering cholesterol and high blood pressure. Reduces the negative physical and psychological effects of stress. Increases the body's efficiency in using oxygen, which improves stamina, strength and endurance.

dangitnotagain
And as for “too watery”, you can always steep several bags. Don’t forget to bob it up and down for a few minutes then press all the water out with a spoon. This gives the most potent and bitter version of any steeped substance.

(Also worth noting, you will develop a taste for most anything you regularly consume.)

TheLoafOfBread
I am chewing a gum. It keeps me focused and does not cause me headaches as overdosing on caffeine does. Also it keeps my mouth occupied and I have less tendency to snack around.
gregjor
I don’t know that coffee increases risk of cancer. I haven’t seen any evidence of that. Some studies show coffee reduces the incidence of some cancers. Trace amounts of chemicals possibly found in coffee unlikely to matter. The air we breathe seems orders of magnitude more carcinogenic.

Seems like an overblown worry given no actual link found between coffee and increased cancer risk in humans. Links between coffee and reduced cancer risk have been found.

For example:

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/acrylamide-in-coffee

dangitnotagain
Cancer isn’t the risk from coffee. It is responsible for other forms of irritability however, both physical and mental (especially after long term use.)

I get welts and rashes after prolonged use. Stopping makes it all go away.

gregjor
OP specifically mentions fear of cancer from acrylamide in coffee, in a comment. Having a bad reaction or allergy to coffee is one thing, worrying about getting cancer from coffee is another.
baremetal
> Throughout the day, I take veeery slow sips of

Beer

runjake
Tea without caffeine? There's a flavor variety that will fit just about any preference. Too watery? Add a cream, a milk, or make it stronger.
EdwardMSmith
I enjoy sparkling water and Angostura bitters if I’m looking for a bit of flavor.
ezekg
That’s something I would’ve never thought to try! I love bitters... in whiskey. I may try this just to understand.
ezekg
I quit coffee cold-turkey in Jan of last year [^0] due to health concerns. I ended up replacing coffee with a mushroom tea called Rasa [^1]. It’s pricey, but like you, I enjoyed the bitterness of black coffee, and its strong flavor. Being mushroom-based, Rasa has those strong, dark, bitter qualities . I like the Bold variety the best.

[^0]: https://keygen.sh/blog/i-quit/

[^1]: https://wearerasa.com

decide1000
This alternative to coffee looks very interesting to me. Are there any alternatives or even homegrown alternatives to Rasa you are aware of? I don't feel comfortable paying $49 for a bag while I can get the ingredients at my local market.