Had to Give up Coffee; Any suggestions?

[Snick1946]

After over 50 years of swilling the Java my stomach finally said no more- started getting daily heartburn. For the last ten years I drank 'Kava' an acid reduced coffee, not much taste but delivered the good old punch. Now even that is no more and I have spent the last several months in brain fog. Tea seems to be tolerated up to a point so have been having a couple cups a day of strong black tea with a coffee substitute to fool myself added. Dismal but better than nothing.
Has anyone else gone through this transition and if so what did you find that can take off the edge, By the way I have tried decaf, that's as bad if not worse on me. Clearly it's not the caffeine that does me in- it's the oils or something else I am sensitive to. Comments?

 

[Obsessed]

I'm supposed to give it up, too, but thus far have been completely unable to do so.

 

[Snick1946]

I can still drink it, if I don't mind my upper GI system burning for hours.
What really flabbergasts me is that I suddenly started getting this reaction with the acid reduced stuff.
Crack Cocaine might work- any offers?

 

[soapbox]

I give up coffee when I'm sick in favor of tea; it's better for you, easier on you and still contains up to half the caffeine of coffee, IIRC. I was pleased with the variety of teas I found (including gunpowder tea, which is a neat, smoky, green tea), though there's a whole host of guys here who have enormous knowledge about tea. It's an obvious choice, but it's gotta be better than Rockstar or Red Bull...

 

[MichaelG]

I had the same problem and switched to decaf - that helped me, but it sounds like that didn't do the trick for you.

Have you tried preparing the coffee in different ways? I found that using a French press made coffee that irritated my stomach a lot. I've settled on using a cone filter like this one. The paper filters out a lot of the stuff that upsets my stomach and I have a lot of control as to strength of the coffee, etc.

I'm not a tea fan, though I drink it sometimes - Earl Grey is nice, but it's not the same as COFFEE

I'm assuming you've seen your doc about it. I had horrible heartburn a couple of years ago, but medications have really taken care of it.

After over 50 years of swilling the Java my stomach finally said no more- started getting daily heartburn. For the last ten years I drank 'Kava' an acid reduced coffee, not much taste but delivered the good old punch. Now even that is no more and I have spent the last several months in brain fog. Tea seems to be tolerated up to a point so have been having a couple cups a day of strong black tea with a coffee substitute to fool myself added. Dismal but better than nothing.
Has anyone else gone through this transition and if so what did you find that can take off the edge, By the way I have tried decaf, that's as bad if not worse on me. Clearly it's not the caffeine that does me in- it's the oils or something else I am sensitive to. Comments?

 

[persco]

There's a tea you might try. It's not coffee by any stretch, but it's got a good kick to it. It's south american and called Yerba Mate. It's got a good earthy, smoky flavour. At first you might need to get used to the different tate it has from coffee, but you might try it. It also has a natural stimulant similar to caffeine. You can make it in a french press -- the plunger-type coffee makers (like $5 at a dollar store). It also supposedly has many health benefits. I am coffee fiend, but I also like Yerba Mate from time to time.

Good luck.

s.

 

[Snick1946]

There's a tea you might try. It's not coffee by any stretch, but it's got a good kick to it. It's south american and called Yerba Mate. It's got a good earthy, smoky flavour. At first you might need to get used to the different tate it has from coffee, but you might try it. It also has a natural stimulant similar to caffeine. You can make it in a french press -- the plunger-type coffee makers (like $5 at a dollar store). It also supposedly has many health benefits. I am coffee fiend, but I also like Yerba Mate from time to time.

Good luck.

s.

Is that the same as .Morning Thunder' tea by Celestial Seasonings? Have tried that and it does give me a coffee like kick but the taste is really different.

 

[soapbox]

There's a tea you might try. It's not coffee by any stretch, but it's got a good kick to it. It's south american and called Yerba Mate. It's got a good earthy, smoky flavour. At first you might need to get used to the different tate it has from coffee, but you might try it. It also has a natural stimulant similar to caffeine. You can make it in a french press -- the plunger-type coffee makers (like $5 at a dollar store). It also supposedly has many health benefits. I am coffee fiend, but I also like Yerba Mate from time to time.

Well said. I also enjoy Yerba Mate at times.

 

[WhosYerBob]

Have you tried:

• Home roasting?
• Buffering the coffee with milk?
• Using Pepcid Complete tablets afterward?
• "Roma" coffee substitute (no caffeine)?

I ask because I have GERD (Gastroesophageal reflux disease) and was told to lay off the coffee. But I found that if I buffer it with milk in the form of a latte or a cappuccino I can drink it without any problem, especially if it's a mild home roast.

If the coffee is purchased while I'm out and about (Charbucks or similar ilk), I find that a Pepcid Complete will completely take care of it. Lastly, my SWMBO is very sensitive to caffeine so the "Roma" works perfectly for her and has a coffee approximation that dhe finds acceptable.

 

[fleshdunce]

I have some pretty bad acid reflux myself. On Protonix daily for it now and have significantly changed my diet because of it. One thing I haven't given up is coffee however. I'd rather change everything else then giving up my sweet brew in the morning. No longer eat spicy stuff, red sauce, fried foods, and lots of other stuff.

It's been rough and it sucks, but as I can still have a cup of coffee in the morning it is worth it. I'd recommend changing up other parts of your diet and see if that helps.

 

[chainfire]

I've turned to espressos using a stove top moka pot and never get heartburn. I also started using better beans and good cream/milk. The stuff in bulk cans kills me with heartburn, but espresso and quality coffee beans have been a godsend.

 

[Snick1946]

Have you tried:

• Home roasting?
• Buffering the coffee with milk?
• Using Pepcid Complete tablets afterward?
• "Roma" coffee substitute (no caffeine)?

I ask because I have GERD (Gastroesophageal reflux disease) and was told to lay off the coffee. But I found that if I buffer it with milk in the form of a latte or a cappuccino I can drink it without any problem, especially if it's a mild home roast.

If the coffee is purchased while I'm out and about (Charbucks or similar ilk), I find that a Pepcid Complete will completely take care of it. Lastly, my SWMBO is very sensitive to caffeine so the "Roma" works perfectly for her and has a coffee approximation that dhe finds acceptable.

Roma is the Coffee substitute I spike my black tea with, has some aroma and if I dont think about it too much it's almost like a cup of so so coffee.
The idea about buffering with milk is interesting. Assume you substitute milk for water. I may try that using some of my Kava acid reduced coffee (instant) I have left and see if that is tolerated. May have some Pepcid complete standing by.

 

[persco]

Is that the same as .Morning Thunder' tea by Celestial Seasonings? Have tried that and it does give me a coffee like kick but the taste is really different.

I've never heard of a Celestial Seasonings version of Yerba Mate. You can find it at a market where folks from S. America buy groceries, or usually at a natural health foods store. It is normally sold loose. I don't know where you live, but this is a brand I have used. http://www.guayaki.com

There are others that are cheaper that you can buy in S. American grocery stores.

s.

 

[Obsessed]

I'm assuming you've seen your doc about it. I had horrible heartburn a couple of years ago, but medications have really taken care of it.

Agreed. I've been taking Nexium and it has helped immensely. I'd still like to give up coffee because I'd rather not be on long-term meds if I don't have to be, but until then, it's saving me from a lot of misery.

 

[eldonanda]

The biggest downer for coffee is its acidity (caf or decaf). I had to stop as well back in March (cold turkey), went to herbal teas (non-black) and now when I taste coffee, it feels like battery acid. Good luck!! It's not easy. But your overall body acidity (and inflammation) will thank you.

 

[maurerc]

We used to take coffee seriously--we have a espresso machine that ways 15kg--but after 50 years of drinking coffee, seven weeks in Asia this summer freed my wife and me from caffeine. Now we drink tea instead, tea made as the Chinese make it. We bought an electric kettle that keeps the water at 80°, not boiling, and some good Chinese teas. Caffeine and tannin are sufficiently difficult to dissolve that these are not extracted at water below 80°, which is the temperature of the water inside the teapot. Since the bitterness in tea comes from caffeine and tannins, tea made this way is not bitter--indeed, fine teas contain hints of natural sweetness--so no sugar is wanted and it becomes possible to drink the stuff like water. Made this way, two generous teaspoonsful of a fine tea will make a couple of litres of tea. We take oolong for breakfast and throughout the day, and usually take green for dinner, when we aren't having wine.

 

[BullGoose]

Is that the same as .Morning Thunder' tea by Celestial Seasonings? Have tried that and it does give me a coffee like kick but the taste is really different.

Yes...I think it is. Wasn't it Morning Thunder that claimed to have the power of 1000 charging Buffaloes? I used to drink it frequently in college.

 

[Proinsias]

Might be worth trying some good tea.

This place is packed with tea addicts.

Pu'er seems a popular choice here, may well end up more expensive than coffee though.

 

[Monkeyboy]

You might try cold brewed coffee. I've had good results brewing in a Toddy brewer but you can also do smaller batches in a french press. The resulting coffee isn't exactly the same but depending on your preferences you might enjoy it. It produces a mellow, smooth, sweet cup.

They claim it contains 33% less caffeine of hot brewed coffee but has 67% less acid.

 

[_JP_]

I'm another fan of Yerbe Mate. The stimulant in Mate is a molecule that is very similar to caffeine, and it gives you that boost without giving you the jitters. There is an ongoing debate on whether or not it is caffeine in a slightly different form.

Mate is supposed to provide health benefits as well. But again, there have been suggestions that it has been compared to health problems in the South American populations where it is a popular daily drink. Mate has not been adequately studied yet to prove it all one way or another yet.

I prefer to drink my Mate in the traditional manner, which is in a casaba gourd that has been filled a little over half way with Mate and then sipped through a bombilla. It's like high end teas in that you can do many infusions of it until the taste is finally washed out. It is that style of drinking Mate that may create concentrations of chemicals that cause health issues, but again no hard evidence has been produced yet.