Tea for Coffee Addicts?

[Obsessed]

As I'm apparently not the only caffeine fiend who's supposed to give up coffee to save his stomach, I thought I'd ask the tea experts here what they recommend as our caffeine methadone. I'd love to hear your views on both types of teas and brewing methods that can give us enough caffeine to maintain our jobs and relationships, yet not peel the gastric paint off the walls of our stomachs.

Thanks.

 

[whiskerlips]

Teavana's MateVana or Republic of Tea's Mate Latte. It is roasted mate instead of tea leaves. It has a chocolate/coffee/pipe tobacco aroma to it. It is very easy on the stomach and still has caffeine but won't make someone who is sensitive to caffeine a shaky mess.

It's my favorite.

 

[luvmysuper]

I drank Indian Assam tea when coffee was just not available, and it did the job quite well.

 

[_JP_]

I suggest Yerbe Mate, being discussed in this thread, which is basically the same topic that you posted.

 

[bob.e]

Luckily for me if I swallow it my stomach takes it LOL I've tasted tums and rolaids just to see what they taste like. I'm in my late late 50's and can't remember ever having the need for antacids, I love spicy food indian thai vietamese.

I like tea over coffee I drink Liptons mostly for breakfast and sometimes at night, I like Constant Comment Tea for a change of pace a nicely fruited and spiced black tea, I also like English and Irish breakfast blends and Queen Mary Tea, I don't care for green red or white tea just good old black tea suits me

 

[bones59]

Pu ehr is a coffee drinkers tea. I'm not talking about the 5~10 second infusions you read about. Toss a few grams in to two cups of boiling water, turn of the heat, and let it sit for about five minuets. A hardy tasty cup of tea that this coffee drinker can enjoy.

 

[Obsessed]

Pu ehr is a coffee drinkers tea. I'm not talking about the 5~10 second infusions you read about. Toss a few grams in to two cups of boiling water, turn of the heat, and let it sit for about five minuets. A hardy tasty cup of tea that this coffee drinker can enjoy.

I'm going to read the threads on that when I have a minute - it's a form of tea I'd never heard of until very recently, but it looks interesting.

I suggest Yerbe Mate, being discussed in this thread, which is basically the same topic that you posted.

Thanks. That thread actually gave me the idea for this one. I made it a separate thread because I thought it was a more specific question, but maybe the threads should be merged.

 

[netsurfr]

Pu ehr is a coffee drinkers tea. I'm not talking about the 5~10 second infusions you read about. Toss a few grams in to two cups of boiling water, turn of the heat, and let it sit for about five minuets. A hardy tasty cup of tea that this coffee drinker can enjoy.

Whoa! That does sound hardy indeed. For me, that might work with an aged pu-erh or a nice ripe pu-erh but most of the green pu-erh teas under 10 years of age would be totally unpalatable for me. YMMV and all of that. I left some green pu-erh sit in the infuser for a few minutes at work once by mistake -- yuck.

 

[Scotto]

Pu ehr is a coffee drinkers tea. I'm not talking about the 5~10 second infusions you read about. Toss a few grams in to two cups of boiling water, turn of the heat, and let it sit for about five minuets. A hardy tasty cup of tea that this coffee drinker can enjoy.

I am assuming you are talking about ripe pu'er. Raw pu'er served this way would be truly bitter and disgusting. To each his own and all that....

 

[bones59]

yes, I'm talking about Ripened pu-erh tea....as a substitute for coffee. As for bitter, and disgusting, some people would describe coffee in the same way. I like both (coffee,and tea), and yes YMMV. i have read somebody suggest breaking off a chunk of Pu-erh and putting it in the bottom of a thermos, pouring the hot water over it, and taking the whole kit, and caboodle with them to enjoy later. try it, you might like it. what have you got to loose? A five dollar toucha from the Chinese market.

 

[bones59]

gentlemen,
If I may show an example.
Here is a tea I just enjoyed. It a loose leaf golden tippy Pu. I heated two cups of water to just boiling, then I tossed in two teaspoons of tea and turned the heat off. I didn't time the infusion, but I think it was about a minuet. I sieved it into two cups for my wife, and I. It was delicious. Notice the coffee look-a-like liqueur. I haven't noticed cooked pu-erh getting bitter with long infusions (5min+). I'm not a tea snob/aficionado, but I know what I like. I hope you like it, too.
View attachment 75193

PS I'm not affiliated with Chaikhana, except as a satisfied customer. I do recommend stopping there if your in Santa Cruz.

 

[Scotto]

Ripe pu'er is certainly more conducive to that type of brewing. If you can find an example that doesn't taste like swamp water, even better. Personally I can't stand the stuff, but it certainly has its aficionados, as indicated by the separate thread on shupu.

 

[arghblech]

Ripe (Shu) puerh isn't for everyone and is very much an acquired taste.

I love the stuff and find it very tasty but it has some flavors that many find offputting such as...

compost
mushroom
earth
must
fragrant woods

If you decide to try shu I'd recommend that you contact netsurfr for some samples rather than buy at a local tea shop. Every tea shop I've been to has had the lowest quality, filthiest smelling shu. If you get it from folks that know and drink shu it can be very rewarding. It can taste like fertilizer filtered through a dirty gym sock if you don't get the good stuff

I don't know how well shu can replace coffee since all they really share is depth of color and some caffeine but I won't discourage you from trying it should you want to.

 

[bones59]

Ripe (Shu) puerh isn't for everyone and is very much an acquired taste.

I love the stuff and find it very tasty but it has some flavors that many find offputting such as...

compost
mushroom
earth
must
fragrant woods

If you decide to try shu I'd recommend that you contact netsurfr for some samples rather than buy at a local tea shop. Every tea shop I've been to has had the lowest quality, filthiest smelling shu. If you get it from folks that know and drink shu it can be very rewarding. It can taste like fertilizer filtered through a dirty gym sock if you don't get the good stuff

I don't know how well shu can replace coffee since all they really share is depth of color and some caffeine but I won't discourage you from trying it should you want to.

good point. Like your self, I love it. On the other hand, I remember making some for a dear friend of mine. when I asked him how he liked it, his reply was "it taste like dirt".
of course decaf coffee might work for you, but like the Italians, who have a name for decaf espresso, loosely translates to, why bother.

 

[paulboeck]

Not fancy, but I've been drinking Celestial Seasonings Morning Thunder. It's my go-to during late afternoon sleepy time at work.