Teeccino?

[foodgeek]

Anyone like the stuff? Is it any good. Someone asked me about it, so I'm curious. I know it has chicory.

[phaelon56]

We had a can of some "herbal" coffee at work for awhile. It also contained chicory - can't recall the brand but even those who just love the swill such as Folger's and Maxwell House that gets served in the company lounge said it was horrid. If the can is still there I'll try some out of curiosity but I'm not hopeful.

If caffeine is the issue there is such a thing as high quality decaf but you have to look around to find it.

[Beto]

Doesn't that just beg the question, why?

[Moopheus]

From the FAQ:

"Why not just drink decaf?"

Even decaf coffee has at least 7 – 10 mg of caffeine per 6 oz cup. Decaf coffee brewed at coffee bars can contain twice as much caffeine because they typically brew coffee stronger than standard brewing directions. So if you are drinking a 16 oz cup of decaf, you may be getting as much as 20-30 mg of caffeine. In addition, studies at Stanford University show that decaf raises the LDL fraction of cholesterol (commonly referred to as "bad" cholesterol) higher and faster than regular coffee leading to an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Studies have also shown that there is a higher incidence of people who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis among decaf drinkers. Additionally, most decaf has been extracted with methylene chloride, a carcinogen, which leaves behind small but significant residues. Decaf is even harder than regular coffee on the gastrointestinal tract because it is made from a variety of coffee beans called robusta that have stronger acids. If you have gastrointestinal problems or suffer from acid indigestion, you'll find that eliminating coffee from your diet, whether it is decaf or regular, will help your recovery process.

Teeccino

While I've always been one to say that anybody who didn't think coffee was a drug wasn't using it correctly, there are several arguable points here. Most decaf has less caffeine than they say. It couldn't legally be called decaf otherwise. There's some evidence that coffee oils raise LDL slightly, but those oils are mostly filtered out of drip coffee. And so on.

[phaelon56]

Even decaf coffee has at least 7 – 10 mg of caffeine per 6 oz cup. Decaf coffee brewed at coffee bars can contain twice as much caffeine because they typically brew coffee stronger than standard brewing directions. So if you are drinking a 16 oz cup of decaf, you may be getting as much as 20-30 mg of caffeine. In addition, studies at Stanford University show that decaf raises the LDL fraction of cholesterol (commonly referred to as "bad" cholesterol) higher and faster than regular coffee leading to an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Studies have also shown that there is a higher incidence of people who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis among decaf drinkers. Additionally, most decaf has been extracted with methylene chloride, a carcinogen, which leaves behind small but significant residues. Decaf is even harder than regular coffee on the gastrointestinal tract because it is made from a variety of coffee beans called robusta that have stronger acids.

Oh gosh. No disrespect to you Moopheus because I know that FAQ was likely not something you wrote but it appears to contain some misleading info about decaf.

Legally, here in the US, coffee may be labeled decaf if it contains anywhere from 2% - 15% caffeine per 'cup". Various medical sources Googled listed 2% - 5% and 2% - 6% as the typical range - well below what the FAQ listed .

If we're referring to mass market cheap supermarket coffee it is true that "most" decaf is treated with methylene chloride to remove the caffeine and is in fact made from Robusta beans (which are inherently lower in quality and higher in caffeine content than the more costly Arabica beans).

But there are alternatives. SWP (Swiss Water Process) decaf is generally available from any quality conscious regional or local roaster and will typically be made from all arabica beans. In what may seem to be a a conundrum to many folks.... you'll get the lowest caffeine content per serving by getting decaf espresso. The extremely short extraction time for espresso (22 - 28 seconds) allows the crucial flavor components to be extracted and leaves behind lots of the bad stuff including some of the caffeine. A one ounce espresso has less caffeine than a six ounce cup of coffee made from the same beans.

[Mnehrling]

Anyone like the stuff?  Is it any good. Someone asked me about it, so I'm curious. I know it has chicory.

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I haven't tried this type, but I do have some herbal coffee substitute called Raja's Cup produced by Maharishi Ayur-Ved (you can find it in health food stores).

It claims to be 100% caffeine free- what's the point? It is made from Clearning Nut, Kasmard, Licorice, and Winter Cherry.

Plain it is very bitter, however, with a good cream and honey it works for a late night cup when you don't want to have caffeine but crave something strong.

[Moopheus]

Oh gosh.  No disrespect to you Moopheus

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Maybe it wasn't clear, but I'm certainly not agreeing with them. It actually sounds pretty icky to me.

[jsolomon]

While I've always been one to say that anybody who didn't think coffee was a drug wasn't using it correctly, there are several arguable points here.

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Studies have reliably shown that caffeine is a more reliable gateway drug than marijuana... and it affects roughly 1/3 of the biochemical pathways in the body. Good stuff, I say... good stuff.

Not to argue, just to support... as I drink yet another cup of life.

[foodgeek]

Thank you. That si what I needed to know.

-Jason

Anyone like the stuff?  Is it any good. Someone asked me about it, so I'm curious. I know it has chicory.

←

I haven't tried this type, but I do have some herbal coffee substitute called Raja's Cup produced by Maharishi Ayur-Ved (you can find it in health food stores).

It claims to be 100% caffeine free- what's the point? It is made from Clearning Nut, Kasmard, Licorice, and Winter Cherry.

Plain it is very bitter, however, with a good cream and honey it works for a late night cup when you don't want to have caffeine but crave something strong.

←