It’s well known that I’m a bit of a coffee fanatic. Ask anyone who was walked past me in the street. Passing any kind of fine coffee establishment requires stopping for a cup. Which really isn’t a bad thing. There’s worse vices in the world. But the caffeine that comes with the experience is beginning to take a toll. Sleeplessness, irritability, etc… Sure, there’s decaf. I’ve gone that route and it’s kind of pointless since it really doesn’t taste the same. Because that’s why I like coffee, for the taste, not the caffeine.
So it’s time for a change. I’m going to attempt to replace my coffee addiction with green tea. Or if not entirely replace it, supplement it. Green tea has half the caffeine of coffee. And even less if you go the loose tea route and do multiple infusions. Since most of the caffeine comes out in the first infusion. It also has a tremendous amount of health benefits, which when you start to get older, you start to pay attention to.
None of this is really new though. I’ve been drinking green tea for years and have quit coffee previously. I have no illusions about my inability to quit drinking something I love, but if I can reverse the roles of coffee and tea in my life, it would be a good thing.
So I’ve begun by ordering the Green Tea Starter Set from Adagio. We’ll see how this goes.
Comments
Good luck, Jim. I’ve given up coffee and caffeine several times only to backslide over time. Currently I am entirely off caffeine and have been for about 6 months. I still drink decaf and decaf tea and eat dark chocolate, each of which, of course, contains small amounts of caffeine.
I tried green tea (decaffeinated) but it didn’t seem to have as much flavor as black tea.
MY favorite coffee for flavor is Starbucks, especially their espresso and french roasts. Unfortunately, I find even their decaf has too much caffeine for me so I am stuck with lesser coffees. I can’t stand Dunkin Donuts coffee or the stuff in the office by-the-cup machine.
posted by Bruce cCarthy on 05.04.07 at 2:42 pm
Thanks Bruce. Still trying to fight the good fight. The longest stretch I’ve gone without coffee or caffeine was six months. Which was essentially obliterated on a trip to Germany where they have fine Italian cafe’s serving fine Italian espresso ;)
I prefer green tea over black. But from what I’ve read, you loose a lot of the antioxidant benefits when it’s been decaffeinated. Overall I don’t mind the caffeine that is contained within it. It’s the excessive amounts I tend to take in from drinking too much coffee. Because I too am a Starbucks drinker, and it’s well know Starbucks coffee has more caffeine per cup then any other brand of coffee.
posted by Jim on 05.04.07 at 8:01 pm
the antioxidants in green tea really helps prevent cancer and some other forms of tumors.,,~
posted by Sophia Harrison on 06.10.10 at 11:50 pm