Coffee Alternatives

Licorice Tea (also known as Liquorice Tea) is derived from the root of Glycyrrhiza glabra. The taste is sweet and provides many beneficial and healing properties. The tea comes in a black or white blend. Black licorice tea is made by boiling the licorice root. White licorice tea is a blend of white tea (which comes from Camellia Sinsesis) and licorice extract.

Due to the strong taste, some like a blend with additional herbs and spices such as ginger and mint.

Benefits of Licorice Tea:

• Reduced stress levels
• Helps stomach problems including vomiting and ulcers
• Acts as a mild laxative
• Reduces headaches
• Assists with the flu, colds and sore throats
• Relieves skin conditions and inflammations
• Helps arthritis
• Relives symptoms of menopause
• Helps people coming off orthodox steroid drugs
• Lowers stomach acid levels
• Relives heartburn and indigestion
• Aids inflammation, irritation and spasms in the digestive tract
• Soothes coughs, asthma and chest infections
• Helpful in relieving fevers
• Soothes pain such as headaches
• Anti-allergenic effect useful for hay fever, allergic rhinitis, bronchial asthma and conjunctivitis
• Great for times of stress, after surgery, during rehabilitation or when feeling tired or run down

Added benefits of White Licorice Tea:

• Increases energy
• Fights viral, bacterial and fungal infections
• Aids in the production of interferon (which boosts the immune system)
• Helps prevent some cancers including colon and prostate cancers
• Rich in antioxidants

Negative effects of Licorice Tea:

• Prolonged consumption of large amounts has been reported to cause heart problems and nervous system disorders (this was largely attributed to consuming a jug per day for over a decade).

Green tea is a powerful antioxidant originating from China. Made solely from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, it provides a multitude of health benefits.  The tea leaves undergo minimal oxidation during processing. Green tea can come in different varieties with diverse benefits for varying conditions. The varieties differ based on growing conditions, harvesting time and methods processing.

Drunk hot, green tea provides a warming yet refreshing alternative to coffee. You can also leave the concoction to cool with lemon and honey and refrigerate to make a healthy substitute for drinking cold water, cordial or fizzy drinks throughout the day.

Health Benefits of Green Tea:

• Rich source of polyphenols and antioxidants.
• Keeps low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the harmful form of cholesterol, from sticking to artery walls. This means lower cholesterol levels.
• Assists weight loss
• Lowers risk of heart disease
• Helps with prevention of diabetes
• Reduces the risk of developing certain types of cancer
• Induces thermogenesis and stimulates fat oxidation which in turn helps with weight loss management
• Raises metabolism
• Undergoes less processing than black tea
• Beneficial for the eyes, recommended for persons using the computer all day
• Fights viral and bacterial infections
• Applied topically, can prevent  or even reverse sun and age damage to the skin
• Contains protective compounds

Disadvantages of Green Tea:

• Although much less than coffee, it still contains caffeine which can cause insomnia, nausea and frequent urination (since it’s a diuretic).
• Large quantities of green tea can cause damage to the liver and kidneys. 

Cocoa powder, cocoa or cacao is the nonfat part of chocolate, the other part being cocoa butter. It is derived by grinding cocoa seeds and removing the cocoa butter from the cocoa solids.  It’s bitter in taste and depending on which press method is used, it can taste somewhat acidic.  It’s a relatively inexpensive alternative to coffee. Hot cocoa powder is generally bitter but can be blended with milk and sugar.

Benefits of cocoa powder:

• Contains a high level of flavonoids
• Helps cardiovascular health
• Can help LDL cholesterol levels in the short term
• Improves blood flow
• Enhances memory and learning abilities
• High antioxidant concentration
• Rich source of magnesium

Negatives of cocoa powder:

• Contains caffeine, although this can be very low (from 0.1 to 0.5%)
• Contains sugar

Yerba mate or simply mate originates from South America – Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina and Bolivia. It’s made from the Yerba mate plant. The Guarani Indians of Paraguay and Argentina introduced the drink.

The brew somewhat resembles green tea with its vegetal and grassy flavor. If steeped in boiling water it can have a rather bitter taste, to product Yerba mate it’s usually recommended that the water be steaming hot but not at boiling point. Approximately 160-180 degrees Fahrenheit or 70-80 degrees Celsius is appropriate.

The tea can be purchased organically as leaves, flavored or blended with other herbs such as peppermint or citrus rind.

The drink has a smoky, bitter, woody flavor – an acquired taste described by some. Combined with steamed milk to add some sweetness.

Yerba mate contains naturally occurring caffeine and has a rejuvenating effect.

Benefits of Yerba mate:

• High chlorogenic acid  antioxidant content
  • Contains vitamins and minerals including:
  • Vitamins B & C
  • Magnese, potassium and zinc
• quercetin, theobromine and theophylline (beneficial plant compounds)
• Provides an energy boost without the coffee jolt

Many believe the beverage boosts immunity, cleanses and detoxifies the blood, prevents fatigue, stimulates the mind, tones the nervous system, lowers stress, controls appetite and treats insomnia.

Disadvantages/Cons of drinking Yerba mate:

• Studies have shown that increased consumption of Yerba mate can heighten the risk of some cancers including oesophagus, lungs, mouth, pharynx and larynx.
• Contains around 80mg of caffeine per cup
• Despite the marketing ploys stating that it contains more antioxidants than green tea, the antioxidants are different from those in green tea.

The plant produces small four-petal green and white flowers and berries.

It’s a very social drink in South America, with couples and even small groups collectively sharing the drink from a gourd with a bombilla straw.

Yerba mate can be roasted or unroasted. Roasted Yerba mate tastes somewhat like dark chocolate, although some of the nutrients are lost from this processing.