The Best Coffee Alternatives that tastes like coffee!

The best coffee alternatives - Are you trying to drink less coffee? I share both caffeinated and no caffeine options that actually taste like coffee!

Ohhh Coffee, coffee, coffee.

Coffee used to be my favorite thing to drink hands down! I love everything about coffee - the aroma, the familiar bitterness, and the warmth. Well, I guess I can't say everything because I didn't like the jittery feeling after my fourth cup and definitely did NOT enjoy the withdrawal headache if I didn't start my day with a cup of coffee. But because coffee tastes SO good, I never thought to quit until....last year!

I didn't mean to quit coffee but while I was on a candida cleanse, I suffered a horrendous withdrawal headache (since I couldn't drink coffee during the cleanse) and didn't like the idea that my body was depended on something that bad. Plus, that much caffeine wasn't doing me any good with my anxiety so I decided to explore other options.

Other Coffee alternatives

• Herbal tea - I started with herbal tea. I tried Pau D'Arco, roasted dandelion root, and rooibos tea. Don't give me wrong. Those teas were great but I was missing something.
• Green tea and matcha - Because herbal tea didn't cut it, I thought it was the caffeine in the coffee that I needed. So I started drinking green tea and matcha. Well, mostly matcha. I really like how matcha is slowly releasing caffeine so I can feel alert without the jittery feeling. Plus, it was nice to take the time to make my matcha in the morning like I would my pour-over or french pressed coffee. It gave me a similar ritual-like feel but I still wasn't satisfied.
• Black tea - So I moved on to drinking black tea. I drink my black tea with milk (non-dairy) and it certainly gave me a similar appearance as to my coffee (I used to take my coffee with non-dairy milk) with a whole lot less bitterness. But I like that bitterness in coffee! To me, they are not bitterness but rather a pleasant toasty nutty flavor.

And this journey has lead me to find coffee alternatives that actually taste like coffee! Because we all can use little caffeine in the morning, I found both caffeinated and non-caffeinated options. Shall we get started?

** Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored by any of the products that I am reviewing. These are my honest opinions and thoughts.

Caffeinated Coffee Alternative Options

• Instant Mushroom Coffee with Lion's Mane by Four Sigmatic
• Cacao Adaptogenic Coffee by Rasa
• Dirty Adaptogenic Coffee by Rasa

Instant Mushroom Coffee with Lion's Mane by Four Sigmatic

• Taste: This tastes like coffee and you won't taste anything like a mushroom. It tastes like coffee because it has coffee in them. But the amount of caffeine it has is about the same amount that black tea has. Out of all the coffee alternatives (including the non-caffeinated one), this one takes it when it comes to taste.
• Caffeine: ~50mg (About the same amount a cup of black tea would have)
• Ingredients: Organic instant coffee powder, organic lion's mane extract, organic Chaga extract, organic Rhodiola Rosea extract.
• Price: 10 packs for $12 (as of May 2020). The direction states that you mix one pack with 7 ounces of hot water.
• Method of preparation: Just pour hot water.
• Where to buy: Instant mushroom coffee with Lion's Mane by Four Sigmatic

Cacao and Dirty Adaptogenic Coffee by Rasa

• Adaptogen: Adaptogens are herbs that help your body adapt to stress by supporting the production of stress-related neurotransmitters and hormones. It can increase or decrease the function of any particular system based on what the body needs the most. 
• Cacao Adaptogenic Coffee Taste: It has such a wonderful chocolate/cacao smell to it when you are brewing. You can slightly taste the cacao when you are drinking but it also tastes like tea rather than coffee. I wouldn't mind having this as a hot chocolate alternative.
• Dirty Adaptogenic Coffee Taste: It has the familiar bitterness in coffee but without the acidity. It does resemble the taste of coffee but it also tastes like a strong herbal tea.
• Caffeine: Cacao (5mg), Dirty (35mg)
• Ingredient: Information provided on their website.
• Price: $21 for a starter pack - One pack of original, cacao, and dirty. Each pack contains 4 servings (as of May 2020)
• Method of preparation: French press (requiring 10 to 15 minutes brew time)
• Where to buy: Starter Pack by Rasa

Non Caffeinated Coffee Alternative Options

• French Roasted Chicory Coffee by Worldwide Botanicals French Chicory Root
• Dandy Blend by Dandy Blend
• Original Adaptogenic Coffee by Rasa

French Roasted Chicory Coffee by Worldwide Botanicals French Chicory Root

• Taste: I personally enjoy this chicory coffee a lot. It tastes smooth and rich but pleasantly bitter with no acidity. I find other chicory coffee lacking a depth of flavor but this one is very flavorful. Although it does taste very similar to coffee (dark roast, very smooth and low acidity coffee), you can taste the chicory. If you are not a fan of chicory, this may not be for you but I personally think this is pretty close to coffee without actually having a single drop of coffee in the drink.
• Caffeine: None. Although it has zero caffeine, it is not recommended for pregnant women. In extreme cases, chicory root may trigger miscarriage and menstrual bleeding.
• Ingredient: Roasted chicory
• Price: A pound for $9.99 (as of May 2020)
• Method of preparation: I prepared it with both pour-over and french press. It says it can be prepared in a drip coffee maker as well.
• Where to buy: French roasted chicory coffee

Dandy Blend by Dandy Blend

• Taste: Super smooth taste with no acidity or bitterness. It has a very mild sweetness to it that I like. I rather like this product with lots of non-dairy milk or in a smoothie - heating up some oat milk to make a latte, adding this powder to a smoothie, and mixing with hot chocolate is a delicious way to enjoy this product.
• Caffeine: None. According to their website, they claim that it's is safe for pregnant women to consume. Read it here.
• Ingredient: Extracts of roasted barley, rye, chicory root, dandelion root, and sugar beet.
• Price: 32 ounces for $28.81 (as of May 2020)
• Method of preparation: Just pour hot or cold water. Dissolves very well in cold water.
• Where to buy: Dandy Blend

Original Adaptogenic Coffee by Rasa

• Taste: For me, this one tastes nothing like coffee but rather a strong brewed herbal tea. I am not a huge fan of this one (this is my least favorite). The smell and taste remind me of Chinese medicine. However, based on the reviews that I have read on these products, I've decided to include this in this review. Everyone has a different taste preference and maybe I'm not tasting what others are tasting. Plus, when you get the starter pack, you get to taste it for yourself.
• Caffeine: None. Rasa has addressed whether their products are safe during pregnancy and breastfeeding or not here.
• Ingredient: Roasted chicory, burdock, & dandelion roots; eleuthero, Shatavari, he shou wu, codonopsis, Chaga mycelium, ashwagandha, Rhodiola, Ceylon cinnamon, & reishi extract (information found on their website)
• Price: $21 for a starter pack - One pack of original, cacao, and dirty. Each pack contains 4 servings (as of May 2020)
• Method of preparation: French press (requires 10-15 minutes brew time)
• Where to buy: Starter Pack by Rasa

Conclusion: what is the best coffee alternatives?

• Do you want caffeine? I'd go with Four Sigmatic's instant mushroom coffee with lion's mane.
• Do you want something similar like coffee to sip on without having to worry about caffeine? Go with French roasted chicory coffee.
• Do you enjoy having little coffee flavor to things like smoothie, latte, or mocha? I recommend the Dandy blend.

Hope you enjoy my review of coffee alternatives. I'd love to hear what you think. If I missed your favorite coffee alternative, please don't be shy to leave me a comment or send me a message. I am always down to try a new coffee alternative!!

Happy drinking, my friends!