All products featured on Epicurious are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links.
There are people out there, people with incredible willpower, who don't drink caffeine—opting for grain, mushroom, and herb-based alternatives to coffee instead. Sometimes it comes from a fear of becoming addicted, sometimes it's because of concerns about insomnia, blood pressure, insulin resistance, acidity, and exacerbating anxiety. Luckily, coffee alternatives have come a hell of a long way since they were first developed in the 1890s (read: they don't suck anymore). Here are five that actually taste like the real thing (well, as close as you're gonna get).
1. Dandy tea blend
Epi's senior editor, Anya, is in love with this drink, which looks like instant coffee, smells like instant coffee, but is made of...roasted barley, rye, chicory, and dandelion root. (Dandelions, besides being a pesky weed, are surprisingly really good for you.) While the serving suggestion yields a weak cup, the taste is a little burnt-caramel-y and not bad at all, especially with a slash of milk or cream.
BUY IT: Dandy Blend, Instant Herbal Beverage with Dandelion, $29.99 on Amazon
2. Four Sigmatic chaga mushroom elixir
This company is making their caffeine-free alternatives to coffee with chaga mushroom powder—chaga mushrooms are those weird black things that grow on birch trees. Weird, maybe, but this is a cult favorite coffee replacement. I found that it tastes surprisingly similar to coffee, and regular drinkers insist that it imparts some sort of mental clarity. Oh, and it's got antioxidants, and the packaging is pretty. Sign me up.
BUY IT: Four Sigmatic Chaga Mushroom Elixir, $28.49 on Amazon
3. Teeccino
The ingredients in the super-popular Teeccino include roasted carob, barley, chicory, and organic ramon seeds, which all have a robust, rich, coffee-like flavor. Reviewers on the website are all mind-blown by the taste, saying it's almost indistinguishable from the real thing—and you can prepare it however you would normal coffee grounds (in a French press, a pour-over, etc.)
BUY IT: Teeccino French Roast Organic Chicory Herbal Coffee Alternative, $21.35 on Amazon
4. Postum
Postum, which is made of wheat bran, is kind of the OG coffee alternative—their tagline is "the hot beverage with warm memories." It's got a dark, sugar-y flavor, and has been a hit with kids—so if you're hesitant to let them join in on your morning coffee routine, it's a good option.
BUY IT: Postum, $16.99 on Amazon
5. Ayurvedic roast
Ayurvedic Roast's coffee is made of barley, rye, chicory and ashwagandha—which is one of those obscure ingredients that has become an inexplicably huge Instagram trend for smoothie bowl–makers. The website isn't afraid to claim that it's the "world's best coffee substitute," and their tagline is "closest taste to coffee."
BUY IT: Ayurvedic Roast, $16.95 on Amazon
Now that you're off the hard stuff, you'll need to do something with all those coffee filters. Not to worry: we got you. And if you're still hooked on coffee, our coffee coffee coffee cake (yup, there's three forms of coffee in there) should hit the highly caffeinated spot.
All products featured on Epicurious are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something through our retail links, we may earn a small affiliate commission.
