I Heart Teeccino

A couple months ago I discovered Teeccino.  It's coffee flavored tea!  They are caffeine free and essentially gluten free, and use as many organic ingredients as possible.  Barley is the confounding gluten ingredient.  However, the teeccino website claims that most people with gluten sensitivities and even people with celiac tolerate their beverages which contain < 5 ppm of gluten in the average cup.  For reference, a food can only be labeled gluten free if it contains < 20 ppm. Teeccino also boasts added health benefits with their drinks such as fiber, antioxidants, potassium for heart health, and liver detoxification with the dandelion varieties. 

I first bought a box of the french roast sachets, and enjoyed drinking them at work in the afternoon during our long cold spring.  Now that the weather has turned cold again (after our short summer), I've started having cravings for of all things...hot chocolate.  Particularly in the afternoon between clients.  While stocking up on meat from Fresh and Natural yesterday I discovered the ultimate Teechino flavor.  BEHOLD--Chocolate Mint!!!  Unlike the sachet, you actually brew the loose grounds like you would coffee.  The combination of: carob, barley, chicory, dates, almonds, natural chocolate flavor, cocoa powder, peppermint leaves, fig, and peppermint oil makes this drink taste almost exactly like a Caribou Mint-Condition mocha.  But without all the sugar and gut bloating lactose!  And honestly,  I don't actually remember the last time I had a real latte or mocha.

Over the past month Ryan has been working on reducing his coffee/caffeine consumption.  He's gone from almost 1 pot of regular coffee, down to 2-4 cups of 1/2 caff or decaff per day.  As you might imagine, the first couple weeks were rather brutal.  His biggest complaint is that he LOVES the flavor of coffee and craves it after lunch.  Personally, I think his adrenal glands CRAVE the caffeine.  But what do I know?  :-)  

Any who...After cleaning out the shed/barn for 2 hours in the cold and wind, we warmed up by french pressing ourselves some minty teeccino.  I stirred in a tablespoon of organic heavy cream for added latte effect.  Mmmmmmm.....  Next time I will buy a bag of the unflavored variety for when mint flavor won't do.  For now though, this is totally hitting my hot chocolate and Ryan's coffee craving spot.  I also get the feeling that I'm going to be drinking a lot of it over the next 6 weeks as I wrap up my thesis.