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Coffee substitutes?

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NutmegCT

NutmegCT

Great Pumpkin
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As coffee prices continue going up (wholesale has doubled since 2020), I wondered if any BCF folk have tried alternatives. Prices for basic foods are getting ridiculous, basics seems to go up 10 to 30% all too often, and my retirement income has increased a whopping 2% a year. Tariffs and tariff threats aren't helping ...

There's no substitute for real coffee, but there are things like Pero, Postum, and others.

Any thoughts? Any acceptable alternatives?

Thanks.
Tom M.
 
I'm a lifelong Cuban coffee addict. 2 or 3 coladas a day, but about 2 years ago the morning dose started making me throw up. Took some getting used to, but I use hot tea now.
Bob
 
Bob - thanks for that. I'd never heard of a Cafe' Colada before.

twistedgoatcoffee.com

Colada Coffee: A Guide to Crafting This Cuban Espresso Delight

Join us on a journey of crafting the perfect colada coffee at home. Choose the right beans and learning how to brew the right coffee will help you make this rich and sweet Cuban classic. A must try!
twistedgoatcoffee.com twistedgoatcoffee.com

On my limited coffee budget, sounds like some experimenting is in order.

What tea do you like? I've become a fan of Tetley British Blend.
 
I am not at all advocating you try this (I wouldn't) but Mushroom Coffee is being heavily advertised on TV as an alternative to real coffee.
I have no desire to to try it... I'm going to stick to coffee for the time being.
 
NutmegCT said:
As coffee prices continue going up (wholesale has doubled since 2020), I wondered if any BCF folk have tried alternatives. Prices for basic foods are getting ridiculous, basics seems to go up 10 to 30% all too often, and my retirement income has increased a whopping 2% a year. Tariffs and tariff threats aren't helping ...

There's no substitute for real coffee, but there are things like Pero, Postum, and others.

Any thoughts? Any acceptable alternatives?

Thanks.
Tom M.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't even try any coffee substitute.
We have been buying Trader Joe's "the Perfect Cup" Dark Roast.
It comes as whole beans in a sealed bag and you can grind them when you buy.
That is the best economical coffee we like.
About $5 or $6 per bag.
 
Thanks gents. Steve - I'm interested in the Trader Joe option. I always grind my own beans in my Wrightsville Colonial #1707 hand crank mill.

How many ounces in that $5/6 bag?

TM
 
NutmegCT said:
Thanks gents. Steve - I'm interested in the Trader Joe option. I always grind my own beans in my Wrightsville Colonial #1707 hand crank mill.

How many ounces in that $5/6 bag?

TM
Click to expand...
13 oz.
 
There is no substitute.

Need_Coffee.jpg
 
Tom, Many years ago I worked with a Brit. She told me Americans don’t like tea because they don’t know how to make it. This ain’t the recipe but I remember the water has to be boiling to start with. Then drop in the tea bag, let it simmer, add a bit of milk and just a bit of sugar. She liked a particular brand of tea but since forgotten. After a few weeks I started the day off with tea instead of coffee. But the impetuous woman ran off with a young man and I switched back to coffee, black. We’re paying about $9.00 a pound now. But we’re one cup in the morning drinkers so it lasts a while. Greetings. Paul
 
Paul - thanks very much for that. I was hoping to hear from guys on what alternatives to coffee people might be using. I appreciate you taking the time to help, especially the tea technique!

I've recently put Tetley British Blend at the top of my list.

Tom M.
 
I will, occasionally, drink tea instead of coffee. I tend to lean towards Earl Grey and Irish Breakfast as my two favorites. I usually buy Bigelow or Twinnings. Several years back I dated a gal whose Irish grandmother would send her tea and it was very good, but I don't remember the brand, and I lost access to that tea when the relationship expired.
 
Britter said:
Tom, Many years ago I worked with a Brit. She told me Americans don’t like tea because they don’t know how to make it. This ain’t the recipe but I remember the water has to be boiling to start with. Then drop in the tea bag, let it simmer, add a bit of milk and just a bit of sugar. She liked a particular brand of tea but since forgotten. After a few weeks I started the day off with tea instead of coffee. But the impetuous woman ran off with a young man and I switched back to coffee, black. We’re paying about $9.00 a pound now. But we’re one cup in the morning drinkers so it lasts a while. Greetings. Paul
Click to expand...
As someone who is married to a child of British Immigrants - who is only a tea drinker (along with my kids) - boiling water gets poured over the tea bag in a pot. (bag shouldn't be dipped into water). She currently drinks Tetley but there are many choices. One of the issues with tea in the USA is that 80% of the tea in the country is for iced tea - which is a different recipe and use.


:D

Coming back to the original question. For now at least I will stick with real coffee. Many here likely know that coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world after oil. It passes through about 700 hands on the way to the table. I can't bear cheap coffee (Folgers Maxwell House etc) but rarely go for the real pricey options either. (I like Trader Joes). For me the big thing is that I don't consume the amount of coffee I used to. I used to go through a couple of drip pots per day - now I don't even own one. I have a Bodum and have only one pot a day.

I must confess that I have a Nespresso for an occasional afternoon coffee - which is about the most expensive you can get. (up into the $60 per pound range for individual servings). Recently I have started buying my pods at Home Sense - mostly because we don' have a Nespresso store in town and I can't be bothered with Mail Order but also because it is about half the price and good coffee - albeit with a more Italian espresso taste.
 
I buy all of my coffee at Costco. I did a little research and found that the Kirkland brand is actually Starbucks in a different bag. Like everything else at Costco, it comes in large bags so I bought a good storage container that seals well. The also have other brands at good prices.
 
DocDup1 said:
I buy all of my coffee at Costco. I did a little research and found that the Kirkland brand is actually Starbucks in a different bag. Like everything else at Costco, it comes in large bags so I bought a good storage container that seals well. The also have other brands at good prices.
Click to expand...
Before we dropped our Costco account we bought San Francisco brand.
Good flavor and the cost was better than everything available from supermarkets.
Last year we started doing 'the maths' and found Costco wasn't worth the trouble.
 
I generally go for tea over coffee because too much coffee tends to have other digestive implications not suitable for public discussion.

When I do have coffee I usually get some locally roasted/ground dark brew from the nearby coffee shop (convenient to work) or a specialty place down by the river. Its expensive but again it is more of a rare occasion treat for me than an every-day purchase so the extra cost isn't that much over time (I may go thru 1 pound a year).

My goto for tea is usally Twinnings English or Irish breakfast blend, although Tetley is a good choice as well. I like the darker/stronger flavors (Twinnings used to have a blackcurrant flavored tea I absoltely loved but have not seen in a while). I go thru a lot more of the tea than coffee - usually 2 16oz insulated travel mugs a day in the summer, in cooler weather 1 or 2 more in the evening.
 
YakkoWarner said:
My goto for tea is usally Twinnings English or Irish breakfast blend, although Tetley is a good choice as well. I like the darker/stronger flavors (Twinnings used to have a blackcurrant flavored tea I absoltely loved but have not seen in a while). I go thru a lot more of the tea than coffee - usually 2 16oz insulated travel mugs a day in the summer, in cooler weather 1 or 2 more in the evening.
Click to expand...
I haven't seen that black currant flavored tea in years. If they brought it back I would buy up a small stock pile.
 
Walt - good point. Many of the "blackcurrant" teas today are black tea with "blackcurrant flavoring". Sad. There are several blackcurrant flavored teas still on the market however.

When I lived in England about 30 years ago, I was always guzzling Ribena - blackcurrant soft drink, and real blackcurrant teas.

ribena.co.uk

Ribena - The home of the original much loved blackcurrant soft drink

Feeling a bit fruity - There’s Ribena few changes round here…
ribena.co.uk ribena.co.uk

TM
 
Was weaned on dark roast coffee and chicory from age 9-ish on, a la Cafe' du Monde. Gradually dispensed with the hot milk - black only. Works for me! If the spoon doesn't stand up in the cup it ain't right! :devilgrin:
 
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