A Healthier Replacement for Coffee and Your Breakfast Cereal? Teeccino and TeeChia Is Here

If you’re like me, you might find your morning coffee to be a bit of a religious experience. One you just don’t feel right without. One that makes you a better person. One that just feels (and tastes) heavenly. But we all know that more than a cup or two of coffee a day probably doesn’t make us feel our best, and — I don’t know about you — but if I logically think about my need to have coffee in the morning, I certainly am a bit taken back by how truly addicted I am to the ol’ Joe. And while I’m not ready to give it up 100 percent (I do limit myself to just one morning cup at most) yet, we just got sent something that I think could help me cut coffee out altogether. Say hello to Teeccino.
Caffeine-free and non-acidic Teeccino is an “herbal coffee,” that’s not really coffee at all. Although you can brew it just like coffee, it’s actually made of carob, dates, figs, barley (except the Dandelion varieties), cocoa, ramon seeds and almonds, which give it a deep, rich and slightly sweet flavor that is coffee-like without the caffeine. Alkaline and certified gluten-free, Teeccino also has inulin from chicory root in it that’s supposed to help support beneficial microflora that improve digestion, regularity and intestinal health. And, again, it’s about as close to the taste of coffee that you can get without it actually being coffee.
And, you can enjoy Teeccino in quite a few different ways. They have “tee-bags” in all kinds of yummy flavors — Vanilla Nut, Dandelion Dark Roast, French Roast Organic, Hazelnut.

You pretty much make this stuff like you would tea!

Dunk the tee-bag a few times, let sit and bam! A cup of coffee-like sweet deliciousness that’s not really coffee. But is an awful lot like coffee.

You can also buy grounds of the stuff and brew it in a drip coffeemaker, espresso machine or a French press. I was immediately drawn to this Mocha Medium Roast as an after-dinner treat.

Because there is a little naturally occuring sugar in Teeccino, it’s not calorie-free.

But 20 calories for a third of a French press of chocolaty coffee? Um, I’ll take it. (And I’ll take photos of it. See accidental selfie.)

Love how dark and rich it is, too. I’m certainly a texture person when it comes to food, and Teeccino results in a thick, rich brew that’ll satisfy most coffee lovers.

And if you have any leftover (hard to imagine, but possible), it’s also amazing iced. I had the Dandelion Caramel Nut iced, and it was darn-right crave-worthy. If you like your coffee with milk and sugar, knock yourself out, but for me, it had a gorgeous natural sweetness to it that made it feel like a treat. And if you’re not going for a sweeter coffee, try one of the French Roast or Dark Roast options — they’re, for sure, the most black coffee of them all. And also damn delicious.

Wanting something to pair your Teeccino with? Try the company’s new nutrient-dense cereal: TeeChia (they like their “tees!”) that they also sent us. We tried the Blueberry Date, a blend of organic chia, flax, quinoa, amaranth, ramon, pumpkin seeds and gluten-free rolled oats mixed with dried blueberries and dates for sweetness (but not too much!).

Made of plenty of superfoods, 1/3-cup serving with 200 calories may seem like not a lot of food for the calorie bang, but it’s very filling and incredibly nutritionally dense. Just look at those numbers on healthy fats, protein and fiber! (Also, check ingredient list: Dang clean and no added sugar.)

It’s quick to “make,” too. Just pour your 1/3 cup of TeeChia in a bowl.

Then add 1/3 cup cold water or 1/2 cup hot water, mix and let sit for a minute. As it sits, the chia and flaxseeds absorb the liquid, and then you can top with yogurt or, like I did, a little unsweetened vanilla coconut milk. Again, it was good. Chewy, filling with a nice slighty sweet flavor. The pumpkin seeds and dates were particularly yummy in it!

So, yeah, Teeccino and TeeChia kind of blew our minds. While I don’t think I’ll be having TeeChia every morning for breakfast, it’s certainly a nice change to the usual smoothie — and I can see it as a nice post-workout or evening snack. And Teeccino? Well, you may be giving my ol’ morning cup of Joe a run for his addictive money…
Do you drink coffee? Find it addictive? Would you swap your usual breakfast eats and drinks out for these? —Jenn