SmarterFitter Blog Less diet, more brain

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Way too much coffee.
But if it weren’t for the coffee,
I’d have no identifiable personality whatsoever.
- David Letterman

I never intended for my caffeine-free stint to last forever. I like coffee. I like tea. I especially like chocolate! I simply don’t like being dependent on caffeine.

Yesterday, just one-day shy of my four-week caffeine-free anniversary, Tim and I found ourselves at Rory’s for brunch. Rory makes exceptional coffee. He’s got a super-badass espresso machine but that isn’t what makes the coffee so special. Rory pays loving attention to every cup of coffee he makes, from the roast to the grind (which he does himself) to the tamp to the steamed milk. If I was going to break my caffeine fast, there is no place I’d rather do it that at Rory’s over one of his superb coffees.

Rory’s signature coffee is a “flat white”, a popular beverage in his and Tim’s homeland of New Zealand. A flat white is generally made with 1/3 espresso and 2/3 steamed milk, where “the volumised milk is prepared by folding the top layer into the lower layers”, or so Wikipedia tells me. Rory might have his own method, or he may have written that Wikipedia entry himself. I wouldn’t be surprised!

As the resident American in the room, I opted for an Americano with a splash of milk.

Yes but how did it feel?? At first it felt, well, tasty. Nothing special. Ain’t no thang. But after cycling home I found myself intensely WIRED. I forgot what it feels like to have a caffeine high. I can’t say it felt terrible, but it also didn’t feel great. I found it impossible to concentrate or sit still. I couldn’t get any work done so I went for a walk, then cooked, and finally had a beer and a glass of wine, which seemed to take the edge off.

I could see the odd coffee being a good thing if I were, say, on holiday and were about to spend the day galavanting around town, where concentration wasn’t such an issue. Of course, if I went back on caffeine regularly, the buzz wouldn’t happen because I’d be immune again. But that’s not something I plan to do. Yesterday’s coffee doesn’t have me jonesing for another cup. But it does remind me that it’s okay to enjoy caffeine once in a while. It’s a quality of life thing, and once in a while, especially on a sunny Saturday and with good friends and tasty food, it’s important to enjoy the moment and just be.

One of the things I miss most about coffee and tea is the simple, delightful ritual of having a hot beverage that goes well with milk (and cake!). To fill this void, I’ve been seeking out non-caffeinated teas that also do nicely with milk. Here’s what I’ve found so far. Can you add to the list?

Rooibos

Afrikaans for “red bush”, rooibos (pronounced “roy-boss”) is popular in South Africa where it is commonly sipped with milk and sugar. I skip the sugar because I’m just not that kind of girl, and rooibos already has a sweetish taste as-is. I like that it’s low in tannins, saving me from that funny dry-toungue feeling that results from too much black tea (or wine for that matter). Several tea companies sell rooibos, including Tick Tock and Dragonfly. Some even do funky things like combine the rooibos with dried fruit, vanilla, almonds, and all kinds of flavor variations. But nothing beats a cup of pure 100% rooibos.

Ingredients of rooibos tea: 100% rooibos (aspalathus linearis)

Yogi Tea

I have recently discovered Yogi Tea’s “Spirit” line of teas, which include Mexican Sweet Chili, Egyptian Licorice, and Moroccan Orange Spice. Do you get the impression that they spun the globe around and picked a location at random to brand these ridiculously named teas? Even so, I’m a fan. The Mexican Sweet Chili is my favorite so far. You can get a free sample on their website.

Ingredients of Mexican Sweet Chili tea: Organic Licorice Root, Organic Cocoa Shells, Orange Peel, Organic Ginger Root,Organic Fennel Seed, Organic Anise Seed, Organic Cinnamon Bark, Natural Tangerine Flavor, Natural Orange Flavor, Organic Cardamom Seed, Organic Clove Bud, Organic Cayenne, Organic Black Pepper

Dandy Blend Faux Coffee

It’s been a few years since I tried Dandy Blend but it certainly left an impression. This is what I wrote about it in August, 2005: The Herb Bar, true to its name, also has an entire room of herbs and teas. I was blown away. I sampled an amazing coffee substitute called Dandy Blend, made with roasted roots of chicory, dandylion and beets and roasted grains of barley and rye. An impressive beverage, though I think I’d rather miss the caffeine kick (a kick in the head is more like it, but how else could i possibly manage my current stint as a morning person?). It’s funny reading old stuff like that. Particularly the bit about my “stint” as a morning person. Here I am, three-and-a-bit years later, writing blog posts at 6a.m. on a Saturday, and without the aid of coffee OR Dandy Blend (but I do have a pot of rooibos by my side).

Ingredients of Dandy Blend: soluble extracts of roasted barley, rye, chicory root, dandelion root and beet root.

It’s old news now. I’ve been caffeine free for three weeks as of yesterday. The cravings are gone and I haven’t been missing the “ritual” of afternoon tea now that I’ve embraced rooibos as a black tea alternative. The best part about all this? After about two weeks without caffeine, my sleep quality suddenly improved substantially. I still wake up about once during the night, but that’s my own fault for insisting on having a comforting mug of tea right before bed (in bed, with a good book!).

The benefits of improved sleep seem to be filtering into all of my other daily activities, most notably push-ups! I had a couple weeks back there where I just felt constantly lethargic, the push-ups felt impossible, and I kept having to repeat weeks because I wasn’t progressing. Then last week I suddenly felt stronger and more energetic and I’ve finally graduated to Week 3 of the one hundred push-ups program. (I’ve also re-introduced protein smoothies to my diet, which may also be playing its part.)

I wasn’t sure if I’d stay off caffeine but now that I’m passed the danger zone and feeling good, I don’t feel hugely compelled to go back. I do miss the occasional coffee, and I confess to having a mug or two of decaf which is not 100% caffeine free. But for now I’ll just stay off caffeine completely and enjoy all this wonderful sleep! Zzzzzz.