02-05-2025
Top 8: Low-caffeine hot drinks that taste good and may have health benefits
AS Feelgood celebrates its 25th anniversary, I am proud to say I have been part of it from the first edition. From the start, I've sought out products with minimal processing and outstanding flavour.
This week, I am exploring unusual and intriguing hot beverages that are low in caffeine but offer an interesting experience. We have looked for drinks that taste good and may have health benefits. Cheerful Buddha Lion's Mane Mushroom Green tea (15 bags €6.49) is an example. Said to be good for the brain, increasing serotonin and dopamine, which can reduce anxiety and depression, but we found it lacked taste.
We liked Yerba Mate CBSé Frutos de Bosque (a good value at €6.50 for 500g) from Three Spoons in Market Parade, Cork—an example of a good, tea-free fruit tisane.
We can make delicious tisanes economically at home. Add a few branches of fresh thyme to a teapot, then add boiling water and infuse for 5 minutes. Drink as it is (it has savoury, almost meaty flavours) or add a slice of lemon, lime, or honey.
Do the same with Scots Pine needles, which are available to buy (€2.50/bag) from the Robinson Farm stall on Cornmarket Street, Cork, every Saturday — a refreshing, warming drink that may help with spring colds and coughs.
Clearpring Organic Japanese Kukicha 90g €5.97
Pictures: Chani Anderson.
Organically grown roasted green tea twigs, stems, and leaves are first steamed, rolled, dried and aged before being roasted to reduce the caffeine content. Simmer with water in a saucepan for three minutes for a smooth, slightly rich, nutty flavour and aroma with none of the tannic edge of black tea. Delicious. Also available in teabags. We bought in Quay Co-op, Cork.
Score: 9.5
Daffee Date Beans coffee 125g €5.99
Made from 'upcycled date beans', this drink contains nothing else and is caffeine-free. Already ground, it's suitable for coffee plungers and drip machines. We used a plunger and tried it black and as a frothy cappuccino. Both worked well, though the milk seemed to bring out the hint of date best. Otherwise, it tastes just like coffee.
Score: 8
Sonnentor Turmeric Latte 60g €5.10
The blend of 53% organic turmeric, cinnamon, 15% ginger, cardamom and black pepper is delicious. A good mix of spices which have various health benefits. While it may seem expensive, a 2g level teaspoonful makes a full cup when added to your choice of milk. We bought in Quay Co-Op Cork.
Score: 9
Cotswold Roasted dandelion coffee 100g €4.77
Just dandelion root here in branchy bits, which can be put into a coffee grinder to use in a percolator or coffee machine. We used an Aeropress and got a very good result when we added frothy milk. Black, it was less interesting, but tasters found little difference between it and regular coffee. From health food shops.
Score: 9
Teapigs Lemon & ginger in fusion 15 bags 37.5g €4.95
No tea here, just 65% ginger, 25% lemongrass, 5% lemon peel, liquorice root. Deliciously fresh and vibrant with no sting from the ginger. A well-balanced product.
Score: 8.5
Twinings Heartea 20 bags 40g €5.39
Nettle, hibiscus (24%), apple pieces, raspberry and other natural flavourings, rosemary, beetroot, honey, blackcurrant and thiamine make a pleasant, light drink (with no taste of nettles). Good as an iced tea in the months to come. Hopefully, it's good for the heart, too, as the name suggests.
Score: 7.75
Chikko Not Coffee Organic Roasted Lupine 250g €6.99
These lupini beans are often salted and used as a snack with drinks. Here they are ground to make a caffeine-free drink, which is nutty and interesting.
The lupin bean contains good fibre and protein, which could help lower cholesterol levels. We also liked the brand's Instant Chicory (150g €6.15), which, unusually for an instant coffee, has no additives, just ground chicory root. Good as cappuccino. From health food shops.
Score: 9
M&S Defence 20 bags 40g €3.75
Warm flavours of orange and lemon, ginger, black pepper, with dried manuka honey added to help combat summer colds further. Of all the M&S offerings in this category, tasters liked this one best; the lemon and ginger version also went down well. This just edged out Niks Tea hemp chillout (15 bags, €5.75, Tesco), which contains rooibos, Tulsi herb, lemon balm, and more. Irish and worth trying.
Score: 8.75
