How to cut back on coffee or quit altogether
Introduction
By volume of raw product, coffee is the most widely traded beverage, even though it causes problems for many drinkers. This article looks at how you can gradually cut down on coffee, step by step, and eventually give it up altogether.
Contents
- Why drink less coffee?
- Side effects
- How to drink less coffee and then give it up altogether
- Conclusion
1. Why drink less coffee?
If you want to drink less coffee, it is probably because you experience pain or general discomfort after drinking it.
This is not uncommon and can be traced to certain properties of coffee, which we’ll look at in more detail shortly.
First, though, ask yourself why you drink coffee.
Is it for pleasure, or to feel more alert? If you drink it for pleasure, you don’t have to give up coffee completely; a small change may be enough. Find out more in our article “Drink less coffee without giving it up”.
If you drink coffee to feel more alert – for example, to perform better at work – there are much better ways to do so, which may also be healthier and cheaper. Our blog has plenty of articles to help you decide, including comparisons of the top five natural energy drinks and caffeinated teas, as well as our detailed free e-book comparing well-known caffeinated drinks. You can add it to any order or download it from the newsletter.
2. Side effects
We’ll also cover the side effects of coffee in another blog article.
The most common side effects of drinking a lot of coffee over many years are:
- Heartburn
- Racing heart
- Restlessness
- Stomach rumbling
If you experience any of these side effects, you should seriously consider not only drinking less coffee but giving it up altogether. We explain how in the next section.
3. How to drink less coffee and then give it up altogether
3.1 If you drink coffee for pleasure
There is no exact substitute for your favourite coffee. You may have heard of lupin coffee, Caro coffee and the like, but the truth is that they taste quite different, so they are not a direct replacement – and they contain no caffeine.
Caffeine is also not what causes stomach problems such as heartburn. Consumed in the right form and amount, caffeine does not cause side effects; it has many benefits instead.
The best alternative is a coffee blend made from professionally hand-roasted beans and guayusa leaves. Hand-roasting matters because industrially roasted beans are heated too intensely, and the roasting compounds, in addition to coffee acids, can affect the stomach negatively. Guayusa leaves are a good fit because their flavour is very mild and does not overpower the original coffee taste. Guayusa also contains caffeine – more than coffee. Learn more about guayusa in our article “What is guayusa tea?”.
With our coffee and guayusa blend, you can drink 50% less coffee from one day to the next without giving up the pleasure of it. Guayusa is alkaline and balances out coffee’s aggressive acidity; it also counteracts other unpleasant effects of coffee, such as a racing heart and restlessness.
The beans used in our blend, like the guayusa, come from Ecuadorian biodiverse organic forest gardens. They are hand-roasted and have already won several awards for the best international smallholder Robusta coffee. Find out all about our development process in “A new variety – guayusa tea with coffee”.
Your stomach and clear head will thank you. You can order our coffee and guayusa blend from our shop. That way, you can drink 50% less coffee without making compromises or giving it up completely.
3.2 If you drink coffee to feel more alert
If you drink coffee to feel more alert, you probably have several cups a day and may also experience some of the side effects listed above. Coffee is also considered a so-called nootropic. We explain what that means and why coffee is one of the least efficient nootropics in our article about modafinil, Ritalin, NZT and alternatives.
With coffee, the feeling of alertness is caused almost entirely by caffeine. Chemically, caffeine is largely unbound in the coffee bean, so it can act particularly quickly. This often leads to a racing heart, restlessness and scattered thoughts, similar to drinking energy drinks.
You can now drink considerably less coffee by trying our 50/50 guayusa and coffee blend, or you can give up coffee completely.
If you want to stop drinking coffee altogether rather than simply cut down, guayusa is a particularly effective and efficient pick-me-up. Guayusa is the world’s most caffeinated leaf, with up to 7.6% caffeine – far more than coffee, matcha, guarana and mate tea.
Its unique ingredients mean it does not cause a racing heart, stomach problems or scattered thoughts. Instead, you feel alert, focused, relaxed and energetic at the same time.
The Indigenous people of Ecuador use guayusa before hunting and field work. They say, “Guayusa sharpens the senses, focuses the mind and strengthens the body!”
Guayusa is also easy to prepare like tea. If you use our guayusa powder, you can even make it like coffee in a moka pot, coffee machine or dripper.
4. Conclusion
Drinking less coffee or giving it up altogether is often easier said than done. For some, it is the taste that makes coffee hard to give up; for others, it is the stimulating effect.
But once side effects such as a racing heart, stomach problems and restlessness become too much, it is time at least to cut down on coffee.
Guayusa offers the best alternative to coffee: it keeps you pleasantly alert for a long time, boosts physical performance and is gentle on the stomach because of its alkaline effect.
The varieties with the strongest effect are PURE, DARK and PURE-POWDER. For anyone who wants to drink less coffee but not give it up, our guayusa coffee blend is the best alternative.