“How do you even function?” If you’ve ever met a non coffee-drinker, chances are you uttered these words while having an internal meltdown over the thought of a coffee-deprived existence. And if you’re a non coffee-drinker, you’ve probably had to reassure plenty of espresso devotees that life is just fine without the daily caffeine hit.
Drinking coffee is part of our national identity. Around three-quarters of all Aussies have at least one coffee per day and a third guzzle three or more cups to get through their day. But things are shifting. It might seem hard to believe, but coffee consumption in Australia has actually declined a little since its peak in 2016. Even so, we still collectively churned through 112.5 million kilos of coffee beans last year.
You see, people are becoming mindful of their caffeine consumption and are exploring alternatives. So here we’ve rounded up some options that won’t give you heart palpitations if you have one too many. Some of these drinks are health tonics, while others are good enough to replace a mid-week dessert. A couple will even give you a gentle buzz.
It might seem hard to believe, but coffee consumption in Australia has actually declined a little since its peak in 2016.
1. Golden Milk
This comforting elixir is used in Ayurveda for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It’s sweet, spicy and creamy, and you can play around with the recipe to suit your tastes. To prepare, pour 2 cups of your favourite milk into a small saucepan. Then add 2 teaspoons of turmeric powder or sliced fresh turmeric, a grind of black pepper and a 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon powder or a whole cinnamon stick to the pot. Mix until the milk simmers, taking the pot off the heat before the milk boils. Stir in a teaspoon of honey and dust with cinnamon if you’re feeling fancy. You can add other spices to this too, like cardamom and fresh ginger, and some recipes also suggest a teaspoon of coconut oil. The fun part is playing with the mix until it’s exactly to your taste.
2. Hojicha
This is a roasted green tea from Japan, and it’s so low in caffeine that the Japanese drink it before bed and are happy to give it to their kids. This versatile tea is delicious hot or iced – and if you’re handy in the kitchen, it also makes a great cooking ingredient for ice-cream, cookies and bliss balls (there are loads of recipes for these online). While hojicha is technically a green tea, its flavour is more like a light black tea thanks to the roasting process. The great thing is that this tea doesn’t go bitter like some green teas. Even though this tea is Japanese, most specialty tea stores stock it, making it easy to find. To prepare, steep 1 tablespoon of tea leaf per cup at 90˚C for around 3 minutes. Don’t have a temperature-controlled kettle? Either flick the kettle off just before it boils or open its lid and wait for a minute or so before brewing. To enjoy hojicha chilled, use room temperature water instead of hot water, and leave it to steep in the fridge overnight. It’s delicious as is, or you can serve it with sliced peach.
Some of these drinks are health tonics, while others are good enough to replace a mid-week dessert. A couple will even give you a gentle buzz.
3. Matcha Latte
Need a morning pick-me-up? Try another Japanese tea: matcha. Not only will it give you a buzz, but matcha also gives you a greater hit of antioxidants than any other green tea because matcha powder is a finely ground tea leaf that gets mixed into your drink. This means you consume the whole leaf, unlike other teas where the leaves are discarded after brewing. It’s a good idea to buy ceremonial-grade matcha, as lower grades can be a bit too grainy for drinking. There are now quite a few Australian tea brands specialising in matcha, and many of them make flavoured matcha blends to try. To prepare a matcha latte, whisk 1 teaspoon of powder into a small amount of water heated to 80˚C. You can either drink your matcha as is, or add this base to 1 cup of hot milk (then sweeten with honey if you wish).
4. Yerba Mate
This is another energy-boosting tea that will give you a refreshing buzz when you need it. Yerba Mate is a herbal tisane high in caffeine; it contains less caffeine than a cup of coffee, but more than a standard black tea. This South American beverage is the national drink of Argentina, where everyone from bus drivers to office workers devoutly carries a flask of mate to work to keep them alert through the day. This tea can be a bit of an acquired taste, so you can either sweeten it with sugar or honey, or look for a tea blend. A growing number of tea brands are now making flavoured energy blends with yerba mate, and these are suitable for both hot and cold brewing.
5. Sticky Chai
Sticky chai takes your chai game to a whole new level. It’s a chai blend tossed in honey, which means it’s really sweet and makes your chai creamier. You can also find vegan sticky chai pretty easily now, which is made using rice malt syrup instead of honey. For a milky chai, put your favourite milk on the stove to warm, being mindful not to let it boil. Meanwhile, add a tablespoon of the chai mix to a teapot or large mug, and just cover with boiling water to kick-start the steeping process. Once the milk is warm, add it to the chai, infuse for up to two minutes and strain. When you’re trying to be good, sticky chai is a satisfying substitute for dessert or a 3pm chocolate fix. And in summer, you can chill your chai with a few ice cubes as a substitute for iced coffee.
6. Sparkling Rooibos
Rooibos is a popular herbal tisane that hails from South Africa. Because rooibos has a full-bodied flavour and is caffeine free, coffee drinkers often prefer it to green or white teas. Even though rooibos is delicious hot, its slight sweetness makes it ideal as the base for cold drinks. You can simply cold brew the rooibos and enjoy it as is, but you don’t have to stop there. To make sparkling rooibos, cold brew 2 teaspoons of rooibos per cup of water and leave in the fridge overnight. When you’re ready to serve, sweeten the rooibos with sugar syrup or agave and add a dash of soda water. This is your base, and now you can get creative with flavour additions – try raspberries, mint and a lemon wedge, or ginger, lime and pomegranate juice.
