Coffee & Caffeine

njspratt

How do you like your coffee? I am a total takeaway coffee fiend, which, as well as being expensive, is also eating into my daily calorie count! I've got into a bad habit of buying a takeaway coffee on my way to work - usually from Greggs (due to the price and loyalty card!) or Costa (I prefer Costa to Starbucks).

I've been reading a forum post about different options on here, but it's mainly American and I don't know what they're referring to by "creamers" and "K-Cups", so thought I'd post in a British group! Some people were talking about putting butter(!) and coconut oil in theirs which doesn't sound right!

I (and my bank balance) need an alternative! I've tried Nescafe Azerra Latte. I'm not really a big fan of filter/"plunger" coffee. Any suggestions?

I (and my doctor) would prefer a decaf option if poss. I try to limit myself to one "caffeine hit" a day and drink decaf tea the rest of the time.

Custardapple

Half coffee half de-caff with frothy milk and a bit of nutmeg on the top. Tend to get Lidl Expresso coffee in a tin because it seems good and is very reasonably priced. However, am sticking to herbal teas for the next two weeks because of adverse caffeine effects. I just wanted to think and write about coffee. Cafe Nero is good too especially the café frappé

MeanderingMammal

I just drink mine black, but I know what you mean about Starbucks, it always tastes scorched to me.

From a practical perspective I carry a small tub of granules in my briefcase to work, that controls my intake as well as being more cost effective.

Can't do decaf though.

shelleycolton

Hi,

I'm similar i look forward to my 1 hit of caffeine most days; at lunch i pop out and have my small skinny cappuccino; I am never very happy if they don't have skinny milk, the cals get a bit much. Its like my dessert, plus the calcium from the milk cause i dont really like milk much (yes I'm the strange one that has water on cereal!). The rest of the day I have decaf. I think about the £2.50; I could save if i could resist but i do look forward to it! My fav is Caffe Nero and then Costa; Starbucks is alright I find their Caps a bit more like a latte too much milk for me.

itsfruitcake

Maybe try and reduce the number of times you hit the coffee shop - go every other day, then just twice a week, then just once a week as a treat. Put the saved money in a piggy bank (2 pounds a day perhaps for every day you don't buy a coffee) and then go and buy something fun for yourself!

The whole "I need caffeine" thing is psychological, once you're off it for a few weeks you won't notice. It's more about the habit of going to the shop, buying something nice and warm... very rewarding. You could make your own decaf tea as you suggested, and get one of those reusable mugs (I've got one called "Hug Mug" ) so you can make a tea in the morning and have it on your way to work.

njspratt

You're so right about it being a "habit". I would always buy it on my way to work. Last week I started a new job and whilst there is a Costa nearby, they don't offer skinny lattes and it's not "on my way" to work. I've got one of those reusable cups from Starbucks and I've been making my Nescafe Azera in it each morning instead. I've just started on Kenco Caffe Latte - I think I prefer Azera, but I've got a box to work my way through now!

Thankfully, the nearest Greggs is about 5 miles away as it was sometimes very easy to have the bacon roll & latte deal for £2! ;-)

BEEUK

You can get low cal Creamer too to make your coffee appear more indulgent. Or cheat by adding rice or almond milk instead of full fat cream. It tastes a lot 'thicker' and more like high fat content coffee.

You can also have a faux protein laden mocha if you add Choc protein powder to your coffee, best done in a blender! I've done this with the Cafe Noir Instincts and it's like a Starbucks Mocha.

Inkratlet

Maybe try and reduce the number of times you hit the coffee shop - go every other day, then just twice a week, then just once a week as a treat. Put the saved money in a piggy bank (2 pounds a day perhaps for every day you don't buy a coffee) and then go and buy something fun for yourself!

The whole "I need caffeine" thing is psychological, once you're off it for a few weeks you won't notice. It's more about the habit of going to the shop, buying something nice and warm... very rewarding. You could make your own decaf tea as you suggested, and get one of those reusable mugs (I've got one called "Hug Mug" ) so you can make a tea in the morning and have it on your way to work.

Caffeine is physically addictive, it's not just psychological.

I dropped caffeine completely a few months ago, had headaches for about a week but feel 100 times better off it than I did having one or two coffees a day. I drink peppermint tea or water. I feel more awake now than I did when I drank caffeine, but that might also have something to do with sleeping so much better.

cat_g_83

I have "accidentally" given up caffeine for a couple of days a few times. I found the headaches very hard to deal with. I am a Starbucks lover and I get a filter coffee with a shot of sugar free vanilla syrup. I then add a slug of skimmed milk. It's about 40 calories and gets me my sweet and caffeine hit.

itsfruitcake

Yep I get caffeine withdrawal headaches as well when I've had loads for a while, but they don't last more than a few days. I was more referring to the fact that people claim they can't function without coffee which in my opinion is habit more than anything else and wears off after a short time.

njspratt

I am a Starbucks lover and I get a filter coffee with a shot of sugar free vanilla syrup. I then add a slug of skimmed milk. It's about 40 calories and gets me my sweet and caffeine hit.

I might give that a try next time I'm there or in Costa. Never really been a filter coffee fan, but then I've never tried a syrup in it before.

I don't know if it's the caffeine I like or like was said before the actual act of buying it. I know that probably sounds mad, but it became like a daily "ritual" for me. I'd ensure I was early into town for work so I had time to go and get my coffee. I'm only drinking one cup of caffeine a day, the rest of the time it's de-caf all the way. The majority of places now offer a de-caf version and I'd always go for that if it was available.

Now I've started a new job, I'm getting my hit by making those "barista-style" coffees myself at work in a Starbucks reusable mug. They're nice, but not the same as the shop-bought coffees!