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Tea School  /  July 19, 2019  /  Updated October 1, 2021

What to Choose When You Want to Switch from Coffee to Tea + GIVEAWAY!

by Tea Cachai

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I’ve made it my personal mission to help coffee drinkers find teas they like, after being asked for advice so many times about what tea to choose when you want to switch from coffee to tea. I find a lot of coffee drinkers who say they want to stop drinking it for health reasons but they need something to replace it with. Most of them don’t know where to start or feel discouraged about tea because they’ve never tried a good one, except for chamomile (which is not an actual tea btw).

(***Update: Giveaway closed)

What to choose when you want to switch from coffee to tea(Please note this post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you if you click through and make a purchase. I only recommend products I’ve tried and liked. Thanks for supporting my blog!)

The majority of tea consumed in the West is poor quality tea in tea bags. Just like wine, there’s the flat and cheap boxed wine, and there are complex, elegant and expensive wines. The same goes for tea. Many exclusive coffee drinkers have only tried low-quality tea and aren’t impressed (I don’t blame them!).

Hopefully, this post will be a guide to help choose better tea for those looking to switch from coffee to tea or just wanting to expand their options. Always choose loose leaf and use a simple tea strainer to brew.


RELATED: Basic Tea Tools to Get Started

What tea to choose when you want to switch from coffee to tea

‘What do you like about coffee?’ After questioning many coffee drinkers, I got a few answers about why they drink it. Some said because they like the taste, some because they need the caffeine, others mentioned that it’s a staple in their routine and some said they only drink it because they like a hot drink in the morning and it’s their go-to.

Switching from Coffee to Tea

Why do some coffee drinkers want to switch to tea? Some people need to switch for health reasons and others don’t want to quit coffee but they just want to expand their horizons or go for something healthier. Most health reasons are due to the side effects of caffeine in coffee like insomnia, agitation, upset stomach, increased heart rate, to name a few.

To Replace Caffeine

Tea has less caffeine than coffee and it doesn’t cause a crash after the big energy boost that coffee does, instead it provides a steady energy boost and alertness. This is because the caffeine in tea is released more slowly due to its chemical composition. Also, tea has an amino acid called l-theanine that induces relaxation without any sedative effects and paired with caffeine, it helps increase focus and attention. 

Matcha is always my top recommendation for people wanting to switch from coffee to tea and need caffeine because it has high levels plus many health benefits. Because we ingest the entire leaf instead of drinking just an infusion, a cup of Matcha delivers all the nutrients (10x more antioxidants than regular green tea) and caffeine content of the green tea leaves used to make it. 
These are my favorite Matcha: Matchaeologist Misaki for traditional style Matcha and Meiko for lattes, Ippodo is a great one too and Encha sachets are the best to take on-the-go.

Although Yerba Mate is not exactly tea (doesn’t come from the Camellia Sinensis plant), it’s another good alternative to replace coffee and get enough caffeine. You can drink it South American style or you can also brew it as a regular tea. Some options to try are traditional Mate, roasted Mate or a flavored blend.

Pu-erh and Black tea are also good alternatives to get caffeine. They work well with milk too. Zest Tea claims to have teas with 3x more caffeine than regular black, that’s 150 mg of caffeine per cup and they do this by enhancing it with natural tea extract.

In terms of numbers and for reference, this is the average caffeine content of an 8oz cup of different drinks (based on averages found online):

-> Coffee (regular brewed) has around 100-150 mg of caffeine.
-> Yerba Mate (3 gms) has around 95 mg of caffeine.
-> Matcha (1 tsp) contains close to 70 mg of caffeine.
-> Ripe Pu-erh has between 60-70 mg of caffeine.
-> Black Tea has between 50-90 mg of caffeine.
-> Oolong‘s caffeine levels can vary depending on its oxidation, but it can range from 10 to 75 mg.
-> Raw Pu-erh contains between 30-45 mg of caffeine.
-> Green Tea contains around 30 mg of caffeine.
-> White Tea mostly contains low levels of caffeine between 10-25 mg but some have up to 60 mg.
-> Herbal Tea has 0 caffeine.

To Drink During Your Break

For some, coffee is a staple in their routine and they drink it during their break at work, meeting friends or in their alone time to relax. 

What tes to choose when you want to switch from coffee to tea

Speaking of time, unrelated and because I know you’re wondering, I wanted to tell you about my new wood watch. My Jord (pronounced Yode) has a very unique style and you can see its good quality and craftsmanship from a distance compared to other wood watches, which I’ve always found to be so cool but often low quality. A few things I love about this brand is that you can engrave the backplate for free when you order, they size the watch band to the recipient and they have free worldwide shipping! If you’re wondering, I got the CASSIA women’s wood watch in olive & aegean blue. 


If coffee is your go-to and you want something healthier, here are my recommendations for different times of the day:

-> Morning: If you put milk in your coffee, you might want to try a tea latte or a Matcha latte. Some of my favorite options for lattes are Hojicha latte (low caffeine), Matcha latte, some flavored black tea latte (I love a chocolate black tea latte) and Chai latte.  

If you prefer to have a straight drink, then you might want something with more caffeine like a strong and bold Assam, a traditional style hot Matcha or a Ripe Pu-erh. If you can’t have caffeine then you can go for a Rooibos or even a dark roast Hojicha (very little caffeine).

-> Afternoon: A classic Earl Grey, a good Green tea (to aid digestion), a Raw Pu-erh or a Light Oolong. 

-> Evening or Night Time: I tend to stay away from heavily caffeinated teas after 5 pm and I often go for herbal teas. Some herbal teas can even promote relaxation and help get a good night’s sleep. How does Chamomile tea while reading a book sound, right before bed? Other great herbal teas for night time are Lemon Balm, Lavender, Peppermint or a nice sleepy tea blend.

RELATED: Make Your Own Night-Time Herbal Tea Blend
 

If You Love The Taste of Coffee

Compared to tea, coffee has a stronger roasted flavor with a full body. Some people love more complex flavor notes and like to discover different coffee from different regions.

For those who like complex flavors and have a more developed palate (which is totally trainable!), I recommend exploring different types of raw Pu-erh and Oolong. Good quality ones can be steeped multiple times getting different flavors and notes from every steep. 

Oolong is the tea type with the most varieties within it because the levels of oxidation during processing may vary from 10-80%. It is a great tea type to explore and fall in love with. Some people get samplers to discover a range, which can be a good starting point.

If you love how coffee tastes, then you might want to try some teas that have similar flavor characteristics like earthy, woody and roasted notes. Another aspect to consider is body. Many coffee drinkers prefer full-bodied teas. I recommend you to try the following:

Taste -> Ripe Pu-erh, Dark Hojicha, Russian Caravan. If you need something that tastes like coffee but has zero caffeine, you might want to try roasted barley (I really liked this one!).

Body ->Breakfast Blend, Ripe Pu-erh, Assam.

 

You will never find a tea that tastes exactly like coffee, but that being said, when you switch from coffee to tea you might find a tea or several ones that you love. Try different, good quality teas and you might be surprised. You might even fall head over heels in love with tea… that’s my hope!

Stay connected and make sure to subscribe to the blog for lots of tea information, recipes, coupons (for many of the recommended teas in this post) and ideas. Thanks! 

This post was made in collaboration with JORD
Enter the GIVEAWAY to earn a $100 Jord gift card. 

 

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What to Choose When You Want to Switch from Coffee to Tea

How to SWITCH from COFFEE to TEA

What to Choose When You Want to Switch from Coffee to Tea

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1 comment

  • Halmari Tea
    August 16, 2019

    Thank you for all of the useful information. Like all the points you have made. Also, make people more aware of this wonderful drink.

Comments are closed.

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⚡️Right now is the time to get your Tea Advent ⚡️Right now is the time to get your Tea Advent Calendar if you haven’t already!⁣
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🗓️Like every year, I curate a list with my favorite picks of the season. I have selected advent calendars in many shapes and price points and even suggest an option to DIY!⁣
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📷Pictured is @adagioteas ‘s loose leaf advent calendar (they also have a teabag option). I especially recommend it to those of you who LOVE blends! #gifted⁣
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✅If you want to check the full list of my picks, it’s in the link in bio 😉. If you get one, let me know which one you chose!⁣
Enjoy!
💚Another fantastic @naokimatcha Matcha!⁣ ⁣ 💚Another fantastic @naokimatcha Matcha!⁣
⁣
This new Aozora Matcha 🍵 is organic and comes from the Isagawa region in Shizuoka 🇯🇵.⁣
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I followed Naoki’s recommendation and prepared it at 150• F 🌡️ (always sifting the powder when adding it- it makes a big difference to avoid clumps).⁣
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The resulting Matcha was great! Super smooth, with toasty and vegetal notes. Slightly sweet, but more Umami with a hint of bitterness-but pleasant, deep flavor! 👅 ⁣
Probably not a Matcha for beginners as I would tend to recommend a sweeter option, but definitely a great one to try for more advanced Matcha drinkers. #gifted 
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➡️ Do you like sweeter or more umami/stronger Matcha?
✨Let’s talk about blends?⁣ ⁣ For a long ti ✨Let’s talk about blends?⁣
⁣
For a long time I only drank straight, unblended tea and couldn’t do any elaborate blends (or flavored tea). I slowly started to open up to trying more blends, although I can still only do Black tea and Rooibos blends (and maybe some very specific White blends). I discovered that I’m a big Earl Grey fan and can’t do fruity teas at all… ⁣
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Sometimes the question is, how do you explore blends without having to spend a lot💰 on full sized teas to figure out what you like?⁣
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I recently tried the @amodatea subscription for a few months, which mainly focuses on blends and I had a great experience! You get 4 samples per month which you can choose from a wide selection. The amount per sample is enough to drink at least 4 cups. ⁣
I got to try several Black tea blends (I really liked one that’s called Vanilla Cola despite desliking cola drinks) and some Rooibos blends which were great too.⁣
The teas are all from small tea companies and every month there are new teas added to the pool to choose from, they have great options! I even got Hojicha powder! #gifted⁣
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💡 One of my favorite things to do with flavored Black teas are lattes, have you tried some?⁣
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🫖 What kind of blends do you enjoy the most?
*Posting slightly late* but is there anything bett *Posting slightly late* but is there anything better that fresh Green Tea? I got this Anji Bai Cha from @mastersteas and I am so grateful for it 🙏🏼💚. (I absolutely love their teas and selection)⁣
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✨Anji Bai Cha is a green tea from China, from: you guessed… Anji County. It is very valued amongst tea enthusiasts because it is a rare tea and can only be processed during a short window due to the cold temperatures of Anji County.⁣
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🌱It is a light, smooth, sweet and refreshing tea with vegetal character and slight nutty/citrusy notes.⁣
Since it’s a light tea, it can be easily brewed ‘grandpa style’ 👴🏻* where you can observe the gorgeous bright and wiry leaves moving around. I recommend brewing it at 175 F.⁣
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💡I often get the question asked, what tea do you recommend? Well, here’s a good one! (#gifted) ⁣
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*Don’t know what grandpa style is? It’s when you pour water over the leaves without any kind of filter/strainer and leave them in while you drink your tea.
💚 If you’ve had the chance to try a good, fre 💚 If you’ve had the chance to try a good, freshly picked Sencha, you know how special it is… And if you haven’t, I hope you get excited about it when I tell you more about it, and try to get your hands on some asap!

This *perfect* Shincha is from @ippodoteausa and it’s a real treat!

🔎The second you open the bag with the tea leaves you are drowned by its sweet, sweet candy aroma as you encounter the beautiful deep dark green needle leaves.

🫖There are many ways to brew this tea, it is an amazing option for cold brewing or koridashi (🧊ice brewing resulting in a concentrated flavor), but if you plan to make hot tea then I would recommend not going over 160ish•F since it’s a very delicate tea.

🌱The result will be a yellow-greenish liquor with fresh grass and vegetable aroma. Its taste is very complex offering a balance of sweetness, astringency and umami. It can also feel brothy, while still refreshing.

🙈I have older Sencha that has been properly stored, and although it doesn’t really expire, it looses its freshness. So if you can get fresh Sencha make sure you make the most of it and don’t feel bad to drink it all in no time! 😜 Every year I try to get freshly picked green tea because I know how special it is 🥰
✨Focus time means Matcha first, always! (Do you ✨Focus time means Matcha first, always! (Do you have a ritual for focus time?)

Today I tried this wonderful new Matcha 🍵 from @naokimatcha (🥰). It’s from a single tea field in a mountainous region in the Shizuoka Prefecture.

👃🏻- It has a delightfully fresh, sweet yet veggie aroma, which made me want to dive in and try it immediately, it captivates you from the start!
👄- As soon as you try it, you notice the very smooth, creamy texture and some deep umami and edamame notes pop up.

Great Matcha makes great froth too 💚, and I love that!

✔️- Overall, absolutely loved this Matcha and would encourage you to try it too!

✨ Where was I? Right… back to focus time!
🙌🏼 A short break. I stopped within the rush 🙌🏼 A short break. 
I stopped within the rush of my day and I took some time to sip and appreciate my tea 🧘🏻‍♀️ 🙏🏼.

💫I chose @herbsandkettles Assam Golden Needle for this moment (sometimes the weather drives me to a certain tea, and today’s Florida winter ☀️ called for a not too strong Black Tea)
➡️ This tea is made from buds only which have a beautiful caramel color and aroma. I brewed it at 195 F for 4 minutes ⏰.
This tea has a full body and mouthfeel yet it’s very smooth and has almost no astringency. You can taste some fruity and cacao notes, some woodiness and a hint of spices. It has a long lasting aftertaste too.

✨The range of variety within a tea type is mesmerizing. Once you get deep into tea you never want to stop trying new varieties! Anyone with me?🙋🏻‍♀️
🙋🏻‍♀️ I often get asked what's the bes 🙋🏻‍♀️ I often get asked what's the best way to sweeten tea, and I guess the right answer is whatever works for each person! ⁣
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Personally, I only add a little Monkfruit when I drink lattes, but I drink unsweetened, unflavored tea most of the time.⁣
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For a special treat 🎁 , I sometimes make naturally flavored simple syrup. I was #gifted this travel electric kettle with temperature control by @buydeem_global and I love that you can use it to infuse too because of the strainer on its lid. ⁣
It has 3 temperature settings and 3 timer options to hold the temp.⁣
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🌹 I made a honey rose simple syrup by boiling water, then steeping the rose petals for 7-10 minutes in the kettle, and combining the steeped rose tea and honey (1 part each). I immediately used it to sweeten my Earl Grey Latte (aka 🇬🇧 London Fog!).⁣
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The kettle is perfect for travel and moving it around, and the 60•C temp is perfect for making Japanese Green Tea (and I love that it holds the temperature so I can use it instead of my thermal bottle). The only downside is that it takes a bit longer to boil water, but the practicality of it is unbeatable!

If you ever do so, what’s your favorite way to sweeten your tea?
✨Advent Calendar season is almost here! (You sti ✨Advent Calendar season is almost here! (You still have time to get yours if you haven’t for this year).⁣
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Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, it is a great opportunity to try different teas  and explore from several companies who offer them (if you not into the countdown, wait for after season sales!).⁣
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💓 I have my favorites for this year ➡️ (link in bio!). ⁣
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Did you get one? If so, which one did you get or are excited to try?
⚡️*𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐓*⚡️ (pay $1 for shipping)⁣
⁣
I don’t think I can live without Matcha 🍵(can you?).⁣
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🤔 If someone came to me and asked if I would like to try GREAT quality Matcha for FREE, heck yes I would! ⁣
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For real, if you want to try 3 different and excellent types of Matcha from @naokimatcha for FREE (just pay $0.99 for shipping) go to the link in my bio (𝘯𝘢𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘢.𝘤𝘰𝘮/𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘦/𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘢-𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘳-𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘬) and order with the code 𝐍𝐀𝐎𝐊𝐗𝐓𝐂𝐂. ⁣
You’ll get 3 sachets of different blends: Superior Ceremonial Blend, Fragrant Yame Blend, and Chiran Harvest (my favorite! So smooth, with a buttery texture, and sweet, nutty, umami flavor)⁣
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Great for drinking on their own, in the morning or for that post-lunch slump (my energy pill 💊 !) or for making a hot or iced latte. ⁣
💡Share with your friends so they can try it too!⁣
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I personally love, drink and recommend @naokimatcha a lot and love collaborating with them because they have really good Matcha 💚 if it’s good, I gotta spread the word!⁣
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Lmk if you’ve tried any of these blends
A new tea book is out and it’s by my friend Nico A new tea book is out and it’s by my friend Nicole from @teaformeplease !! 🎊🎉⁣
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I’m super happy to be one of the first to get this book (you can get yours on Amazon - release day May 17th).⁣
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✔️ It’s full of super fun tea based drink recipes and some baked goods too. You can find iced, hot, lattes, cocktails & mocktails and boba too. It’s a great book for tea lovers who would like to explore more ways to enjoy it and learn how versatile tea is. ⁣
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If you’re building a tea book library 📚 , this one is a must, and a great book to gift to any tea lover 💜.⁣
⁣
🔥 Congratulations again Nicole on this amazing achievement!
Over a month into Spring 🌸 and I can see my te Over a month into Spring 🌸  and I can see my tea preferences starting to change. I’ve been drinking fresher feeling and more cooling teas, such as green, lightly oxidized Oolong, etc. (Here I’m enjoying a lovely Dragonwell green tea).⁣
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Now that I live in FL, so many people ask how can I drink tea with the heat, but when inside I’m always always drinking tea, same as before! Still, cooling teas can be great to regulate body temperature and even reduce the perceived heat 🥵.⁣
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💝 Love serving tea to friends who come by my place for any reason. This lovely kettle + cups set is from @kitchen_kite and I LOVE it. It has a big stainless steel infuser to steep the tea and 4 delicate double-walled glass small cups to serve tea. So elegant! (It is also stovetop safe and dishwasher safe) #gifted ⁣
⁣
What have you been drinking this Spring?
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