This post has affiliate links in it but all thoughts and opinions are my own. If you use the code “CHICKPEA” on all of the Four Sigmatic links below once you checkout, you will get 15% off. A portion of those purchases I do make commission off of. Thank you always for your support and I hope you love this post and these drinks!
A few years back, I did a blog post around how I quit coffee for two months which you can read here. Since college I’ve always had an intense love for iced lattes and cold brew but half the time I consume both, I always feel anxious, jittery and 9x out of 10 hungry for something immediately after because of the caffeine alone. My hunger cues are off and I instantly want something savory to mask the sweetness of the creamy drink because I rarely can just drink plain black coffee.
During the last three months of being quarantined inside, I’ve surprisingly been drinking far less coffee than I have in the last 3 years. If you’ve been following me since 2017 when oat milk lattes came out, you’ll know how addicted I was and got them what felt like every single day. One of my favorite morning weekend routines used to be going to Intelligentsia Coffee (at the time that was the only place that had oat milk lattes – imagine that) at 7am and then heading to a 7:30am SoulCycle class next door. Talk about having your cortisol levels shot through the roof and your adrenals completely fatigued.. lol. Now that my routine has somewhat calmed down a bit (with not having a conventional 9-5 and being quarantined), I crave less high intensity workouts, significantly lower amounts of caffeine and overall the craving for coffee has really disappeared.
Probably a huge factor in why I most likely don’t crave it anymore is that I’m no longer going to coffee shops or meeting friends over coffee dates because well… we are all staying inside. More money has been saved that I now make my own drinks at home and even when I restock on my $25 matcha tin, it lasts me 3-5 weeks. Fun fact: Most matcha or lattes in the city cost anywhere between $5-8 for one drink out. Now you do the math! Of course I do miss those small moments of just sitting in a coffee shop and enjoying a drink, getting work done and chatting with a friend but at the same time, it’s been so nice to just make things my way, with my favorite products, much better than any shop around me could.
Now, if and when I crave coffee, I’ll make it myself in this cold brew pitcher I purchased off of Amazon. Not only is it stylish but also so functional and easy to use. It takes me less than 5 minutes to prepare and I always use filtered water, pop it in the fridge for 12-24 hours and I’m good to go. My coffee of choice is Four Sigmatic’s Ground Coffee with Probiotics through and through because of the added adaptogenic herbs that help make me feel my overall best in the morning. I originally was just sent their ground coffee to try at the beginning of quarantine after having tried their single serve packets last year and I became hooked. If you’re trying to quit caffeine or lower your intake, the packets will be your new best friend since they have half the amount of caffeine compared to a normal cup of coffee.
Will I fully ever give up coffee? Probably not. There are too many places I love in the city that do some coffee drinks SO well and quite honestly most of the same places do matcha terribly. And spending $4 on tea when you go out to meet a friend is not… well.. my cup of tea. However, I really think when it comes to caffeine and beverages that contain it, it’s important to listen to your body and really consider what you want vs. need.
While I love my matcha as an alternative to coffee, sometimes I want something that tastes exactly the same to earthy, rich, chocolatey coffee. When that’s the case, I love making dandelion root tea (I buy Dandy Blend from Amazon) or going for these two options: Four Sigmatic’s Chaga Elixir and Mushroom Cacao with Reishi.
Now you’re probably wondering – what are chaga and reishi why am I putting mushrooms in my coffee, but especially into my hot chocolate?
Trust me, I was hesitant at first too. I’m convinced I may be one of few people that LOVES mushrooms but even then, I still wouldn’t want to taste them in my drinks. But believe me when I say that none of Four Sigmatic’s products tastes like mushrooms you’re used to eating. A few friends have shared with me on Instagram that they despise mushrooms and love Four Sigmatic, so there’s a little testimonial for you that these really are delicious beverages.
Each medicinal mushroom Four Sigmatic includes in their products are all for different purposes. They categorize their drinks by the benefits: Think, Perform, and Chill. You also can shop by Coffee, Protein (yes, they make that too!), and Cacao OR by what you want your morning/evening routines to look like.
Chaga
For me, I go with the chaga during the day/afternoon and the hot cacao at night to unwind. It’s loaded with antioxidant properties to boost your immune system with a rich, earthy taste. The easiest way I like to consume it is making a chaga latte if you will by adding one packet of it to my blender with hot water, nut milk (or 2 tbsp of hemp seeds which pack iron and protein) and a scoop of collagen. You could easily toss it into a smoothie too but since it tastes like coffee I normally only do this if I’m making a smoothie with cacao, bananas, and/or peanut butter to combat the earthy taste with a bit of sweetness.
Reishi
As for the reishi, I’ve been using this adaptogenic mushroom for 2-3 years now if I make a drink before bed to help calm me down and relax me to fall asleep. I’m telling you.. It works WONDERS! I love putting a full dropper of my favorite Ned Hemp Oil in a mug with a packet of the hot cacao and normally fall asleep within 30-40 minutes. Four Sigmatic never uses fillers from the mushrooms and always extract just the fruiting bodies so what’s left is a powder. Reishi is known as “the queen of mushrooms” and offers stress supporting qualities.. Which is why I love it before bed.
You really can’t go wrong with any of their lattes or elixirs. They’re super high quality ingredients and absolutely DELICIOUS. The mushroom hot cacao with reishi does have stevia in it which normally bothers me but it’s so minimal you can barely taste it, thankfully! If you’re curious for an option JUST with coconut sugar, they have this Mushroom Cacao with Cordyceps. Cordyceps is great for before a workout or a long work day if you need an extra boost of energy. This one is stevia free which I had no idea about until I just saw it on their site earlier this week so… that will most definitely be added to my cart.
And did someone say SALE?! Let’s go!
Until this Sunday (June 28th), they’re doing a mini summer sale on a few of my favorite items from them and you can get 30% off a package bundle PLUS use my code “CHICKPEA” and you get an additional 15% off your order. A total win/win! They’ve always got sales going on for the most part (pretty frequently) but my code works on the entire site at all times… especially on their latte mixes, coffee with probiotics.. Ugh, so many good things! Don’t worry if you’re like me and want it ALL.
Happy summer sipping!
xx,
All photos by Lauren Nieves Photography
The post Two Mid-Day Pick-Me-Up Beverages That Aren’t Coffee appeared first on Chickpea in the City.
