Rachael Davis
Kicking off your day likely involves a bit of sleep inertia followed by a semi-uncoordinated coffee brewing and a desperate chug of the stuff to get you ready for the waking world. There’s no shame in it, and there’s growing evidence to suggest that coffee’s actually pretty good for us.
However, if you’re looking to cut back on the caffeine, we’ve got a great alternative for you to try.
It’s recommended that you stop ingesting caffeine around 10 to 12 hours before bed to ensure it doesn’t interfere with your ability to nod off, so if you’ve got a hankering for a hot beverage in the mid-afternoon you’ll need something non-caffeinated to scratch the itch.
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Alternatively, you might have started developing caffeine-related anxiety, headaches, or blood pressure issues, in which case that morning coffee might do more harm than good. Instead, you could go for a red espresso to fulfil the ritual without pepping up your nervous system too much.
Red espresso is made with caffeine-free rooibos leaves ground into a powder and then pressed with boiling water, much like an espresso. You’ve likely already seen rooibos tea knocking around, and if you’ve tried it then the red espresso’s aromatic and sweet qualities will be very familiar.
Speaking to The Takeout, coffee expert Matt Woodburn-Simmonds said: "Red espresso is something I've made a few times, mostly out of curiosity.
"It tastes nothing like traditional espresso. Red espresso has a sweet, strong, aromatic tea flavour that is almost reminiscent of milky chai without the warmth of the spices.”
He continued: "The milky coffee drinks, such as a latte and flat white, are quite nice with red espresso, as they're not wildly dissimilar to chai or matcha lattes that are extremely popular. The milk rounds out the rooibos flavour and gives a rich and sweet drink that can be very enjoyable.”
You don’t need to invest in any special gear to make a red espresso at home, provided you already have a coffee maker.
"You can brew red espresso with a French press, AeroPress, moka pot, or even a Nespresso machine," said Woodburn-Simmonds. "The method is pretty similar to brewing coffee in any of these devices, making it easy to try out."
One of the hardest things about giving up a habit, such as a morning coffee, is losing the ritualistic routine of it. Ask anyone who’s given up smoking roll-up cigarettes and they’ll likely say they miss rolling the things more than smoking them!
With that in mind, substituting your morning coffee for a red espresso might do the trick for cutting back on the caffeine, keeping your ritual, and getting a tasty drink out of it to boot.