Hot bloody buggering drink options ..... or lack thereof

[ScottOfTheArseAntics]

For various tedious and irritating health reasons this year I have slowly had to wave goodbye to caffeine (sob), dairy (blub) and alcohol (gibber).

After several months I am slowly getting used to not having a morning caffeine hit and instead I am drinking caffeine free herbal teas which are all watery and insipid and boring and the liquid equivalent of eating a polystyrene ceiling tile.

Currently in my cupboard I have redbush, chammomile, fennel, nettle, jasmine, green, decaf Early Grey, a dozen different fruity Twinings teas which all taste the shagging same and peppermint, which I kind of like but can't tolerate on my stomach - oh the irony.

Anyway. AIBU for thinking there are no hot drinks which can hold a candle to a delicious bubbling hot, creamy, sugary cup of propert coffee ?

Can anybody recommend and alternative hot beverage. Has anybody actually tasted a herbal or fruit tea that really hit the spot?. Please, please let me know. I am desperate.

No.

some caffeine free coffees are really not too bad

I like cordial made with hot water too... far better than bland teabags.

I've been told hot ribena is lush.

Fruit gteas in my opinion are awful and certainly no comparison to coffee. But if you can't have caffeine or dairy, you are limited. Unless you have decaf coffee with soya milk?? This would definitely be where I was going if I were you. I haven't had caffeine for 2 years and I started to not miss it very quickly. Now decaff coffee is totally normal for me.

get one oxo cube and loads of ground pepper. Add hot water and hey presto. Perfect for cold winter mornings / evenings.

Bovril

Ooh now I'm going to have to go and have one myself!

I second hot Ribena! And I actually drink raspberry leaf tea out of choice as I think it's lovely. (may only be the brand though, and can't remember what that is!)
Chamomile tea with honey in is quite nice sometimes. And apparently that Oaty milk stuff is nice in coffee?

the only erbal I rate these days is Pukka three ginger tea it is lurvely and I drink it in the evenings to cut down on normal tea intake... when I was ill I drank gallons.

Yes to hot ribena! Honey and lemon juice? DH likes redbush tea.

Raspberry and echinacea flavour herbal shit is quite nice. I drink quite a bit of that flavour.
A hot vimto is always tasty.
You can also get decaff ordinary tea like tetleys if you don't like the taste of the fruity stuff and you want the feeling of a real cuppa.

YANBU to think there is nothing better than a proper cup of fresh coffee.
YABU to want it with cream and sugar though. Bleurgh!

Any kind of squash can be made with hot water. I love hot orange or lemon squash.

Lemon and ginger tea is nice. But then I like most of the ones you mentioned, so my opinion may be worthless here...

Is decaff coffee no good for you?

I am sorry, I forgot to mention, I am also off sugar (health reasons) so hot cordial is off limits. I don't do aspartame (personal choice) so sugar free hot cordial is also a no-no. I feel embarrassed writing it down and in RL I try not to tell people about all the things I don't consume for fear of getting the face and being accused of being finnicky.

So far I have avoided decaf coffee in case it sends me down the slippery slope and I start adding sugar. However, I suppose if I can take herbal tea without sugar I can try decaf coffee too with unsweetned soya milk (frugal emoticon).

My mum makes hot drinks using whatever stock cubes she's got in her cupboard.

See, I like some of the twinings one; also the Sainsburys herbal teas can be quite nice. They used to do a lovely, zingy lemon one.

What kind of a new eating/drinking regime are you on pray-tell that forbids all of the above? Just curious like

I love hot orange squash with Honey in it. Really comforting and yummy.

I also love this www.sainsburys.co.uk/groceries/index.jsp?bmUID=1319722181011

Its spicd berry flavour and you can have it hot or cold, but its only nice hot. Again, I sometimes add honey if a cold is brewing

It's surprising how quickly you can get used to drinks without sugar - give it a go!

Bovril and Oxo - sounds good
Pukka - three ginger is added to the list.

Thanks all for replies so far.

Has anybody tried Dandelion coffee. I've eyed it up in Holland and Barret but never dared. Barley cup makes my throat swell so that's out.

Oh sorry, xpost, I'm no help to you

All herbal derbals taste like warm, weak squash to me.

Carob powder or Horlicks made with rice milk is pretty good. Get ye to Holland and Barrett.

seconding hot ribena and hot honey, lemon and ginger (fresh though not the herbal tea bollocks)

Although I know what you mean about the creaminess - I tried all those light versions of ovaltine, horlicks etc and actually the chocolate light ovaltine was fine you only add water not milk. Prob got all sorts of other crap in it you don't want though but it hit the spot when all I wanted was a creamy sugery coffee

Barleycup with soya milk. It's not completely revolting.