to think there should be an alternative hot drink to tea and coffee

[Annnabellla]

i don't like tea and recently gave up drinking coffee thinking that it wasn't doing me any good healthwise.

Problem is what do i drink now? Tried hot water with non sugar sweetner which was nice enough but woke up with a muzzy head. I'd like just to be able to drink water but its so dull. Don't like any of the coffee substitutes - ideally would like a squash type liquid to put with hot water but don't want to fill my body with crap and rot my teeth.

Most flavoured drinks hot or cold have additives or dental risks via sugar, caffeine, acid, tannin, artificial sweeteners and so on. The key is to drink lots of plain water and a moderate amount of your chosen hot drink. I like fruit teas or hot water and lemon all without sugar but I don't drink them all day, the acid wouldn't be good for my teeth.

wine

Liquorice tea is good - has a natural sweetness without rotting the teeth and tastes great.

I used to enjoy plain hot water once I'd been drinking it for a while. It took a few days to get used to it, though. Are you giving the alternatives you've already tried a chance, ie, having it for a few days, rather than once and rejecting?

Lemon with hot water over is nice too

I like a slice of lemon and some root ginger in hot water. I wouldn't bother with the low sugar squashes unless you you are really worried about sugar levels, there are some great cordials out there like Bottlegreen, Belvoir and Pixley Berries.

I often have a mug of miso soup from the sachets mid morning, in winter.

I like Crabbit's idea. Switch to Mulled wine and you won't give a shit about your teeth or anything else for that matter

Or is the 'muzzy' head because you've just quit coffee and you're going through caffeine withdrawal?

Rooibus/red bush tea is lovely and doesn't have that lingering after taste that tea and coffee leave.

There are lots of lovely flavoured green teas out there but like someone else said, Twinings green tea is not good. You can also get rooibus flavoured with vanilla etc to sweeten it.

Also if you're trying herbal or fruit teas, make sure you're brewing it according to the instructions, otherwise you can scald the herbs/over brew which makes it taste awful.

TattyDevine

Hot squash
Mulled wine Great call, Crabbit
Whittards do some lovely instant fruit teas which I find better than the fruit teabags.
Hot chocolate...

I like Pukka Three Mint Tea, it's delicious and i hated normal mint tea before i tried it. I also love proper Jasmine tea, it's very tasty. I use one like this with a tea dunker
www.tea-and-coffee.com/jasmine-tea-with-flowers?gclid=Cj0KEQjw75yxBRD78uqEnuG-5vcBEiQAQbaxSMLks8PelcLRV0h7VrwDVb79QLS-Ti1rFVhC6meszFoaAvaP8P8HAQ

Or mulled wine?? Mulled cider? Hot apple juice.

I'm pretty sure the muzzy head is to do with th e artificial sweeteners in the squash I've been drinking - have had rather a lot.

Caffeine withdrawl is long gone.

Thanks for all your suggestions.

Yet another vote for Lemon & Ginger tea here, or peppermint at a pinch.

I usually get the muzzy head but have no problems with Tesco squash. Tastes better than a lot of brands in my opinion. Ginger green tea I find vastly superior to normal green tea - can be made by mixing a green teabag and ginger teabag as well, which would be stronger faster.

Watching thread with interest.

Bazillions of options.

Try Teapigs - their mint & liquorice is heavenly beyond description.

teapigs

How about a splash of lemongrass and ginger cordial? It's going to be very dilute so not loads of sugar and no nasty artificial sweetner.

Or just, you know, hot Vimto/Ribena or whatever.

Personally I love red bush tea with milk. I also like Indian spiced tea but also with milk. Have you given up dairy op? Because if you haven't I have loads of suggestions!

Robinson's isn't v nice but there are lots of nice hi juice squash flavours. If you want sugar free Sainsbury's own avoid aspartame.

Fruit tea isn't sugary, is it? I thought there was basically nothing in fruit teas except a nice smell.

Pukka do a great range of 'tea' and all the ones I've tried have a really good taste, unlike some of the very wishy-washy fruit teas you can get.

I have never drank tea or coffee, I drink a lot of water when I get sick of it though, I take a dash of apple and blackcurrant squash in it. When I'm sick of that I like diet 7up and occasionally I like a sugar hit and drink Lucozade.
In the winter sometimes Id drink hot chocolate but only with the kids. Sometimes a small glass of OJ in the morning but not often.

Second teapigs. I love their winter spiced tea

When I started reading this I was racking my brains trying to remember the hot drink that the Mormon parents of an ex-boyfriend (over 25 years ago) used to drink as they didn't touch caffeine as part of their beliefs.

Thankfully someone mentioned it so I won't spend all day trying to recall what it was .... Barleycup.

it was horrible

I'm no fan of ordinary tea and coffee. I'll have the occasional coffee but it does tend to give me a woozy head - I assume that's the caffeine as I'm not used to it.

I drink mainly green tea, which tastes nothing like normal tea. Much less bitter, just like a pleasantly flavoured hot water really. Not sweet either. I also tend to buy mine from Lidl, it's 69p for 40 bags I think and you can choose from either plain green tea, green tea with lemon or green tea with jasmine. They also do a range of other herbal & fruit teas.

Apart from that I drink sugar free lemonade or water but mostly wine.