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.

Peanut Choco FTW

PG have a range of fruit teas and they're lovely- I really like the red berries and the blackcurrant.

Twinings do a tea bag pick and mix- it's perfect if you want to try something new without buying a whole box. www.twinings.co.uk/tea/pick-mix

I'd go for the mulled wine or mulled cider option personally.. Although 'muzzy head' could be a distinct possibility.

I've recently been enjoying wine this of an evening: spiced chai latte

I always used to assume latte was coffee, which I hate. I was wrong...every day's a school day!

Well latte just means milk - ask for latte in Italy and you'll just get a glass of milk! Caffe latte is milky coffee, dolcelatte cheese means 'sweet milk', etc etc. So a tea latte is just tea with lots of foamy milk.

I just remembered tonight - instant fruit teas! Aldi/Lidl do nice ones, lemon/peach/berry flavours, or for something a bit more naice the Whittard ones are lovely. Turkish apple tea is also nice if you can stop giggling at it being called Lezzo

Peppermint and Licorice tea. Like mint tea with a lovely warming afterglow of slight sweetness.

I've never liked coffee or tea - of any kind - hot chocolate is always disappointing and can't bear the taste of milk , so the only hot drink I have is Ribena. Don't think I'd like the spiced one though as I hate mulled wine too

I don't like any bagged herbal/fruit tea, they always smell nice but taste really disappointing. However dd and I have discovered that there are some really good mixes which don't have artifical flavourings or ground up stuff in them. We usually buy from David's Tea which is Canadian but I'm sure there are UK equivalents. We always try some in the store before buying them as some mixes taste really strange.

Currently I like Taste of Zen and Mighty Aphrodite.

We also have lots of different green teas, including a few Japanese varieties which have a very different taste to Chinese green tea.

Cold water wise we like to add fruit slices to cold water and infuse for a while, makes a nice subtle juice flavoured water.

I also make cordials (no nice squashes here). Last year I made mixed currents, rhubarb and ginger, elderberry, elderflower and apricot cordials. They all have a fair bit of sugar but no other 'baddies'.

You have to get high quality fruit or herbal teas for them to have a good taste. Normal brand ones taste of nothing! Teapigs is the best.
Also horlicks!

Sake tastes good warm. It might relax you to sleep though.

What about hot cider?

Twinings bollywood chai, green tea with gingerbread, root ginger in hot water are what I have most often. I hate coffee and normal tea.

Bottle Green Spiced Berry Cordial -hot - yum !

Picked up some of that salted caramel green tea. It smells amazing and tastes meh.

Perfect description of those fruit and flavoured teas.

I was almost tempted to buy some the other day in Lidl as they had some lovely sounding ones in their "luxury" range but remembered that no matter how nice they sound or smell they always taste meh.

Peppermint is the only one I occasionally drink.

Tea made from the actual tea plant (not its name) is completely different to most herbal teas.

Basically you get black tea, green tea, white tea, oolong tea, all made from the same plant but fermented differently. Black tea is stronger, green tea more astringent, blah blah. All nice in their own way and sometimes you get these teas with an added flavouring. Green tea and peppermint is nice or chai black tea for example.

Rooibos/Red bush is made from a completely different plant and has no caffeine. It has its own particular flavour that is nice and mellow I think - go in with no expectations! I don't brew it for too long. One firm does a vanilla rooibos that's quite nice.

Many herbal teas taste a bit 'meh' because the flavours aren't that strong unless they're the powdered/sweetened type (Which I would avoid), but if you try a few different sorts you can work out which ones you like. Peppermint tea is great if you are feeling a bit nauseated - I leave the tea bag in so it gets as strong as possible. I liked chamomile when I was pregnant too. I find fruit teas a bit weak for me, so tend to avoid.

If you don't like tea or coffee and have written off herbal/fruit teas I would try Rooibos next.

I'm currently drinking a tea called Cold 911. It's made from peppermint, apple and jumper berries and it's very powerful tasting, clears out the sinuses pretty effectively! Non traditional teas can have plenty of flavour, but just like tea bag tea, tea bag herbal infusions are in general not very high quality.

I'd recommend rosehip tea with half a teaspoon of xylitol or yacon syrup to sweeten.

Or dandelion coffee. Buy a box of roasted dandelion roots from a health-food shop. Crush with a pestle and mortar and drink and make in a cafetiere.

Nettle tea is quite refreshing.

I also recommend Yogi teas- spicy and well flavoured unlike other herbal teas I have tried- the liquorice one is lovely

Pukka peppermint and liquorice, as a pp said. My favourite.

I don't like any fruit/herbal tea with an added "flavours" - but there are many blended herbal "teas" that are amazing.

As others have recommended Pukka, and Yogi brands are very good. I also like Celestial Seasonings, Dr Botanicals and many others. Go to a health food shop and they should have a good selection to try.

My personal fav is nettle tea - though it is not to everyones taste.

Personally I avoid the mainstream tea brands that have released their flavoured products trying to get into the herbal tea market - PJ Tips and mint - no thanks.

Lidl does a nice vanilla rooibos.

Barleycup

Hot Beefy Bovril! (said in hearty Chris Bonnington voice for anyone over 40. I add either a teaspoon of horseradish sauce, or a bit of lemon juice. It's absolutely gorgeous. (Marmite will do as a substitute, but only if absolutely desperate)

Alternatively, Miso soup is heaven in a cup.

Hot Ribena My mum used to make me drink this with honey when I had a cold. The thought of drinking it now, makes me feel quite unwell!

Red grape juice with hot water.

Oh, and go to a Whittards.

Fennel, peppermint, rosehip - the last one with a teaspoon of honey
Camomile and vanilla - think it's Twinings
Yogi Liquorice tea. I tried some of their others (the rose one sounded lovely) but they were all grim, and got sent to work with DP
Cocoa made with a heaped teaspoon of cocoa, topped up with boiling water and milk just like making a cup of tea (isn't so cloying as when you make it with all milk)
Same method with Ovaltine (but you need about 4 spoonfuls)
Hot orange juice although I imagine that a lot of this would dissolve your teeth
I used to drink hot jelly when I was a child. Still would if I wasn't already fat enough.
Miso paste mixed with hot water - I drink quite a lot of that if I'm doing 5:2
Stock cubes/oxo - very Chris Bonnington
Like the idea of hot water and peppermint oil
Recently got into fresh ginger in hot water

I agree with everyone who says fruit teas are generally pretty disappointing but must say cold blackcurrant tea or (I think it was) raspberry tea does work if you leave the bag in for half an hour first.