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I’ve decided to say goodbye to my old Cup of Joe. He’s met me too many mornings and now he’s getting greedy with my afternoons. I’ve loved coffee since I was a kiddo but it’s time to see how I’ll feel without caffeine flowing through my veins. If you didn’t read The 5 on Friday devoted to what was once my favorite cuppa, please check it out here:

http://housewifeinhollywood.com/5-pop-culture-cups-of-joe/

Now on to new horizons, or at least a different perspective while watching the sunrise.

Teeccino

This caffeine-free herbal coffee has an interesting flavor and an aroma reminiscent of my dad’s old pipe tobacco. It can be brewed just like a Cup of Joe so you can still have that percolating habit in the morning. Every time I try to quit caffeine the first thing I miss is the coffee aroma and sounds of the coffee pot. Could be one too many Folgers Waking Up commercials but I love the routine of waking up to a hot, just-brewed beverage.

Teeccino has lots of great health benefits including potassium, and soluble fiber. It also helps restore alkaline balance and because it’s rich in inulin it can help improve digestion and absorb calcium and minerals.

Teecino comes in a variety of flavors. I think I’ll try Hazelnut next.

Postum

Postum was created in 1895. Yes, 1895!

If only I could find a retro commercial with the Postum invisible cartoon ghost named, “Mister Coffee Nerves”. I read he would appear in the ads to people suffering from coffee’s negative effects. Of course the people in these commercials always gave the instant beverage Postum a try and they’d say goodbye to irritability, insomnia, and of course “lack of athletic prowess”. This would send Mister Coffee Nerves running.

Click here to see a printed ad of Mister Coffee Nerves in action.

You can’t get Postum these days, it was discontinued in 2007, but we can look back at the history of coffee alternatives with a smile.

Roastaroma

This full bodied tea by Celestial Seasonings  is the ultimate tea trickster. It has a bold taste and dark thick color that can fool even the most caffeinated of coffee drinkers to sit and relax with a nice cup of herbal tea.

“This full-bodied, caffeine-free alternative to coffee has been a trusted favorite for more than 30 years. With the robust flavors of roasted chicory and barley, a hint of chocolate from roasted carob and just a touch of cinnamon and allspice, Roastaroma is hearty enough to give you a lift in the morning and delicious enough to enjoy all day long.” — Charlie Baden, Celestial Seasonings Blendmaster Since 1975

Soyfee

For those of you that find joy in soy you might want to try this coffee alternative. I think the name is fun and the taste isn’t bad. There are many benefits to soy and Soyfee can be brewed just like traditional coffee. It comes in many flavors too so try it for yourself and let me know what you think.

Smoothies

So after trying a few coffee substitutes I think I’ll mix it, or blend it up, a bit and go with a smoothie every other morning instead of my regular hot cup of something.

Here’s a Raw Food Rap from Dan the Man with the Master Plan

Call it a Cup of Joe, java, or plain ol’ coffee there are many ways to ask for a cuppa caffeinated bliss. I fell in love with the taste of coffee when I was just a kid. I believe it started at the Thrifty ice cream counter. My favorite flavor was Java and I’d always get a scoop of Bubble Gum with it. The saying, you are what you eat, is true. Bubble gum and coffee is a combo that describes my personality deliciously.

When other kids wanted hot cocoa after dinner I wanted coffee with milk and sugar. I’ve tried many substitutes from chicory root to Soyfee but they never quite measure up.

So I did some research about coffee in pop culture. Two things I just can’t get enough of.

1. Coffee in Commercials

Just this morning I made the coffee a bit too strong again. Strong is great when you have a primo brand of coffee to start with but if you try to make diner style coffee strong you get “bad taste”. Here’s a retro commercial of a housewife dealing with this very same scenario. Let’s see how she solved her morning coffee catastrophe.

2. Coffee in Music

Emmett Miller’s “You’re the Cream in My Coffee”, The Ink Spots “Java Jive”, Bob Dylan’s “One More Cup of Coffee”, Wendy & Lisa’s  ”Waiting for Coffee”, and The Squeeze’s “Black Coffee in Bed”. We’d need a few pots of coffee to keep us going with the long list of java in music. Let’s take a coffee break. Click here and have a listen to Frank Sinatra sing The Coffee Song.

3. Coffee in Television

Friends gathered at the Central Perk. Alice filled coffee cups at Mel’s Diner. Dr. Frasier Crane met with Daphne and Niles for a caffeinated beverage at Café Nervosa. Even soap operas like the Young & the Restless used a coffee shop to set the scene.

Caffeine in excess is proven to increase irritability. Watch what happens after these guys had too many mochas at the Y&R coffee shop.

4. Coffee in Film

Just like television, movies have used coffee shops as backdrops, coffee cups as props, and even coffee as a central theme. Have you seen Coffee and Cigarettes by Jim Jarmusch? This film is a series of vignettes starring Tom Waits, Iggy Pop, and Bill Murray just to name a few. You can see a few clips in this creative Cinema & Coffee videoart on YouTube:

In 1961 a short film called This is Coffee was made. It’s full to the brim with coffee information.

5. Coffee Table Books

This housewife isn’t fond of dusting her coffee table but she sure loves coffee table books. I have two favorites on display. One is Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and the other is Studio 54. A little Depp and a little disco is all I need to make dusting more fun.

On my quest to quench my coffee thirst, I found this great site devoted to coffee table books. Click here to do some book browsing. I think I need a few more coffee tables.

Any other pop culture Cups of Joe out there you’d like to share?