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FAQ

What do you mean by herbal coffee?

Herbal coffee is brewed from herbs that have been roasted and ground to brew and taste like coffee. Most people are aware that there is no “milk" in soy milk, and there is no “burger" in a veggie burger. However, many people don’t remember that there is no “tea" in herbal tea and similarly, there is no coffee in herbal coffee.

Tea always used to refer to Camelia sinensis, the plant that has been grown for centuries to produce black tea. But now we have green tea, red tea, white tea, and herbal tea. The term “tea" has become a generic term for leaves, bark, flowers, roots and spices that are brewed in hot water like true tea. We wonder if that will happen to “coffee” some day. In the meantime, we hope that one day people will also understand “herbal coffee" as easily as they now understand herbal tea and soy milk!

 

Is there any coffee or caffeine in Teeccino?

No! There are no coffee beans in Teeccino. Nor is there any tea. Teeccino's ingredients consist of a blend of naturally caffeine-free herbs, grains, fruits and nuts that are roasted and ground to brew and taste like coffee.

 

How do I quit coffee?

Over a two week period, start blending Teeccino with your coffee. Begin with 3/4 coffee, and 1/4 Teeccino and gradually increase the amount of Teeccino until you are drinking 100% Teeccino. Herbal tonics and nutritional supplements can also aid you in restoring your own natural energy supply.

 

Why not just drink decaf?

Decaf coffee is not caffeine free. A 12 oz cup of decaf contains anywhere from 10-17 grams of caffeine. A 16 oz Starbucks® Grande contains 12-23 grams and a 20 oz Venti contains upwards of 28 grams! If you order a cup of decaf coffee at a coffee bar or restaurant, independent studies have shown a great variance in the amount of caffeine in the cup even on the same day from the very same place. So there is no safety in knowing how much caffeine you may get from a cup of decaf coffee.

Decaf coffee is made from highly acidic coffee beans and thus it is even harder than regular coffee on the gastrointestinal tract. If you have gastrointestinal problems or suffer from acid indigestion, you'll find that eliminating coffee from your diet, whether it is decaf or regular, will help your recovery process.

In addition, studies show that decaf raises the LDL fraction of cholesterol (commonly referred to as ‘bad’ cholesterol) by 8 – 10% in only 3 months, leading to an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Most decaf has been extracted using the solvent methylene chloride, a known carcinogen, which leaves behind small but significant residues that could be implicated in the development of chronic diseases.

 

Will Teeccino give me an energy boost?

Many people experience an energy lift from drinking Teeccino. The nutrients in Teeccino are in liquid form, making them very bio-available and quickly absorbed. Teeccino replenishes potassium, an electrolyte mineral that stimulates nerve impulses, helps oxygenate the brain, and enhances athletic performance.

The potassium present in Teeccino is completely natural, derived from the ingredients themselves. Sports drinks rely on added potassium to achieve the same effect, but Teeccino’s natural potassium is at an even higher per serving quantity than sports drinks. Thus, many people find Teeccino makes for a re-energising post-workout beverage.

Another factor that may explain why people experience an energy lift from Teeccino is the pinitol that is naturally present in carob pods. Pinitol has been shown to act like insulin by making cells receptive to taking in glycogen, the energy component in the blood. The natural pinitol in carob may help people who are insulin resistant by increasing the ability of their muscles to use glycogen.

 

What makes Teeccino's flavours natural?

Teeccino uses only pure, natural flavours made from flavouring constituents that are extracted from natural ingredients like fruits, spices, herbs and even coffee. Teeccino flavours do not contain any constituents from meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, soy, soy derivatives or edible yeast. Teeccino does not allow any monosodium glutamate, propylene glycol, or preservatives in its flavours.

All Teeccino flavours are ‘organic compliant’ which means that no ingredients are allowed in them that have been extracted using synthetic solvents or that are not permissible in organic products according to the USDA National Organic Program.

 

Is there caffeine in the natural coffee flavour in Teeccino?

flavour houses extract the flavour components from all natural ingredients in order to create natural flavours. In the case of natural coffee flavour, the components of coffee flavour are extracted from a number of ingredients that include both coffee, chicory and even, believe it not, garlic! Who would imagine that coffee and garlic share the same flavour component?

The expertise of flavour chemists allows them to extract only those flavouring components that they require from natural ingredients without getting many other components of each source that don’t contribute to the flavour. Thus it is possible to produce coffee flavour without the caffeine or acidity found in coffee beans. Watch out though for coffee flavoured ice cream, yogurt, etc. because these foods usually contain a coffee concentrate or even ground coffee beans that do have caffeine.

 

What is Inulin?

Inulin is a natural soluble fibre that is part of chicory root and naturally brews into a cup of Teeccino. Inulin is not the hormone, insulin, which is excreted by the pancreas to control blood sugar levels. Inulin is a prebiotic because it supports a healthy population of beneficial digestive flora.

Inulin passes through the digestive tract unabsorbed and thus has no caloric value. In the large intestines however, it becomes food for the beneficial microflora such as lactobacillus and bifidus bacteria. The consumption of inulin helps establish and keeps thriving a healthy population of beneficial microflora that are responsible for creating B vitamins, supporting the immune system, and promoting the absorption of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Inulin has also been shown to be helpful in maintaining balanced blood sugar.

 

Does Inulin create gas in some people?

Occasionally, a new Teeccino drinker may experience excess gas. The excess gas is most likely caused by unfavourable resistant bacteria in the gut. Inulin, from the chicory root in Teeccino, is a prebiotic. Prebiotics are known to feed the "good" digestive bacteria like lactobacillus and bifidus flora, but occasionally there may be some unfavourable resistant bacteria that can cause gas. We have found that the excess gas some people have experienced goes away once probiotics with lactobacillus and bifidus bacteria are added to the diet.

Drinking Teeccino (a prebiotic) along with taking a probiotic, over a two week period, should help rebalance your colon with the right mix of healthy bacteria that it needs for optimal digestive health. From then on, Teeccino will continue to support a healthy population of beneficial bacteria that is necessary for good health.

 

Is there caffeine in the cocoa powder in Mocha, Chocolate Mint & Maya Chocolaté?

Cocoa contains a small amount of caffeine. However, since cocoa is used as a flavouring in Teeccino in very small quantities, no detectable level of caffeine has been found in a cup of Mocha, Chocolate Mint or Chocolaté when tested by independent laboratories.

There is however, a small amount of theobromine, a milder stimulant found in cocoa powder in a cup of Teeccino’s chocolate flavours. If you need to avoid all central nervous system stimulants, you should drink the other Teeccino Herbal Coffee flavours that don’t contain cocoa powder. This includes any flavour except Mocha, Chocolate Mint, and Chocolaté.

 

Is Teeccino safe for pregnant women and nursing mothers?

YES! All the herbs in Teeccino have been in the human diet for thousands of years. There are no stimulants or drugs like caffeine that could cause uterine contractions or hyperactivity by the infant.

Although there is misinformation repeated on some internet sites about chicory being contraindicated during pregnancy, there is no scientific substantiation of this claim. On the contrary, there is the long history of pregnant women drinking chicory based beverages with no problems whatsoever.

Teeccino is nutritious for both Mom and baby. Many health care practitioners, midwives and doctors recommend Teeccino to their pregnant patients.

 

Is Teeccino an instant product?

NO! The secret to getting the full-bodied, deep roasted flavour of Teeccino lies in brewing Teeccino. Instant teas, coffee or coffee alternatives can't give you the taste satisfaction that come from fresh brewed beverages. Additionally, Instant beverages lose many of their phytonutrients through the manufacturing process that would ordinarily contribute to making these brewed beverages so healthy for you.

If you desire a simpler method of brewing a cup of Teeccino, we recommend Teeccino Tee-bags that steep just like tea. There are many options for brewing a single cup of Teeccino at home or on the go.

 

Does Teeccino's grind work in all the different brewing methods?

YES! Teeccino contains a variety of ingredients that are each ground to different specifications. This composite grind allows Teeccino to be brewed in a variety of ways including drip coffee makers, French press pots, percolators and espresso machines. So making a cup of Teeccino is as simple as brewing coffee.

 

Does Teeccino need to be refrigerated like coffee?

NO! Teeccino will not go stale like coffee, because it doesn't have coffee oils which go rancid when not refrigerated. Simply reseal the foil bag with the resealing tape on the package and store in your cupboard. You could also use a clip or rubber band to secure the package further.

Brewed Teeccino can last up to a week in your refrigerator, making it convenient and easy to drink iced Teeccino in the summer or reheat Teeccino to enjoy a cup later.

 

Is Teeccino GMO Free?

Teeccino is completely GMO free. Fortunately, Monsanto and others haven’t seen fit to tinker with the genetic composition of Teeccino's ingredients. We are vigilant however with all our suppliers requesting a guarantee that the ingredients they supply do not contain GMOs. There is some GMO experimentation with barley to make it resistant to a fungus called barley scab, but fortunately it is still restricted to the laboratory and has not been successful so far!

 

Are the ingredients in Teeccino organic?

Our seven Teeccino Mediterannean flavours (Almond Amaretto, Chocolate Mint, Hazelnut, Java, Mocha, Original & Vanilla Nut) are certified as 75% organic. Our Maya flavours (French Roast ( formerly Caffé), Chai & Chocolaté) are certified USDA Organic which means that at least 95% of their ingredients are certified organic. Our Boutique flavours have a selection of both USDA Organic and 85% organic variations.

Carob, barley, chicory root, and ramon nuts used in Teeccino are all certified organic. Some of Teeccino’s other ingredients are organic too, but they may not be declared certified on our label due to problems with consistent supply. Any ingredient listed as organic on the label is certified by Quality Assurance International of San Diego, CA.

 

Does Teeccino have an acidic or alkaline effect in the body?

Drinking Teeccino helps you reduce acidity in your body in two ways:

First, it provides the alkaline mineral, potassium, which your body uses to neutralise acidity and restore alkaline balance.

Second, the soluble fibre, inulin, from chicory in every cup of Teeccino supports a healthy population of beneficial microflora, which enhances your digestion and increases the bio-availability of minerals. By increasing your daily intake of inulin, you improve your ability to absorb the alkaline minerals calcium, potassium, magnesium, cobalt, and copper that a healthy person needs to maintain the body’s natural alkaline balance. Learn more about the benefits to your health by drinking non-acidic Teeccino.

 

What makes coffee and tea so acidic in the body?

Coffee is highly acidic to the body due to its content of over 100 acids. The acids in coffee, not all of which have even been identified, can be highly irritating to the stomach and intestinal lining. Coffee stimulates an increased production of gastric acid which can aggravate a variety of digestive ailments inlcuding heartburn, acid reflux and GERD. Decaf has the same or even stronger effect because the beans used to produce decaf coffee are usually more highly acidic than regular coffee beans.

Caffeine is also a contributing factor to the reason why both coffee and tea have an acidic effect in the body. Caffeine belongs to a group of chemicals called xanthines. Caffeine has to be detoxified in the liver and its metabolites, methylxanthine, methyluric acid and uric acid, are excreted by the kidneys in the urine. If the diet is over-acidic and the kidneys are not able to keep up with processing acids, these acids can contribute to a build up of acidity in the body.

Studies have shown that coffee can reduce the pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter, which normally prevents the reflux of the acid contents of the stomach from going back up into the esophagus. Since this effect is produced by both coffee and decaf coffee, it is not just the caffeine in coffee that contributes to heartburn, acid reflux, and GERDS.

 

Is Teeccino good for people with acid reflux, GERD & IBS?

Yes! We have many customers who drink Teeccino because they gave up coffee after being diagnosed with acid reflux and/or inflammatory bowel diseases like IBS, and are concerned about Digestive Health. Coffee, both caffeinated and decaffeinated, is highly acidic and stimulates an increase in gastric acids. Coffee is also shown to speed up the process of gastric emptying, which may lead to acidic contents passing into the small intestine too soon. This could injure the intestinal tissue causing very unpleasant symptoms.

Teeccino’s potassium content supplies the body with an alkaline mineral needed to correct metabolic acidity. Inulin, a soluble fibre in Teeccino that comes from chicory root, supports a healthy population of beneficial microflora in both the gut and the colon. Including more inulin in your diet by drinking Teeccino supports good digestive health.

 

Does Teeccino contain any gluten?

Although Teeccino contains barley, an independent laboratory at the University of Nebraska that specialises in gluten testing found no detectable levels of gluten in brewed Teeccino. Although gluten is present in barley, it most likely does not extract out of the barley using conventional coffee brewing techniques. Gluten is not extracted by boiling water although it can be extracted using ethanol alcohol, which of course is not present in Teeccino.

For gluten sensitive customers, we highly recommend using a paper filter in a drip coffee maker to brew Teeccino so that no particles of Teeccino can leak into the brewed liquid. Teeccino Tee-bags are also perfect for gluten-sensitive customers because the Teeccino grounds are enclosed completely in the tea bag filter paper. Since ingesting small particles of Teeccino grounds could cause a reaction to gluten, we don't recommend reusable filters since they are not as completely reliable as paper filters in preventing particles from going through the filter during brewing.

 

What are ramon nuts?

Ramon nuts are the seed of the fruit of the ramon tree, a 120 ft tall tree that grows throughout Central America. The ramon tree (Brosimum Alicastrum) is a member of the fig family, which also includes mulberry trees, and forms the upper canopy of the rainforest. Referred to as "corn tree" by the Maya civilization, its nut was a nutrient-rich, staple food crop, capable of being stored for lengthy periods of time. Fresh ramon nuts can be boiled like potatoes. The dry nut is roasted, ground into a flour and combined with corn for baking. Dark roasted ramon nuts taste very similar to coffee!

Ramon nuts are high in potassium, fibre, and minerals. They contain all the essential amino acids including a high amount of trytophan, known for its calming effects. Ramon nuts are both fat free and gluten free. Ramon nuts were used medicinally by the Maya to detoxify the liver and promote lactation in nursing women. Other common names for ramon nuts are ojoche, mojo, breadnut and mayanut.

 

Does Teeccino buy fair trade ingredients?

Most of Teeccino's ingredients are grown in Europe & the USA by first world farmers. We source organic chicory in India and wild-crafted ramon nuts in Guatemala, which allows us to work in developing countries with small family farmers and rainforest villagers. These ingredients create new trade that provides more economic opportunities in regions where sources of income are scarce.

Fair trade is very important for commodity-driven products where exploitation is common. Creating new trade provides more ways to raise the quality of life for rural communities. By drinking Teeccino, you join us in supporting families devoted to organic values in both first world and developing countries.