Substitute for coffee

Black tea haven’t fullfilled my need in the morning as well. Both in me getting awake and in taste.

I’m not nearly drink as much coffee as you, I only need one cup – but that cup matters.

We will see how yerba mate will do, but I will have to milk/sugar it up if it’s too vegetal as you write. We will see – I’m looking forward to exploring the yerba mate universe.

I was never really a coffee drinker, but I love having my Guayaki Yerba Mate in the morning. I bought a french press to make it easier to make in the morning and it is just so delicious and goes with almost any flavor you add with it.

I normally have a cup and then squeeze in the rest of my grapefruit juice in my mug in the morning since I have grapefruit. I mixed it with 7 Up one day which was interesting and refreshing. I had their bottled pomegranate mate which was really good. I also had their chocolate mate tea bags which was excellent. Think more of a spicy-chocolate instead of a sweet chocolate.

Mate is the only tea that affects me with the caffeine content. I have read around and there seems to be a general thought that it has a slightly different form of caffeine. I don’t know if that is true or not, but it is the only drink I can’t have after 6 PM or else I am up most of the night.

Try a blend I made that helped me kick my coffee habit, http://www.adagio.com/signature_blend/blend.html?blend=20229&SID=9065622d8f1e0a6e829678bd55b260c1 it’s a blend of mate, chocolate, assam, and pu erh.

Just as the others said, yerba mate and black tea are both excellent coffee replacements.

However, for me what does the trick is matcha.
Even though you consume a smaller amount of tea, because the whole leaf is consumed, the amount of caffeine is far greater than regular steeped tea. Usually a small amount of caffeine is absorbed from tea because it is bound to catechins. Therefore, you get more caffeine, because the crushed leaves are completely processed. Plus, it is high in l-theanine so it makes you alert yet calm and without any jitters. For the previous reasons, it also provides sustained energy(takes longer to be absorbed).
Also, two bamboo spoons make me super stimulated. For me mate and black tea do not even compare to 1-to-2 small bamboo spoons of matcha, as far as mental stimulation is concerned.
However, good matcha is expensive and some may not like the intense green tea taste or the fact that the whole leaf is ingested.
http://domatcha.com/faq/

I used to be a heavy coffee drinker (about 4 cups a day, and possibly more), but now I only have an occasional cup. I have switched over to nearly all tea, and I never would have thought it possible. I did love JavaVana Mate for the taste and the kick, but not the price. What I found was that I could add a basic Roasted Yerba Mate (I get mine from Upton) to a flavored black tea. For my 24 oz pot, I would do about 4 tsp tea (Vanilla or Chocolate flavored teas worked nicely) and a heaping tsp of Roasted Yerba Mate. It was a much cheaper option to JavaVana Mate. Now, I don’t even need the mate. A blend of black teas works fine for my breakfast tea.

I’ve found that aroma-wise, Hojicha is closest to coffee, but its flavor (and effects) are so vastly different…it tends to be very smooth and mild-flavored, and low in caffeine.

In terms of overall effect, I think that a very strong, dark tea, like a strong Assam, Kenyan black tea, or Yunnan black tea (not one of the Yunnan golds, go for the more basic stuff) is usually the closest match.

I personally find that dark-roast Yerba mate doesn’t have much in common with coffee, flavor-wise or effect-wise. I find that tea makes me feel more mellow than coffee, and the difference between mate and tea is even bigger than the difference between tea and coffee. Mate really mellows me out. And flavor-wise, dark-roast mate seems a bit more cocoa-like than coffee-like…it’s naturally sweet, and not very bitter.

My substitute for any espresso drink is a Matcha based one. It has a different, more planty intensity which I enjoy. As for regular coffee, a dark roast Oolong has a reminiscent aroma. The thick body and flavor is closest, but not really that close at all in my opinion, to black tea.

I just got yerba mate at home, and my first impression is good. I just wish it had a stronger smokier flavour. It awakens me quickly, but I also find that the effect is gone quickly as well. Consequence: I have to drink many cups on tired days.

I drink DAVIDsTEAs “Chai Guarana” It has roasted Yerba Mate and Guarana berries in it so (for me at least) it has the same effects as an energy drink but tastes like yummy yummy Chai tea.
http://steepster.com/teas/davidstea/15314-chai-guarana

May be that’s you caffeine dose waking you up. Why you want to change? If the preparation is taking you away, try a plain espresso or mix some milk.
Black lemon tea is also a good option that is healthy.