Ayurvedic Roast Organic Herbal Coffee Substitute {Review & Giveaway}

I love a good cup of joe as much as the next girl, but sometimes it upsets my stomach or makes me feel jittery.  And sometimes I find myself wanting a cup of coffee because of the flavor and not really because I need the caffeine pick-me-up.  We all know caffeine isn't that great for us anyway, and it can become an addicting behavior to always have a cup of coffee in the morning.


So when I heard about Ayurvedic Roast, a 100% Certified Organic herbal coffee substitute that tastes like real coffee, I was excited to try it but also a little skeptical about how it would taste.  It includes three antioxidant, adaptogenic, and immunity-enhancing organic ayurvedic herbs.

Check out the full ingredient list:  organic rye, organic barley, organic chicory, organic ashwagandha, organic shatavari, organic brahmi, and organic vanilla flavor.  And here's a breakdown on some of the benefits of the herbs:

1. Ashwagandha:
Known as the the "ginseng of India", this incredible herb promotes strength and stability in the physiology, and is also an anti-oxidant. It builds immunityand strength, and calms the mind and body.

2. Shatavari:
Possesing many of the benefits of Ashwagandha, it counterbalances its somewhat heating quality with it cooling effect, and augments their mutually beneficial effects on the body.

3. Brahmi:
Commonly used in Ayurveda to lessen mental strain and worry*, it also helps increase intelligence and clarity*. In combination with the other 2 herbs, it has a soothing effect on the mind, while maintaining alertness.

When brewing the Ayurvedic Roast, which I did like I normally do using my coffee pot, I noticed it took a lot less to make a flavorful cup versus my regular coffee.  You don't get that 'coffee' aroma with the substitute (not that I can smell much with my cold right now anyway), but when you pour them into the cup there really is no difference between the two in how they look.

Can you tell which is which?

The one on the left is the substitute and the one on the right is the actual coffee.  And I could've used less of the Ayurvedic Roast to lighten up the color.  And the flavor?  Very good- smooth, not bitter or weird tasting! I always add sugar and creamer to my coffee also, so did the same thing with the Roast and it was excellent.  The best part though is that it's actually good for me, and it isn't going to upset my stomach or have me shaking like a crazy person if I drink too much.

If you're considering or have tried to quit drinking coffee before, you can download a Free ebook "10 Easy Ways to Quit Caffeine".

Do I have you interested in trying a cup yet?

BUY IT:  You can order Ayurvedic Roast online in an 11 oz. package, a 4 lb. bulk package, or a 1 oz. sample pack.

WIN IT:  1 reader is going to win an 11 oz. bag of Ayurvedic Roast of their very own!

Ways to enter (leave a separate comment on this post for each entry you do):

•  Follow Ayurvedic Roast on Twitter
•  Like Ayurvedic Roast on Facebook
•  Subscribe to the Ayurvedic Roast Newsletter (and get a free ebook)
•  Follow my blog publicly via GFC
•  Subscribe to my blog via Email
•  Follow me on Twitter
•  Like me on Facebook
•  Enter any of my other giveaways +1 for each
•  Post about this giveaway (Facebook, Cafemom, Blog, etc.) +5 entries, leave link
•  Tweet about this giveaway (may be done daily, leave link)

#Win an 11oz. bag of @AyurvedicRoast Organic Herbal Coffee Substitute via @SusieBHomemaker http://goo.gl/1FN6L #Giveaway ends 5/19

U.S. ONLY

This contest ends on 5/19/11 at 11:59 pm EST. Open to U.S. residents only.  The winner will be drawn via random.org and has 48 hours to respond to winning notification email before another winner is drawn.  Please make sure your email is visible on your profile or leave with your comment(s).

Disclosure:  I was sent a product in exchange for my review.  No other form of compensation was received.  The opinions and thoughts I’ve shared with these products are 100% my own and yours may differ.

Could you have tried any less Dunkin' Donuts guy?

I don't know if it's just the Dunkin' Donuts by me or other locations as well, but I don't think they could've done any less to make my iced coffee the other day.  Or it could be because I had a free coupon that they didn't put in any effort.

I placed my order at the drive thru for a Caramel Mocha Iced Coffee and the first thing he asked was if I wanted creamer in it.  Um, isn't this a premade drink that you mix up how it's supposed to be?  (I'm used to McD's drinks).  He said no but he could just give me creamer on the side.  ookaaay  So I get my drink and this is what it looks like:

Um, what the heck is this?  He did nothing to mix it up, all the 'flavoring' was at the bottom and the top was just coffee over ice.  I could be wrong but I think the coupon I just gave you for this drink looked quite a bit different!  Here's how it was supposed to look according to their advertising:

I'm sorry Dunkin' Donuts... didn't know I had to blend my coffee myself!  If that's the case why would I drive to get it from you- I'd just make it at home.  Here's how it looked after I added the creamer and mixed it up myself, and added in my own sugar:

But you know what... IT STILL TASTED LIKE CRAP!!  I guess Dunkin' Donuts isn't hurting that much by giving me a crappy drink.  I wasn't a customer before and won't be one in the future... I only went because I had a free coupon.  Guess free isn't always better!

According to their slogan, 'America runs on Dunkin'... well not this American!

Cleaning the Coffee Maker

EDITED:  I originally said 'cleaning the coffee pot' but realized that can just mean the carafe... what I meant was the whole coffee maker.  Oops!  :p

So I decided to finally clean my coffee maker today (it hasn't been done in quite awhile).  I'm not sure why I'm so neglectful when it comes to cleaning it.  I love to have my cup of coffee in the morning, in fact I even wrote an ode about it.  Well probably not an ode according to the actual definition of one, but an ode to my Mr. Coffee nonetheless.

I didn't take any pictures but trust me when I say it was pretty badly coffee stained (inside the water reservoir & underneath the lid was the worst, but also the filter basket).  So I ran vinegar thru it like your supposed to, but it barely made a dent in the grime!  I also had to add some dish soap and scrub with a dish rag.  Then I ran a full pot of just water thru it to rinse out any vinegar or soap.  That helped quite a bit and now it looks a ton better than it did! 

Do you actually clean your coffee maker once a month like recommended?  And is that the secret to getting the vinegar 'cleanse' to work?  Did it not work for me because I'm not keeping up on it?  Or is there some other secret I'm missing out on... please share if you have one!!

Ode to Mr. Coffee

Is that you Mr. Coffee, off in the dark?                                                   

I need you, I need my spark.

Without you, where would I be?

Well still in bed, probably

I fill the water, put in a filter.
Without you, I'd be out of kilter.

Add in the coffee, start to brew.
Now just waiting for you to be through.

But wait, what was that sound?
You've never done that when I'm around.

Oh please Mr. Coffee, don't fail me now.
I couldn't go on, I wouldn't know how!

We've been together for so long.
You've never once done me wrong.

So please, just one more day.
I need you, won't you stay?

What's that, you're almost done?
Oh you did it, thanks a ton!

I never really had any doubt.
Honestly, what was all the fuss about?

Now on to Mrs. Coffee-mate.

I believe my coffee & you have a date.

Ah, so creamy & so sweet.

You are such a delightful treat.

So thank you both, I don't know what else to say.

Well I guess I'm off to begin my day!

But wait one last thing, so you've had fair warning...

I'll be back first thing in the morning!