[princevegeta89]

Since no one has spoken about matcha yet, I am here to provide my two cents and my experience with caffeine and matcha.

Caffeine does benefit people with certain forms of brain chemistry, and for folks like me, it definitely helps. I used to have double or triple espressos several times a day, and on other days, I would go for cold brews and similar drinks. I've spent years doing it. While it helped me immensely focus and get work done, it also put me on a fast track, I guess. It's probably not a good thing to keep going with. Somewhere it felt like it was putting extra mental load on me than usual.

Again, this doesn't apply to everybody. Recently, I stumbled upon matcha. It's not the entry-level matcha or matcha mixed with a lot of additives like sugar or cream; it's just matcha with milk or an alternative milk like oat milk or almond milk, etc. It has a surprisingly nice effect.

It's almost like the same effect as caffeine, but without making me feel jittery. At the same time, I'm also able to achieve the focus I used to get with coffee. I recommend that you folks start out and try it out and see if matcha helps you as well. Just make sure you buy ceremonial grade, which is available at a decent price on Amazon. It's ridiculously, crazily overpriced in stores like Safeway and Whole Foods, though.

It is the L-theanine that works its magic in matcha. Too much can cause some nausea or diarrhea, but consuming it two or three times a day in moderate amounts can go a long way for many people. It also doesn't have any other side effects and is a good drink in general. Beyond that, there are other alternatives like chamomile tea, passionflower tea, etc. Some of them work for some people, while others don’t. It's up to you to keep trying and cycling between these wonderful gifts that nature has provided.

[littlexsparkee]

How the tea leaves were grown and processed is a better guide than ceremonial grade which is a marketing term, not something you'd see in JP. I tend to switch between tea, coffee, yerba mate, and tisanes (rooibos, herbal). I've been favoring the focused energy of tea for workouts lately, coffee energy flames out faster imo. From my calcs, tea is a better deal per serving than coffee. Climate change is going to hit coffee and mate particularly hard so enjoy it while it lasts.

[princevegeta89]

Rooibos:

How did it work out for you? I tried so hard to get into Red Rooibos tea and it didn't seem to produce any effects for me ( and I also blame myself for it because I was drinking a ton of other things with it at that time)

[nicbou]

Black tea feels like that for me. A nice cup of Earl Grey in the morning is a good way to start the day when I don’t want to be locked in.

[princevegeta89]

Do you have any specific recommendations?

[tubs]

Matcha has caffeine in it though?

[marliechiller]

It does, but the L-Theanine has an almost neutralising effect on the more jittery and frenetic aspects that caffeine can bring. It leaves you feeling what I would describe as more focused and calm, rather than alert and anxious

[princevegeta89]

Yes, it does but not in high quantities like coffee. It gets complemented perfectly with the L-Theanine content in it.

This combo generally works well on folks that get benefits from coffee.