Which coffee alternative fits the reason you are leaving coffee
There are three real routes out: mushroom blends, roasted roots and grains, and cacao. They taste different, they are made differently, and each one answers a different reason for putting the coffee down. Here is how to tell which is yours — including the cases where ours is the wrong answer.
We compare on ingredients, preparation and format — things that can be stated as fact.
Three routes out of coffee
Sorted by the reason people give for leaving.
If you want zero caffeine: roasted roots and grains
Chicory, barley and dandelion, roasted and ground so they brew like coffee. Genuinely caffeine free — which cacao never will be, since the caffeine is in the bean. If eliminating caffeine is the whole point, start there and come back to us afterwards if you want to.
If you want a functional stack: mushroom blends
Instant powders combining mushroom extracts with cacao, spices and often coffee or added caffeine. They dissolve rather than brew, and the format is a scoop in hot water, which is genuinely faster. That category is built for adding things; ours is built for taking them away.
If you want the cup and the ritual back: brewed cacao
One ingredient, ground coarse, brewed in a press or a drip machine and strained like coffee. It carries the deep roasted character that makes it sit where coffee sat, on far less caffeine than the cup it replaces. We invented this category in 2006 and we still roast every batch ourselves.
The four routes people actually take
Including where each one beats us.
| Choffy | Chicory and grain drinks | Mushroom blends | Decaf coffee | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Roasted cacao beans, ground | Roasted root or grain, usually instant | Powdered mushroom extracts, often with cacao or tea | Coffee with the caffeine taken out |
| Ingredients | 1 | 1 to 4 | 5 to 12 | 1 |
| Caffeine | ~20 mg in an 8 oz cup | None | 35 mg a serving at MUD\WTR, 48 at RYZE | Small, but not zero |
| Contains grain or wheat | No | Yes — Postum is wheat, wheat bran and wheat starch | Often oats, used to grow the mushrooms | No |
| Gluten free | Yes, as stated on our bag | No — Postum is wheat | Read the label; oats are common | Yes |
| How you make it | Brewed and strained | Stirred into water | Stirred into water | Brewed and strained |
| What is left in the cup | Grounds, like coffee | Nothing | The powder itself | Grounds, like coffee |
| If you need a true zero | Not us | This is your category | Read the label | No |
Caffeine figures: ours is our own measurement, not an independent laboratory’s; MUD\WTR (35 mg a serving) and RYZE (48 mg a serving) as published on their own sites, read 15 September 2026; coffee from USDA FoodData Central at 96 mg per 8 fl oz. The powdered blends state caffeine per serving, a fixed dose that does not change with cup size; ours is per fluid ounce brewed. Decaffeinated coffee keeps a small amount of caffeine and is not caffeine free. Our gluten-free statement is printed on our own bag. Postum’s ingredient statement from postum.com, read 15 September 2026. Ingredient counts for the mushroom category are the range across the blends we checked rather than a figure any brand publishes. Crio Bru, RYZE, MUD\WTR and Postum are trademarks of their respective owners. Choffy Inc. is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any of them, and all comparisons are drawn from each brand’s own published materials on the dates shown.
“I've tried all the different Choffy styles. Ivory Coast has always been my favorite.”
Vickie Kreider · verified buyer
Where people start
Three estates at one roast, or a full bag of the most coffee-like. Nothing to brew with yet? The Starter Kit adds the press.
Ecuador French Roast Choffy Brewed Cacao
Ecuador French Roast — our most coffee-like cup, and the fairest test if you are comparing against what you drink now.
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French Roast Variety Set Choffy Brewed Cacao
Three estates at the same French roast, the clearest way to find out whether the category suits you before committing.
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Choffy Brewed Cacao - French Roast Starter Kit
The same three French roasts as the set — Ecuador, Nigeria and Ivory Coast, 10 oz each — plus our 14 oz tumbler press, a French press and travel cup in one. Everything you need to brew on day one.
Shop thisChoosing between them
Which one is actually caffeine free?
Roasted root and grain drinks like chicory are. Brewed cacao is not — there is caffeine naturally in the bean, about 20 mg in an 8 oz cup by our own measurement. Mushroom blends vary, and several contain added coffee or caffeine, so read the label.
Which tastes most like coffee?
That depends what you mean by coffee. Roasted chicory gets closest to the bitterness. Brewed cacao gets closest to the body, the ritual and the dark roasted character. Mushroom blends taste least like coffee to most people.
How many ingredients are in yours?
One. Roasted cacao, ground coarse for brewing, with no alkali treatment and nothing added. That is unusual in this category, and it is the comparison we are most comfortable making.
Do I need special equipment?
No. Brewed cacao works in a French press, a drip machine or a pour-over, and our single-serve cups are compatible with Keurig® brewers. Instant powders need nothing but hot water, which is a genuine advantage if speed matters most.
Where does Choffy lose?
If you need zero caffeine, we are the wrong answer — cacao has it naturally. If you want something instant, a powder beats brewing. And if you are after a specific functional blend, a single-ingredient product cannot give you that by definition.
From people who tried more than one
Google, Amazon and Walmart figures last checked 11 September 2026. The on-site figure updates itself.
“We really enjoy the extra flavor depth of Choffy over coffee. The K cups are very convenient, too.”
“Great to drink solo out of a French press. Also makes an awesome base for hot chocolate when you use brewed Choffy instead of water.”
“The dark is my favorite. It has a deep smooth flavor, more chocolate taste and aroma. If you prefer a deeper cocoa taste, this is the one!”
One ingredient, brewed like coffee
Roasted cacao from four estates, ground for the machine you already own. If that is the trade you want, this is the one to try.
Shop every roast →