I gave up caffeine whilst pregnant and was looking for a substitute, that was not decaffeinated coffee when I stumbled across Bambu in my local health food store, I have been hooked ever since and no longer drink caffeine. I recently bought a new 100g jar for £3.85 in my local health food store.

Bambu is a coffee substitute developed by A Vogel a world renowned Swiss naturopath and has been around for over 60 years. It is made from organically grown chicory, figs, malted barley, wheat and acorns and is ground to a powdery consistency that smells creamy and slightly sweet.

To make up the drink you add a teaspoon into a mug or cup and pour on hot water, you can then either drink it black or add milk, I add milk to mine and it tastes very smooth, velvety and not unlike coffee, but it has no bitter after taste, due to the malted barley and softness of the acorns. I have also tried it cold, by making up a batch with hot water, adding milk and a bit of ice and whizzing it up in the blender to make an iced latte style Bambu in the summer months and it also tasted great.

The drink comes in a glass jar with a screw top lid that is easy to use and has the following nutritional information, per 2g serving: Energy 30Kj, Protein Less than 1g, Carbohydrate 1.7g, Sodium Less than 1g.

Overall I would recommend Bambu to others as it is a great coffee substitute, that can be drunk whenever and by all members of my family. It looses one star as it is quite expensive.

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