My Kettle Is On And I'm Making Acorn Coffee! (A. Vogel Bambu Instant Organic Coffee Substitute)

Member Name: Machair1

Product:	A. Vogel Bambu Instant Organic Coffee Substitute
Date:	27/08/09 (104 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent taste and caffeine free.

Disadvantages: A little expensive.

I am going to tell you why I drink acorns, mad but totally delicious, and very good for you!

Regular readers of my reviews will know that I have M E. This means that I cannot tolerate much caffeine. I can have the odd coffee, but more than that and it has dire consequences on my heart rhythm. Many years predating getting this disease I was really interested in the alternative coffee substitutes, mainly because I found the rows of them lined up in health food stores to be fascinating, and so it has been my delight to enjoy a drink called Bambu for many years.

Bambu is made by A Vogel and contains organically grown Chicory, Wheat, Malted Barley, Figs, Cereals, and of course Acorns, and nothing else. This combination is unique, and it sounds weird I know, but the resulting drink tastes really delicious, and it is not a strongly flavoured beverage. In fact it is really impossible to discern individual flavours, what you have is a comforting drink, which is soothing and is a really good alternative to coffee. It has a velvety smooth flavour and is, in my opinion, the best of the coffee substitutes.

I do drink decaf coffee, particularly Percol, which is an ethical brand and tastes delicious, but I alternate with other coffee substitutes to keep things fresh and interesting.

You make this instant drink by just placing a teaspoon into a mug and adding boiling water, you can use all milk, but I'm afraid I don't regularly because I can't tolerate too much dairy, and also it adds lots more calories, but as a milky bedtime drink it is delicious, I have tried it and it is really lovely. Drunk in this way it is a lovely alternative if you are partial to Ovaltine or Horlicks. I just add a little milk as you would for coffee and it works beautifully.

You can also drink it neat, void of anything but hot water, and in this way you will experience the closest thing to real coffee, but it is not the same at all, and personally I don't like it much, but you might if you like espresso.

I purchase mine these days from Holland and Barrett where it retails for £3.14 for a 100g jar. I wish we still had a local independent health food store in our town, but the shop rents, and the competition from large supermarkets, hit their profit margins and they closed down. If you have a local independent retailer pop in, because ours used to sell little sachets for a tiny outlay so you could see if you liked it before purchasing an entire jar. These were also really useful for travelling.

The drink is made in Germany for the Bioforce Company based in Switzerland. Founded by Alfred Vogel who was a pioneer of health remedies and food-quite amazing for the time really. He spent his life managing a health food store in Switzerland for many years, and he also worked as a naturopath. This work involved using plants and herbs to treat common complaints, and many of these remedies are available today. This culminated in the formation of the Bio-force company in 1963 that make this very special drink.

Mr Vogel actually experimented a lot in the 40s and 50s to see if he could make a lovely coffee substitute, and many versions were tried until Bambu finally came into being. It has become so popular that 80 tons are sold every year all over the world!That's a lot of acorns!


Now some of the components of this drink warrant a few words. Acorns in particular fascinate me because the only thing I ever see gathering these are squirrels, but they contain lots of protein, niacin and various minerals. Chicory is excellent for digestion, and may help you sleep as it is calming. Also in its favour is the fact that everything used is organic; and, as many pesticides are sprayed on coffee plantations, unless you buy organic coffee drinking Bambu is a sure way of avoiding ingesting any residues that might have found their way into your coffee.

I am sure you will enjoy it, and especially so if you are looking to reduce the coffee habit. It sounds weird, I know, but I think you may be pleasantly surprised how good it is!

Only downside is the cost as it is on the pricy side, but apart from that it is a brilliant product. Kettle's on now if anybody fancies a brew -it's all round to mine for acorns!

www.avogel.co.uk

This review is also published on Ciao by myself under my user name there Violet1278.

Summary: Well worth trying if you want to reduce your caffeine intake.