Dandy Blend Instant Herbal Beverage

Today is National Coffee Day -- so a product having to do with coffee had to be highlighted. However, since my Meniere's diagnosis, in addition to going on a low sodium diet, I have also needed to stay away from caffeine. I have been very serious with this restriction, and have stopped drinking all coffee -- even decaf. A decaf coffee just doesn't seem worth the risk of getting sick.

But, the real problem was that I love coffee. I used to make coffee flavored cookies, cakes, ice cream, mousse, etc. And that smell of coffee. On a cold morning, I always need a hot drink --whether it be tea or coffee. The non-caffeinated herbal teas do not do it for me. On a hot day, there is nothing like an iced coffee. Nothing can replace that. So, I went on the hunt for something that could, and I found this Dandy Blend Instant Herbal Beverage with Dandelion.

Dandy Blend is made from extracts of roasted roots of dandelion, chicory and beats, and the extracts of barley and rye grains. I am not totally sure what that means. But what I do know is that it actually tastes really close to an actual cup of coffee. More importantly for me - it is both caffeine free and sodium free. The other really nice thing about Dandy Blend is that it instantly dissolves into hot or cold water.

Before finding Dandy Blend, I did try the Teecino products as well -- they were also very good. They had many different fun flavors to choose from, like Vanilla, Hazelnut and Mocha. They have sampler packs also, which makes it easy to try out the different options. The problem with Teecino is that their product couldn't be made on the go. It did not work with my Kuerig, and it became an all around pain to use. I ended up having to buy special filters, and clean out my Kuerig one time too many.

With Dandy Blend, it is instant. So you can make it hot or cold. They also sell it individual travel packets, which makes it a breeze to take to work (back in the days when we were still traveling to an office!) I found the Dandy Blend packets when we were about to go away on vacation. The packets allowed me to have my ice "coffee" they way I liked it while away from home. A really huge win.

Dandy Blend is available from multiple retailers including Amazon, Vitacost, iHerb, and even Walmart. During the summer, I make a big batch in a mason jar and leave it refrigerated. I then wake up every day and make my ice coffee just the way I like it (with Almond milk, which is lower in sodium than regular milk!)