what I've learned from two weeks without coffee.

I'm by no means a coffee addict, but I do drink one cup religiously every morning. And by one I mean a grande nonfat latte. Every. Single. Morning. 

Ok, maybe I do have a problem...

Just took a little looksie through my Instagram photos and it's confirmed. I may need to reel it in a little.

So when I was creating my 101 in 1001 list, I thought I'd try giving myself a break from coffee for a couple weeks. I wanted to know if I was relying on it to wake up, and if so, if there was a healthier alternative that could still give me a morning boost. 

It was easier than I thought (phew, no long-term bad habit problems). Unlike attempting to pack my lunch every day for two weeks (which I've tried and failed at three times already), I kicked coffee on the first try. That's not to say I didn't miss it. But I realized that I was using it less as a wake-me-up and more as a comfort thing. Having a warm cup in my hand was a mini version of still being cozy in bed. And I like that. 

So here's what I found out.

I like tea...

I really do. Earl Grey with honey was my go-to in the morning, but there's so many options to suit your mood. Plus, Yogi tea ads a little spice to my life with it's little mantras, like this:

...but it makes me sick to my stomach.

I could only get through about a half of a cup of tea first thing in the morning, and then I'd immediately feel like I was on a continual roller coaster drop. It always happened when I hadn't yet had breakfast, which was often because I'm not a huge fan of breakfast at 6:30 a.m. Weird, right? Does anyone else have this problem? 

I got a better night's sleep.

I'm really not sure if this was more in my head, or had a totally different cause than mornings sans-coffee, but seriously. Over the past two weeks, I've had more full nights of sleep than I've had in the past two years. Awesome.

My diet changed, unintentionally. 

I found myself wanting protein instead of sweets and drinking more water during the day. I didn't think cutting coffee would impact what my body wanted, but it did. It's crazy how responsive we are to little changes, and it's even crazier to think about how much we probably ignore because we're just not paying attention.

I like the smell more than the taste.

Part of it is a nostalgia thing, waking up in the morning to a pot of coffee brewing when I was younger, way before Keurigs took over. It smells amazing, but I'm always a little disappointed when I take that first sip. It's a fine balance of temperature, sugar and milk to get that perfect cup. 

Oh, and the mug matters too. 

Here are some pretty awesome ones:

So what happened at the end of the two weeks? I've had coffee every morning. I know, I know. I was travelling for work and there's just something about airports and early mornings that go perfectly with a grande nonfat latte. But I think I'm going to start treating coffee more as a treat than a staple. Now if I only I could get over the early-morning-tea roller coaster drop.

Speaking of coffee... have you seen this? 

Do you guys drink coffee? What's your recipe for the perfect cup?

xo Emily