I make a lot of applesauce for my toddler daughter. I've started cooking the apples by steaming them, and then once the apples are done I save the steaming water in the fridge. The water catches all the apple drippings and tastes lightly sweet. We call it "apple water" and my daughter and I both love it, it's good cold or hot.

While I like the flavor of water, the mouthfeel is really tough for me. It seems like unless it is ICE ICE ICE cold, it is vaguely... slimy? Am I insane? Is there a non-slimy brand I should try?

Coconut flavored La Croix! Such a treat for me.

Having also been warned against caffeine by the doctor, I switched for the most part to decaf coffee or tea during the day (I still drink tea with caffeine in it in the morning). It's hard to find good decaf tea (in my opinion), but with the proper equipment you can make pretty decent decaf coffee. Even with out the caffeine, I still swear I get a boost from it, the placebo effect I guess.

@Laurajane....you mean coconut water? I know what you're saying. Coconut water is definitely heavier than regular water, giving it that denser mouthfeel - and if it's not freezing cold, it comes across as a little "thick" or "slimy".I just make sure to drink it ice cold, cuse otherwise it's a little weird.

Coconut water is also an excellent hangover cure.

There are plenty of lovely, caffeine-free herbal teas.

Kombucha (they make awesome flavors these days) and Kevita (sparkling probiotic drink: the mango one is my fav; they are available at Whole Foods). Obviously these aren't warm or room temp, but on a warm spring day, they are sooo refreshing :-)

Coconut water is good, and good for you, but I found it too sweet on it's own. Now I add the fresh-squeezed juice of half a lime. MMM!

Caffeine and I do not get along, especially if I have any after 4 pm (I once unthinkingly had 20+ oz. of diet coke after my night class once and spent the entire night with a racing mind and speeding heart beat - didn't fall asleep until 4 am - 8+ hours after consuming the soda).

I love earl grey refrigerator tea and flavored-but-unsweetened seltzer water. Polar seltzer has a ton of interesting flavors (blueberry, vanilla, cranberry-lime, grapefruit, they even had pumpkin and cinnamon for the holidays). But if I were really treating myself I would get an Orangina. I love that stuff desperately and miss it from my days in France. It's super pricey over here, so I can't usually justify buying it.

Ooh, Barlowgirl beat me to it. I search the herbal teas aisle like mad now. I love the fruity flavours and really must brew my own chamomile from the bunches of it out in my garden.

So here's my story. Caffeine was making my life a misery with regular headaches and irregular but nasty Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Too much information? Not pleasant I know, but after flirting with giving up either tea or coffee or reducing caffeine intake for years I had to face the fact that both just had to go. I had even suffered severe bouts of IBS from each of the two cans of coke I drank last year. My neurologist told me caffeine wasn't a trigger for my headaches (migraines) but I wasn't so sure as the most severe headache I've ever experienced was preceded by eating a lot of chocolate ice-cream. When you're in so much pain that you start vomiting it can put you off chocolate quickly.

Well, it's only been two months (seems much longer) but I console myself knowing that at least 90% of my headaches are gone and IBS attacks have been rare and mild. YAY. My body has said thankyou but my mind occasionally yearns for a coffee. So I let myself have one rarely knowing I'll pay for it physically if it's more than one cup (like the other day when I forgot to put a herbal tea bag stash in my hand-bag). Remembering that white chocolate isn't real chocolate (a debatable topic I know) makes me very happy. The white version should contain cocoa butter but no cocoa solids (or it would be brown) and I don't get headaches from it. Fingers crossed it stays that way. I avoid decaf as it just makes me want real coffee and how good is it for us anyway? Another debatable topic. I've reduced sugar intake enormously with breaking my caffeine habit. But it is strange, as the coffee culture is everywhere and I love real tea and coffee and chocolate. Small price to pay to be free from pain. I'm very fortunate my solution was so simple.

Rooibos Earl Grey tea by Rishi - 2 tsp. per cup. Get a tea strainer with the tiniest holes you can find, and mix it with any other sort of loose herbal (1tsp. or less). It makes a nice dark cuppa, with good flavor. But some tea drinkers I know just strongly dislike Rooibos.

Also, I grew up drinking hot lemonade for sore throats, another good drink (mix in ginger, honey, mint, as needed).

A friend of mine introduced me to cucumber water, which was also crisp, cold, and fun.

@Adelaidean: I found on day 3 of trying a heavily reduced sugar intake diet that I would get a migrane (like an addiction withdrawal). For me, sugar and caffeine are migrane cures (people are different). So if I toughed out that day and kept the sugar intake down, it wouldn't happen again. This is separate from the caffeine reduction I also had to do, which had its own withdrawal headaches, milder than the sugar.

@Eatsimpleeathappy, HA! YES! Coconut water. Not regular water. Yikes. :)

Ginger root steeped for several hours is a great pick-me-up. It's different from, but a little reminiscent of, the caffeine rush.

I love mint tea and can drink it all day long when I'm not in the mood for caffeine. Ginger, licorice, and turmeric (especially with FRESH turmeric!) are other favorites too.

A friend of mine drinks plain hot water (with lemon when she's feeling fancy) all the time. I feel like maybe I'll start giving that one a try sometime. It just sounds so healthy.

I have just cut back on my caffeine. For warm comfort I use fresh ginger tea (use a vegetable peeler on a fresh root) sweetened with sourwood honey, nettle tea, or Good Hope Vanilla Red Tea by Republic of Tea.

Obvious but peppermint tea is a fabulous pick me up!

Not to stray far off topic, but interesting comments about those with migraine triggers--I have degenerative disease that causes classic migraines as well as cyclic vomiting syndrome (aka abdominal migraines). I also get heart palpitations that don't enjoy too much caffeine, but for me personally, who cannot tolerate migraine medications, a fountain coke can be a great migraine preventative. Too much sugar is a migraine trigger for me, so about 16 oz. is my limit, but it's amazing what one tasty little Coke can do!

I always suggest for people who get migraines to try a food elimination diet for a period of time because you might be surprised at your own triggers and not necessarily what doctors say. I'm fine on chocolate (small amounts) and cheese, unlike most migraine sufferers for instance.

Now, as for favorite afternoon drinks, as I said, I can't have too much sugar, but man do I love freshly squeezed lemonade!

I do find plain hot water to be shockingly delicious. I love many teas and coffees and all their sweetened, caffeinated forms, but plain hot water can hit the spot.

apple cider vinegar + sparkling water (+ honey/stevia + ginger)!!!!

@SPLIM - I totally agree. I don't understand why most people think the only way they can have water is if it is ice cold, and the only way they can enjoy water hot is if it is in the form of tea or coffee. I'm always freezing cold (anything below 74 degrees is uncomfortable for me...I have keep my apartment temp that high) so drinking cold water is an almost pain-inducing experience. I always have mine steaming hot--and it's wonderful.

When I decided to give up caffeine I discovered an all natural beverage called Teeccino. I brew it in my French press and serve it w my favorite cream just like coffee...You might give it a shot! You can get it al Whole Foods and they have website you can order from or find other sellers in your area.

I was diagnosed with interstitial cytitis. I went from 4 cups of coffee everyday to nil. I went through a wicked three month withdrawal compounded by my inability to sleep due to the frequency I was using the bathroom. I've discovered Teecino and highly recommend it. I also take from my Japanese roots and drink barley tea cold and hot. I have found a delicious Roobois tea by Davison's and its a caramel and vanilla flavoring. It smells like toffee, so divine. Peppermint tea has also been another option for me.

I also drink a lot of warmed up milk with white chocolate or a splash of vanilla. I don't care for milk too much cold unless it involves me eating PB sandwich but warm I can drink it whenever it is cold.

I dilute coconut water with sparkling water and add lime juice.....very refreshing. I also love tulsi tea with lemon, flavor is more robust than most herbal teas. Some varieties do add caffeine.

I'd also suggest Rooibos (Afrikaans for Red bush) tea - caffeine free, high in antioxidants. It's the only hot beverage I will drink without milk, but it's nicest with a bit of sweetness (honey or sugar).

It's summer here, so now I fill a big glass with ice and keep topping up the water until all the ice has melted - does wonders for my skin and keeps me from snacking on less-than-healthy things when I get home from work.

@ Kami Kazi: My best friend has IC, so I know a fair amount about it -- my symphathies to you, it's not a fun condition to manage. I know my friend's biggest difficulty (aside from tomatoes and citrus) was beverages: not just caffeinated ones, but anything too acidic or even carbonated wouldn't work for her. Sounds like you have found some great solutions for yourself.

Hang in there!

My childhood favorite warm beverage is a bit stranger than most - I love sipping on warm chicken broth. Super comforting.

As people have pointed out, there's also about a million lovely caffiene free teas out there. :)

It may also sound odd, but when I've had a sore throat for a week and I'd rather die than look at a cup of tea, a nice warm water all by itself can be surprisingly soothing. Has to be good water, though - if your municipal water tastes bad it really needs the tea/coffee/etc to hide any chemical tastes.