I first heard of Teeccino Tea a couple years back when a friend recommended I drink it instead of my caffeinated coffee. I went to the website to check it out and found that it contains barley. Umm….last time I checked barley contains gluten and you can’t pay me to eat or drink gluten. If I was going to intentionally consume gluten (which I am not), I sure as heck wouldn’t be choosing tea to poison myself. I would go big – steaming hot sourdough bread or a New York style bagel. Anyway, I digress.
After reading an update from Tricia Thompson on Teeccino, I wanted to make sure to share all of the newest information with you all. Tricia has covered this topic more than once, the most recent being an update from the CEO of Teeccino on 6/28/2010. Teeccino is standing by the statement on the package “brewed Teeccino is gluten-free”. Of course what is missing from the package, as Tricia points out, is the fact that in order to make sure the brewed Teeccino is gluten-free, one must make sure to brew the product with a paper filter to ensure that no particles end up in the finished product. Brewing the Teeccino in a mesh, reusable filter may not do the job.
I don’t know about you, but I know that I would not willingly depend on my brewing skills to make sure there was no gluten in my drink. We all know that human error is inevitable. I find coffee grinds in my coffee often enough and I use a paper filter each time. Is this worth being sick over?
Tricia also mentions that Teeccino may be in the process of developing a barley-free Teeccino flavor for their “Boutique Line”. If you are looking for an decaf drink, there are plenty of teas & coffees out there that are both gluten-free and decaffeinated. Some of those options include:
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Folger’s regular & flavored
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Starbuck’s
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Caribou
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Millstone regular & flavored
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Peet’s
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Berres Brothers – all
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Green Mountain Coffee – all
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As far as coffee goes, all 100% coffee is gluten-free. What you need to watch out for is the added flavorings. Tea isn’t so easy as barley can be used in tea. 100% tea, such as Luzianne or Lipton is gluten-free. Nestle Coffee-Mate is gluten-free and says so right on the bottle. If you are unsure about your flavored coffee, just use the Coffee-Mate instead. Another option is So Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer. This creamer is gluten-free and is much better for you than the Coffee-Mate (sorry Nestle).
See more at www.glutenfreeislife.com