What's that lovely beverage?

Last January I gave up Coca-Cola completely. I caught myself drinking 32 oz plus two refills and another 42 oz later in the day without thinking anything of it. Then, I realized I didn't think anything of it because I was doing it almost daily. I felt bloated and I wasn't eating very much of anything with it because it was filling all my calorie needs, but without any nutritional value. I still crave Coke, and after two months of complete abstinence am allowing myself a small Coke now and then, usually when I'm out and everyone is getting treats like ice cream. I figure it's a suitable substitute for that, but not a beverage I want to be addicted to for my morning caffeine rush and my afternoon get through the day fix. 

Since a Coke was my morning grab and go drink, I needed a substitute, for the hydration and habit as much as for the caffeine and sugar rush. But what's the point of giving up Coke if I'm not reducing the caffeine and sugar significantly too. Coffee is really disgusting to me, and I don't particularly care for chocolate either, so those weren't good options to replace my morning drink. I've always liked tea, but didn't have a great way to make it, so I bought a coffeemaker just for tea and set it up to brew me a morning pot. It didn't take long for me to realize I preferred it iced. But unless you have an ice maker, keeping up with trays of ice is a pain. Also, pouring hot tea over ice dilutes the flavor of the tea significantly.  

There's also the issue of convenience. There's a reason Starbucks has so many loyal customers. And there's a certain feel to the cup that we're all subconsciously in love with. So, the mode of delivery is as important as the beverage itself. I've always liked preserving food, so when canning jars became all the rage I already had plenty stashed in my garage. Ball came out with lid inserts and straws and everything came together for me. I can make my tea ahead in canning jars with regular lids, then swap them out for the drinking insert when I'm ready to drink them and my lovely morning beverage is as easy to grab as a can of Coke. 

I get lots of people asking me what I'm drinking now, so here it is:

It's iced tea with a little milk, but brewing ahead has become what makes it awesome. 

A blob of honey goes into the bottom of the pot. 

One bag of green tea (has half the caffeine of black tea and is loaded with anti-oxidants) and one bag of a flavorful herbal tea. 

Or I'll use two bags of a green and jasmine blend (my favorite).

Strong brew for herbal teas, don't use strong brew for black teas as it makes them bitter. Ten minutes later:

Even though it looks dissolved you must stir in the honey or it will sit in the bottom because the water it has dissolved into is now denser. 

My twelve cup pot fills two quart jars to 24 oz (enough room left for ice and milk to be added later) and has a little leftover. 

I brew in bulk once a week on average, so all the little bits extra go in a glass pitcher for refills. 

Regular canning lids go on with rings and the jars go into the fridge. They will seal lightly as the tea cools, but if not bent when opening they can be reused until the seal grooves get too deep. Do not wash them in the dishwasher as it will melt the sealing rubber and make a nasty mess. 

The jars hang out here getting all chill so I don't need to use as much ice, and they don't get diluted because of all that ice. 

In the morning I'll grab a jar, add a little ice and milk and a drink insert and I'm ready to go. 

Since my family doesn't like herbal teas, I'll brew up regular sweet tea at the same time using three bags of red rose tea in the filter, and ¾ cup of sugar in the pot. 

After stirring it goes in my gallon Tupperware pitcher. 

One pot will also fill four of my favorite collectible plastic Disney Coke cups which happen to fit Tupperware's new resealable drink lids. 

These go into the fridge for my kids to grab instead of the Costco flats of soda I no longer buy. 

Yep, that's still a good bit of sugar, but not as much as they were drinking. I kept reducing the amount until they started making a fuss and begging for soda again. I still keep trying to reduce it by small increments as their taste adjusts. I can tell you that quitting Coke caused a major adjustment in my sense of taste right away. I still crave it, but don't like it as much when I do have it. Usually a sip will be enough to kill the craving and remind me I'm not wanting it because it's all that great, but because I was habituated to it before. 

Other lovely beverages you may see in my hand on a hot summer day:

Sparkling juice made from dividing concentrate into quart jars (½ or ⅓ per jar depending on taste). Put lids and rings on any you're not using right away and store in fridge. When using, add ice cubes to concentrate before adding sparkling water because the colder it is the better the bubbles will keep and the less it will foam when you add the soda. Screw on ring with drink insert and stir with straw. I don't care for any of the Soda Stream syrups as they all use fake sugar for at least part of the sweetener, so this is the primary way we use our soda maker. A good apple juice concentrate will make a sparkling version as delightful as Martinellis. I also love cranberry or grape blends and Apple Cherry. A drier mix (less concentrate) has less sugar since most juice at full strength has every bit as much as a Coke to begin with, and I find I prefer it dry now. 

Fresh or frozen berries or other fruit can be added to tea, sparkling juice, or plain ice water to up the loveliness factor. 

Adding milk to tea takes the acidic edge off if that bothers you. But it must be added to cold tea or it will not blend in well. When you drink milk with hot tea it's put in the cup first and the hot tea added to it to temper the milk and keep it from congealing. I've also seen milk added to soda for the same reason. 

On rare occasions I use Torani (or other branded) flavored syrup with ice and milk, then add soda water for a home made Italian soda.

At first that was a lot more jars going through my dishwasher, but now I insist we use just one a day for the convenience in the morning and then it's our glass for the rest of the day. I initially made jars for the kids too, but they never finished them. That's why I came up with a smaller cup option. 

I also bought a replacement carafe for my coffee maker right away so I have two that I can keep swapping out when I'm brewing in bulk, and I can brew a pot to put directly in the fridge for refills if I expect I'm going to be drinking a lot the next day. Since I was in the habit of 4x32 oz of soda or more a day, I still tend to want to drink A LOT of liquid every day. 

While I feel like I've finally got a good handle on my morning brew, I'm always looking for more variety. If you've got something you like to make for a grab and go drink, please share in the comments.