In using this to quit coffee - I am glad to say that this product, in water alone - helped to 'quench' the bitter taste I was looking for in a morning beverage - without using cream or agave - it makes a great substitute for the flavor - however, there's nothing that I've found that comes close to the smell of fresh brewed coffee as a substitute. I did use this in conjunction with Pero - and it works quite well - but still the smell wasn't there. In fact, I'm drinking a cup of this now - 1/4 tsp of cocoa powder (give or take) with 1 tsp of pero - no sweetener or cream - and a few raw cocoa nibs on my desk to munch on - and I'm okay without coffee. 3 Days and counting. I know the 'pain' of having a set back when quitting coffee - so as long as no one brews a pot of coffee in the house while I'm in the early days here - I will be fine with this set up - even if it were to happen that I smelled fresh brewed coffee, the memory of the weeks of sluggishness, nagging headaches and eye twitches that came with my last 'set back' when I accidentally got served 'real' 100% full caffeine coffee - really made an impression on me I won't soon forget - so as long as I have this Cocoa Powder and my Pero - I'm good to go. (I've been a coffee drinker and a 'decaf' mocker for almost 35 years. Its been 1 month since I started quitting (using half caf coffee mixed with alternatives - progressively getting weaker and weaker (adding more alternatives to the coffee and using less coffee) - and now its been actually 3 days since I have had caffeine/coffee) I know that the raw cocoa nibs and the cocoa products do have some caffeine - but the chemicals used in processing coffee are not being consumed anymore - and - some chocolate is good for you - and I don't find that it is that addictive for me - especially in its raw, unsweetened form - that is a safe way to get off coffee for me at least. Good luck to those who are trying to quit!
