Innocente Caffe d'Orzo, Naturally Caffeine Free Tuscan Barley Coffee 500g

Having wanted to kick the (multiple!) daily caffeine fixes for some time, I did a bit of investigation online to find out the best coffee alternatives and came across this product - Innocente Caffe d'Orzo - and thought I would give it a try. Here's my review: Aroma It smells great - deep, slightly earthy and for my money, quite a lot like ground coffee... Definitely impressed! Consistency It's a lot coarser than ground coffee, so I'd imagine that perhaps it may not work fantastically with any equipment that requires very fine grounds. I've used it in a moka pot and a french press and think that the latter works best. The all important Taste Here's the only point of contention for me... I should firstly make it clear that I do really like the taste and various earthy and smoky flavours it gives off, but that said, really don't think it is fair to directly compare it to coffee, because (IMHO) it doesn't taste THAT similar. First tasting I was a little unsure, due to the fact that I was expecting coffee, but once I had gotten over the difference, I began to really enjoy it; so much so that I've now ordered several times. I personally enjoy it with a little milk. Definitely a great alternative to coffee, but not a replacement, and if you are rating on a 'coffee scale' alone, then this may be slightly off the mark. That said, a very very enjoyable drink - for any time of the day.

A nice and pleasant alternative to coffee and tea. It can be drunk at any time of day or night, without the insomnia induced by coffee. I brew mine in a cafetiere, just like coffee, leave it to brew for a couple of minutes and is good to go. I haven't tried it in a flask yet, but will update this review when I have. Some drinks taste very different after being kept hot in a flask for several hours. As other folks have said, this is expensive for a 500g pack, after all, it is only Barley and that grows easily. However, I will buy again as it is pretty much the only real alternative to Tea & Coffee.

Really the nicest alternative to coffee I have found, as someone who can no longer enjoy a decent night's sleep if I drink coffee too late in the day. It has a good bitterness, unlike various instant barley beverages we've probably all tried...

Please note: I'm not liking this as something of a coffee fiend. YMMV. I dearly love my Hasbean single-origin heirloom varietals and yellow honey processed but I just can't take the caffeine at the mo. So this was an experiment to see whether roasted grain coffees could provide a satisfying alternative (while not, of course, actually replacing the genuine demon brew). My answer is that not only does it not hit the spot, it's actively unpleasant to drink because it tastes burnt. For people who like the French-roast taste, this might work. Our open pack, minus the one dose, is about to go onto Olio, and I shall be studying up how to roast my own barley for Japanese-style barley tea.

Saw a short blurb about this in the newspaper and was intrigued--and very happy to learn it was sold through Amazon. While I like the idea of having coffee in the evening after supper, I am badly affected by the caffeine. This is the perfect solution: a deep, rich, roasted taste very similar to coffee and naturally caffeine-free (sorry to sound like a commercial!). I also like the idea that this product has been produced by the same family in Siena for about two hundred years so know I am getting the real thing. Love it!

I have been finding coffee upsets my stomach. Tried various herbal teas, but would like to have at least one coffee a day. I really wanted to like this, but the taste was appalling (like roasted cardboard), the colour was foul (black like tar), and it gave me stomach pain after half a cup. Don't know if that is the gluten in the barley, but I don't tend to have stomach pain from gluten normally. Hey ho, still on the lookout for an alternative. Am going to try low acid coffee next and see how that works.

Wow. This is lovely. I wasn't expecting it to taste so similar to coffee but it does...like the earthy African types. I've had to stop drinking highly acidic decaf and can't cope with the caffeine of regular coffee but like a strong flavour. This is a perfect substitute. Can even mix with ground coffee for a half caf. Please please encourage places like Cafe Nero to start selling this stuff... As currently my only option is to drink coffee when I am at home!

First of all, Caffe D'orzo does not taste like normal coffee. Having said that, I just made one with my moka and it tastes quite good. I was not expecting to be this good. A good tip if you make coffee with a moka is to brew it very slowly, in other words the flame under the moka should be at its minimum. It will take longer to make, but it will taste better. I'll buy more when I'm finished with this pack.