I’m not addicted to coffee. I can stop whenever I want to. I just don’t see the point. It’s a pleasant morning ritual. It tastes good. It’s warm and soothing on a cold day. And, yes, it provides a nice little jolt of caffeine. Liza Corsillo, a writer for New York magazine’s Strategist section, disagrees. “I love the taste of coffee,” she writes, “but I don’t love how it makes me feel — first anxious, then distracted, and then run down.” That was all the fault of caffeine, and when she quit, she felt more focused and clear. But she still missed the taste of coffee—and even decaf coffee has traces of caffeine.

　　And so she has introduced Dandy Powder into her life. It’s “a malty powder made of five simple ingredients: dandelion root, chicory root, sugar beetroot, barley, and rye.” Somehow it tastes like coffee, if you mix it up a tablespoon with some boiling water and oat milk. Or so she claims. But I have never tried it, so who am I to doubt her?

　　If that isn’t enough, Corsillo talks to a nutritionist who assures her that dandelion powder won’t dry out your skin (and make you look old!) the way coffee does. It contains lots of antioxidants that help with digestion, get your liver and kidneys to flush out toxins more efficiently, and even reduce premature aging. Plus, you don’t feel jittery.

　　Still, I remain skeptical. Should I really trust the word of this one person in New York magazine? If anyone else has ever tried this stuff, please let us know how it is.