Tea vs coffee drinkers

[Betts]

Do you think that the people who get so wrapped up in their espresso can taste the nuances of great tea? Or do you think that the two beverages appeal to entirely different personalities? Can you truly love tea and also be passionate about coffee?

I'm of the tea persuasion.

Betts

["T"]

I love tea, drink it everyday all day, but I also like my daily espresso.

I swing both ways Beveragewise that is.

[beans]

tea

coffee

I absolutely adore both.

[phaelon56]

With proper exposure to quality fresh tea and the right preparation techniques, I suspect I could become a convert but the intensity of a good espresso would still keep pulling me back in....

[iain]

This seems similar to the Beatles or Rolling Stones question. I'm a fan of both. Same goes for coffee and tea.

[phaelon56]

This seems similar to the Beatles or Rolling Stones question.

Soooo.... which one is the bright, happy, dreamy and mystical pop oriented beverage and which one draws its strength from the dark side?

[hillbill]

I'd probably only drink coffee but I'm trying to drink tea also because of the purported health benefits. Of course I've probably never had good tea; similarly to most of the coffee I've drunk in my life that has been mediocre to (mostly) abominable; so I've thought of both of them as something I endure because they're both a caffeine delivery system rather than something that I consume for the taste or enjoyment thereof.

[jhlurie]

Tea... although not religiously--only when the need for a warm drink presents itself.

Owen, have we taken an official position on Hot Chocolate here yet? Hot Cider? Or do you have to duke that out with Jason and his "Soft Drinks", which does apparently include Juices at a minimum?

[mighty quinn]

i drink both, however coffee has an advantage for me-i can drink it on an empty stomach. bonus points to the one who can clue me to the chemical in tea that makes me sick at my stomach!

[browniebaker]

Tea only. With breakfast, with snacks, with "afternoon tea," after dinner.

Oddly, the only coffee I can stand to drink is Taster's Choice instant, which makes me no coffee-drinker.

Luckily I married another tea-drinker who, even more coffee-averse than me, cannot even stand the smell of coffee. We have no coffee or coffee-maker in then house. My husband's parents have been known to leave our house for Starbucks and return after they have their coffee fix.

I'm sure people can love both tea and coffee. It's a bit like cat-people and dog-people, right?

[jariggs]

I'm in the both tea and coffee camp. Lately, its been tea in the morning at home and coffee in the afternoon, out. Its a lot easier to find good coffee away from home even here in DC, which has several excellent tea houses. Tea is easier on my system, but the caffeine in it stays with me longer.

I do love a good cup of hot cider on a cold day, especially outside -- but it does nothing for my caffeine addiction.

[iain]

This seems similar to the Beatles or Rolling Stones question.

Soooo.... which one is the bright, happy, dreamy and mystical pop oriented beverage and which one draws its strength from the dark side?

The Beatles are definitely tea; The Stones are coffee - black, no sugar.

[jpr54_]

I drink both tea and coffee and enjoy both-

Yes, it is definitely possible to develop a discriminating pallette for tea.

There are many varieties of tea-oolong/green/black or red tea/white/pu-erh tea/scented/herbal

I have been drinking tea for the past 2 years and have broaden my knowledge base as well as my taste buds-

so many countries and types to choose from-

if any one would like some suggestions on on to begin your tea experience-

bibliography, online wbsites-etc

i would be happy to share my knowlege-

just ask

Joanne

[cdh]

For bibliography, I'd point you to the writing of J. Norwood Pratt... the Tea Lover's Treasury came out a year or two ago in a new second edition (I've only got the first ed myself, and it was good... the 2nd is New & Improved, or so they say...) Available here... don't know if it is general distribution... Amazon doesn't seem to carry it.

Good guide to tea and the stories and history behind it. Were they still doing it, I'd suggest subscribing to Adagio Teas Tea Horizons tea-of-the-month club... they used to send around a wonderful variety of really rare and unusual teas every month... they sent about 5 oz per month, one each of five different teas.

They discontinued the club a year or so ago... don't know if they've restarted it. I'd certainly go in for something like that again if somebody out there were doing it.

PS: I'm a coffee-home-roasting espresso fiend too... I see no fundamental clash in liking both tea and coffee... I just gravitiate to opposite extremes... I love light oolongs, pouchongs and white teas... the only coffee I drink regularly is espresso.

Edited November 22, 2003 by cdh (log)

[jpr54_]

i would suggest reading the following sites:

www.thefragrantleaf.com

www.imperialtea.com

www.specialteas.com

www.uptontea.com

www.holymtn.com

and this very informative page

http://pages.ripco.net/~c4ha2na9/tea/

[slkinsey]

I'd probably only drink coffee but I'm trying to drink tea also because of the purported health benefits.

Drink cocoa instead. It contains more antioxidants and phenolic phytochemicals than either tea or wine.

[jat]

I drink both, but primarily tea, I find more relaxing. I do get this coffee

called Passion Cafe. It's organic, and they have unusual flavors, licorice,

hot spice, my favorite is called the Napoleon Blend, chocolate and

lavender, and I DO think it's an aphrodisiac! Best coffee I've ever had.

If anyone is interested I have the owners phone number. He sent me 6

bags of different flavored beans. No wonder I'm on the web so late.

[Rajesh.Sharma]

I enjoy both. Coffee in the morning and tea in the afternoon. I usually have drip coffee and tea-bag tea on weekdays but on weekends I try to brew different varieties of loose-leaf tea. Good coffee machines / grinder require too much of an investment for me to try something fancy at home with coffee other than a bodum french press.

Last week I was in Chinatown in San Francisco with my wife and decided to visit the Imperial Tea Court (Broadway & Powell) We sampled a fine oolong tea prepared in the gongfu style. The best tea I have ever had! From there we headed to Cafe Greco (Columbus & Vallejo) which is just a 3 minute walk from the Imperial Tea Court. Excellent cappuccino made with illy beans. It was pretty amazing that one could taste best of both these beverages within blocks of each other.

--rajesh.

[torakris]

I am more of a coffee drinker but I do enjoy both. It really depends on my mood and what else I am eating/snacking on.

I can not drink coffee after about 3:00 in the afternoon or it makes me dizzy and nauseous.

I drink a wide variety of types as well, yesterday I had some chai (with cardamom, cinnamon nad cloves), I started this morning with some genmai-cha and am about to go heat up the espresso machine.

[sherribabee]

I enjoy both.

I like the smell of my Cafe du Monde (with a dash of cinnamon added to the grounds) brewing away in the morning and my Vanilla Almond tea steeping away at my desk as soon as I sit down in the mornings.

My day gets all outta whack if I can't have both.

[Jason Perlow]

I drink both. Actually, I am a fiend for any hot beverage.

I rarely drink coffee at home because Rachel hates coffee and it only gets prepared if I -really- want it and am committed to drinking an entire pot (or want ice coffee for later) or if guests are over and we can prepare an entire pot. Otherwise, we drink tea at home. In winter months we brew at least a pot or two a day. In the cases when I am consulting or working away from home and I am at someone else's office, I drink coffee.

At restaurants or when we are out, I drink coffee and espresso. When we're at Barnes and Noble and if they have one of those cafes, I like a good hot caramel cider or a hot chocolate. At asian restaurants I drink tea, copiously.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Do you think that the people who get so wrapped up in their espresso can taste the nuances of great tea? Or do you think that the two beverages appeal to entirely different personalities? Can you truly love tea and also be passionate about coffee?

I'm of the tea persuasion.

Betts

I think that is like saying people who are passionate red wine can discern the differences in a white wine.

I also think that taste is subjective. I keep going to wine tastings where I realize a lot of folks taste things differently than I do. It doesn't mean that I'm right or they are, just that a human beings' taste buds differ.

I like real liquids - in that, I mean, I drink a lot of wine, coffee, tea, juice, and milk. I don't drink sodas or other soft drinks. At any given time, in my house, you will find several dozen types of tea, at least half-a-dozen different kinds of coffee, and hundreds of bottles of wine.

But I don't believe that coffee "kills" taste buds and precludes one from being able to experience a great tea.

[ludja]

i drink both, however coffee has an advantage for me-i can drink it on an empty stomach. bonus points to the one who can clue me to the chemical in tea that makes me sick at my stomach!

I have found the same thing and usually I have a cast iron stomach. Tea on an empty stomach though will invariably leave me queasy... I wonder if it is just a case of getting used to it.

Any big tea drinkers have problem drinking tea on an empty stomach?

[tryska]

tea with cream, or plain tea?

when i've got tummy issues tea and toast are old standbys. (usually with cream).

if i've got congestion issues it's tea with lemon.

i've never noticed any nausea one way or the other, but i have also been raised with tea from when i was a kid.

black coffee on the other hand, will give me agita in a heartbeat.

[slkinsey]

I rarely drink coffee at home because Rachel hates coffee and it only gets prepared if I -really- want it and am committed to drinking an entire pot....

Jason, why don't you get one of those small two-cup presspots or, even cooler, a three-cup vacuum brewer.