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Thursday, February 7, 2013

Coffee or Tea?

A friend mentioned this on Facebook this morning, & it got me thinking ... while I feel like I *should* enjoy tea, I really like & practically need coffee. I can easily take or leave tea as a drink, but coffee is my personal savior in the mornings. There are times when I joke that I need a lake of coffee in order to wake up & feel human before noon.

I'm a little bit of a coffee snob, in that I can't stand instant or diner coffee or any of that K-cup nonsense. I enjoy Starbucks & Peets on an everyday basis, & I absolutely adore Jamaican Blue Mountain (one of the most expensive coffee beans in the world, so it's a rare treat, but sooooo tasty!). I'm not super picky about coffee bean origins or roasts, but I have definitely gotten over my juvenile affection for flavored coffees & vast amounts of sugar. A nonfat latte with & 2 sugars is plenty, anything else is dessert.


Tea just doesn't cut it in comparison. I do collect fancy varieties, & friends often send me samples of exotic teas because I seem like someone who would drink tea (what, is it because I have cats? or is it my love of history & costumes?). Invariably, when I make a cup of Earl Grey or Darjeeling (my favorite varieties) by itself, I'm a bit disappointed.


Now, tea as a meal, that I adore. Add little crust-less sandwiches, scones, cakes, serve it all on fine bone china & sterling silver -- I'm in heaven! I'll drink gallons of tea then. In fact, I *have* a ton of those tea accoutrements. The china set for 12, the silver tea strainers, the damask tea cozies, the tiered trays. But in that setting, the drink is secondary.


Which do you prefer -- coffee or tea? Why?

What I'm wearing:
Purple & black stripe sweater, Old Navy
Black knit top, Old Navy
Black twill skirt, MetroStyle
Black tights, Calvin Klein
Black heeled ankle boots, Aerosoles
Pewter nail-cross pendant, bought at Mont St. Michele, France
Silver teardrop earrings, random accessory store


19 comments:

  1. First and foremost, CUTE outfit! I love the boots and striped sweater. Coffee ALL THE WAY ... except when it's mid-afternoon and I need a little treat for the senses. Then I go for a nice cup of jasmine green tea, a Japanese white tea blend, or a cup of Tulsi rose. I can be more of a tea snob than a coffee snob, probably because I drink it specifically for scent, taste and the ritual of making tea. It relaxes me.


    As for my coffee ... I'm not really a snob, though it better not taste terrible or weak. I have a soft spot for my local diner's coffee -- it's rich with undertones of chocolate. My most favorite cup o'joe is brewed on a camp stove on a chilly, early June morning in the middle of the woods. sigh ... THAT, THAT is sheer bliss in a cup!

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  2. I actually adore both tea and coffee. I was brought up with tea; both my parents drink it too, with the same recipe. No sugar, black leaves, small amount of reduced-fat cows milk.
    But I love coffee as well. Australia is the biggest consumer of coffee in the world! No sugar again, but I do have a weakness for those flavoured syrups ocassionally. I tend to consume both throughout the day.

    And those boots are to die for! xxx Lilly

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  3. Those boots are several kinds of awesome.


    I have the opposite issue; I get many invites for coffee, and I've even received coffee scented things... but I *really* detest coffee, and it usually surprises the givers of these gifts to know that. I drink very sweet things, and have never liked bitter drinks; for example I don't like beers or ales, but I absolutely love the very girly cocktails (my favorite being a candy apple martini and a cosmopolitan). I drink tea almost religiously, especially tea lattes: Chai, london fog (earl grey with coffee creamer, ironically), and strawberry and cream.

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  4. Coffee and unsweetened tea are both far too bitter for me. It's very rare that I want a hot drink anyway. However, I love sweet iced tea... if it's REAL sweet tea. A glass of cold tea + a packet of sugar does not equal sweet tea. I'm sure that sounds snobby, but hey, I'm from Georgia, where sugary sweet iced tea is the sixth food group.

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  5. Tea with, at most, milk (or cream). That's plenty sweet to me and cuts the bitterness of the black teas to just the right level of smoothness.



    Coffee rips up my stomach. Also, I've never gotten over my disappointment that it doesn't taste as good as it smells.

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  6. YES! I was born in Florida, so I adore real sweet tea!!! Totally different drink than hot tea. But every summer, I have to make a big pitcher of sweet tea :-)

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  7. I love those shoes of yours! They look so stylish and at the same time very comfortable to wear. :D Oh yeah, and I'm a coffee-person, I seldom drink tea. The only occasions are when I have an enormous flue, and I need a hot beverage.

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  8. Coffee coffee coffee! And yes, camp coffee has a special something.

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  9. Well, I'll definitely join you for a cosmo - or as my girlfriends call them "pink drinks!"

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  10. Unfortunately, as I've gotten older, coffee has started to hurt my stomach too. But dammit, I will not give up my morning cup. I'll die first.

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  11. Coffee with skim for me, or a cappuccino. No instant (though I do keep some in the pantry for emergencies - I have a gas stove, so I can at least heat water for instant coffee if the power goes out), and I will only do K-Cups if there is no other option. I grind my own beans too. I wouldn't consider myself a snob, just picky.

    I have tried to like black tea, I really have, but I can't drink it unless it's chai. I drink herbal tea all day at work because my office is so cold, and because it doesn't have the caffeine that black tea does.

    I adore those boots.

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  12. Tea. Tea, tea, tea. Hot in winter, iced in summer. Couple of packets of stevia if needed to cut bitterness, or a touch of agave syrup for iced. Coffee is an occasional morning treat if I feel like getting out the coffee maker & grinding the beans, also need to have almond milk in the house as I prefer my coffee as cafe au (almond)lait. ;)

    -d

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  13. Oh, definitely coffee and the stronger the better. I can drink it black if necessary, but I prefer it with real cream and a sugar. I always tell myself I'm going to switch to tea in the afternoon after I've had about six cups of coffee, but I never do!


    I love those boots, BTW! :o)

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  14. It is impossible for me to drink coffee in the morning. I get shiver and all drained out of water. I always start my day with a cup of tea with almond milk in, it should be loose tea leafs, not tea bags (the tea snob). Later in the day I love to take a couple of coffe cups I want the heavy roasted flavour but with a soft tone, also with almond milk.

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  15. I'm definitely with you on the coffee snob thing - Peets and Starbucks all the way, everyday, whenever possible. In fact, I only prefer tea when I can't have good coffee. Thanks for the tip about the Jamaican Blue coffee, I look forward to trying it out! ALSO, I adore your pendant, and how cool that you picked it up at a place I've longed to visit, for some time now. :-)

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  16. I like my coffee and tea the same way I like my wardrobe....BLACK. No milk (unless a little almond once in a while) and absolutely no sugar. I like coffee and tea equally, it's just that they each have their time and place. Coffee is a morning thing. Tea is an afternoon thing. Evenings are for red wine...but that's another story.

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  17. I'm a tea snob. A warm cup of white or green gets me up for my morning workout and is a must for a happy tummy before breakfast. There are so many different teas and each can be made with different strength, with cream/sugar, or even treat a certain ailment. Example: hibiscus for low iron. Or it is just interesting to discover that creamy early grey tastes like fruit loops.
    However, I do need a cup of joe with warm spices to put my nose to grindstone at work.

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  18. nice look ! I think I like coffee more than tea :)
    see you around
    http://whisperingstyle.blogspot.com/

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  19. TEA! I love it with cream and a bit of Stevia. Green tea or black tea: the cream is a requirement either way! Or Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Vanilla Ceylon Latte. YUM.

    Love the taste of coffee, but can't stand the feeling of caffeine. And even decaf coffee leaves me feeling so dehydrated. But I still indulge occasionally because it does taste fabulous (again, with CREAM!). lol.

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