Tea vs. Coffee

The choice of these two as alternative drinks has always been a source of puzzlement for me.  Living part of my childhood above "Ko Aye's tea shop" at my grandmother's downtown building  - one which always had a huge cauldron of "milk tea" - and smelling the fantastic aroma of that tea,
I had no real concept of coffee until I arrived in America - the ultimate land of coffee drinkers.  My early working life's memories consisted of trips to the place where coffee was provided as part of the company benefits.  In those younger days, it was not unusual for me to ingest six to ten cups (mugs actually) of coffee within the short span of about 6 hours.  The subsequent effect was sufficient to provide a certain perceived level of energy - which I am not quite sure was actual.

These days, having passed my half-century mark a while ago, and with my sugar/milk intake being severely limited, I am happy to sip my allotted "large" cup of delicious Hawaiian Kona on those lazy Saturday mornings when we wake up early and feel like taking the short drive to our favorite pastry/coffee shop which is a mile or so down the road.  My working days, however, start with a mug of Puerh tea (more on this particular tea in future blogs).  A vacuum mug of more Puerh accompanies me on the ride in to work, and a freshly made mug after starting work helps me through the latter part of the morning.

One of the very tangible effects of both beverages is that they help one to wake up and face the day.  They provide a repeatable ritual which over time becomes a burnished friend.  Some may say that this ritual is the true beginning of connoisseurship - repeat something enough times and you will find the nuances in it.  And some are drawn to a certain sense of comfort through familiarity.  So, it must follow that those who are used to a certain type and strength of coffee (for example) would prefer to have that same beverage, and over time it becomes their "favorite".  For me however, there are no favorites.  Since I have never actually had the opportunity to settle into one "ritual". The moment I try, it seems that life hands me a curve - I tend to think that there are many favorites depending on my particular emotions and proclivities of the moment.

Which then leads me to think that the primary choice of coffee or tea depends on the person - and the comfort level of that person and has to do more with the ritual rather than the taste of the beverage. For example, J2 is terribly persnickety about her coffee.  She is one of those people who go to extremes selecting coffee - sniffing tasting and mostly discrediting most of what I would personally find acceptably good.  However, once that decision has been made, she is satisfied to continue her morning and afternoon coffee rituals day in and day out, without a need to vary the taste until and unless the roaster had a bad day or some similar catastrophe occurs.

 In fact, the taste of a nation, it seems, is built on such ritual.  It is said that the British drink tea at home and coffee outside the home (apparently the tea that they serve in tea shops is atrocious - as indicated by the writer of a favorite blog of mine).  Americans, true to the stereotype, generally prefer coffee and indeed consume copious amounts everywhere they go.  Indeed American coffee shops provide outstanding coffee almost everywhere on the continent. Tea shops are few and far between in America, and generally serve as stages for anglophile ladies and their company.  The Asian picture is the same.  Japanese prefer tea and their ceremonies are formalized into ritual which can accommodate as small a number as four guests to as large as an outdoor space will allow.  It seems whatever you do in Japanese culture is always accompanied by some tea.  Indian rituals are the same.  Whenever I visit Indian friends, one of the first things that is done is for a cup of chai to be made and offered.  The Chinese seem to always have a pot nearby somewhere.

The "ethos" of tea and coffee are powerful forces indeed - being able to determine the drinking behavior of entire cultures, spanning geographical boundaries, and even other powerful forces as politics and religion.

One last observation that I could make, is that the Chinese ritual of "eating tea" (almost universally known to the English speaking world as "dim sum") is one that broaches every other known force.  Even dyed-in-the-wool coffee drinkers often change to drinking tea for this ritual!  Another point, i would assume, for the assertion that ritual often trumps taste.

So, dear reader, we begin yet another venue on this blog, and I will attempt to share some drinking experiences .... with the hope that you will respond with your thoughts on this subject.