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Coffee or Tea?

Blue Velvet said:
I won't bore or repulse anyone with my coffee tastes but I would like to big up Lapsang Souchong.
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I went through a big Lapsang Souchong phase a few years back. Bought a proper teapot so I could brew it looseleaf etc...

Hmm... thinks about digging it out again.

So far as coffee or tea go at weekends... it depends on if I'm having bacon rolls for breakfast. If I am, it's hot tea. If I'm not, it's coffee
 
I take my tea (PG Tips) strong and with a little splash of semi-skinned milk.

Chocolate Digestive optional :)
 
RugoseCone said:
As for loose vs. bagged, as long as you use boiling water they are both good. Bagged seems to me to be easier to deal with. I can't imagine anyone trying to make tea with anything other than boiling water. Can't say I've ever run across someone that would think it a good idea to use tepid water.
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Don't know where you're from, but it's not at all uncommon if you order tea in an American restaurant to get a cup of hot-ish water with a tea bag on the side. (And generally something dreadful, like Lipton's.) The water usually comes off the warmer plate on the side or top of the coffee maker. Hot, but not near boiling, and of course the cup is useless for steeping. Yech. I almost never order tea in a restaurant, even a good one, because of this. Some of the coffee shops (Peet's in particular) have figured out that they need tea pots and boiling water to make tea. This is good.

I should also mention Yerba Maté, a very popular drink in South America. Not a tea precisely, or an herbal technically, but the leaves of the Yerba plant. I think it's classified as a tisane. Anyway, dry it kind of looks (and smells) like it belongs on the bottom of a hamster cage. Brewed into a tea it has a distinctly earthy flavor and brown-green color. It contains a variant of caffeine, the name of which escapes me, and quite a lot of it. It's very stimulating, and the flavor is good once you get used to it.
 
Tea. I frequent a tea bar in my city that serves hundreds of different kinds. They have couches and chairs, and make it a good place to kick it and enjoy a bubble tea, or a hot spicy chai. Its also convienently located in a premium urban shopping and resturant area.
 
Milk tea is real popular over here in Hong Kong, i.e. nearly every adult I know drinks it.

Well, now, I drink neither, though occassionally, I'll drink a hot Mocha, or this Honey Green Tea I can buy in plastic bottles :)
 
cleanup said:
Oops I completely missed the point of the topic. :D

Caramel Frapuccino for mee.

Or Tim Horton's. Mm.
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When did Timmy H's go into China? I thought that was a canada thing.

French Vanilla coffee for me.
 
max_altitude said:
A question for our American folk. When you say creme/cream, do you literally mean cream or just milk?
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What I see people put in varies wildly. Often it is just "Creamer" a dry powder that mellows and whitens the coffee (I've often said they could probably sell TiO2 as creamer) Half and Half is very popular as well. Some people do do cream and others use milk. Most people use it to me white stuff you put in coffee...

insert joke here....
 
MongoTheGeek said:
What I see people put in varies wildly. Often it is just "Creamer" a dry powder that mellows and whitens the coffee (I've often said they could probably sell TiO2 as creamer) Half and Half is very popular as well. Some people do do cream and others use milk. Most people use it to me white stuff you put in coffee...

insert joke here....
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However, creamer is no longer just a dry powder. You can buy it in the dairy section of the grocery these days.

I've seen people use whipping cream, half & half, milk, and even buttermilk but I'm happy with 1 % or 2 % butterfat milk in my coffee. Regular milk is just too heavy for people who don't labour on farms.
 
IJ Reilly said:
Don't know where you're from, but it's not at all uncommon if you order tea in an American restaurant to get a cup of hot-ish water with a tea bag on the side. (And generally something dreadful, like Lipton's.) The water usually comes off the warmer plate on the side or top of the coffee maker. Hot, but not near boiling, and of course the cup is useless for steeping.
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Originally from Chicago Illinois. Okay, sometimes I'm slow on the uptake! I wasn't thinking about tea in restaurants just making it at home, but yeah that about sums it up at most establishments. Lipton is fine for brewing iced tea, but otherwise it is indeed quite dreadful.
 
max_altitude said:
A question for our American folk. When you say creme/cream, do you literally mean cream or just milk?
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I use milk, but I know a few people who use cream (condensed milk) in tea and/or coffee.

Some people also like that powdery creme stuff?
 
I like my coffee black and so strong that just smelling it literally takes you back a step. Also I've gotten into the habit of spilling some on my tie every morning on the way to work. I really need a travel mug...Any MacRumors coffee mugs available?
 
njmac said:
How do you take your coffee/tea and which do you prefer?

I like my coffee light and sweet with half and half and sugar so since I've started trying to live a healthier life style and lose weight, I've dropped coffee completely.

I'm trying to get use to green tea but its not easy. I am getting use to other herbal tea though, like apple cinnamon and mint tea but it is till not as good as my coffee.

Any recommendations for me? Doing a Google search for tea, I came across Yogi Tea. Anyone heard of them? I like that the tea's are organic. The spiced Indian tea looks good, maybe I can add a little soy milk or rice milk to it and it will be a little more satisfying than plain, unsweetend tea.

Is decaf tea better for you than regular tea?
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Yogi tea is awesome.

I also like keeping a pitcher of regular lipton yellow label with a little sugar and two or three thin slices of lime in the fridge whenever I can.
 
iTwitch said:
Tea is a staple isn't it? :eek:
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No, it's a beverage made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. A staple hold papers together. :)

Now that you mention it though, a great trivia question: What is the most popular drink in the world, after water?

Trust me, it ain't Diet Coke.
 
I'd have to say Fresca, good stuff.:D

Also, to the OP, Republic of Tea is good in pods (bags) because their pods are made so they don't disrupt the flavor.
 
bousozoku said:
However, creamer is no longer just a dry powder. You can buy it in the dairy section of the grocery these days.

I've seen people use whipping cream, half & half, milk, and even buttermilk but I'm happy with 1 % or 2 % butterfat milk in my coffee. Regular milk is just too heavy for people who don't labour on farms.
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I second both comments about the loose definition of "cream" in the US as pertains to coffee. But I have to say that buttermilk in coffee sound downright nasty! :eek: Much as I love making buttermilk pancakes or biscuits, that sour smell really puts me off.

Like I said, I usually drink my brewed coffee black. If I have some leftover heavy whipping cream in the fridge, I sometimes put a little splash in my coffee mug. Pretty decadent.

As for espresso drinks: I used to love café mochas, but now I have them very seldomly since the two places that made really good ones are either out of business or a 2+ hour drive away. An iced mocha can be nice on a warm afternoon, though, again, it's hard to find a good one here and they cost way too much. I normally loathe lattés, but I'm admittedly a sucker for eggnog lattés around the holiday season. Starbucks generally makes good ones, which is about the only time I'll step through their doors.
 
crdean1 said:
I'd have to say Fresca, good stuff.:D

Also, to the OP, Republic of Tea is good in pods (bags) because their pods are made so they don't disrupt the flavor.
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All tea bags are supposed to be flavor-neutral, though a purest will tell you that none really are.

I avoid all the name-brands. They are generally over-priced (often drastically, and RoT is one of those) and are not always good quality. A safe bet I've found is buying tea packaged in the country of origin -- Assam packed in India, Ceylon from Shi Lanka, etc. They can be very inexpensive, but still good.

BTW, close -- but the answer is "tea." :)
 
IJ Reilly said:
I avoid all the name-brands. They are generally over-priced (often drastically, and RoT is one of those) and are not always good quality. A safe bet I've found is buying tea packaged in the country of origin -- Assam packed in India, Ceylon from Shi Lanka, etc. They can be very inexpensive, but still good.
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I found another tea company -Upton Tea that has a lot of info about tea and a huge selection... but they are US based importer so I'm guessing they're more expensive than getting tea packaged in the country of origin - but easier to order and find!
 
Anyone here watch the Good Eats on the Food Network? They did an episode on tea. In regards to the bag vs. loose teas, the main concern is the quality of leaves, not the actual bags, although that does matter if you want the tea to expand as much as possible. If you open up a tea bag and compare it to loose teas you'll see what I mean. Tea bags are usually comprised of leaves that are too small (or are just crumbs) or low in quality to make it into loose tea products.
 
itcheroni said:
Anyone here watch the Good Eats on the Food Network? They did an episode on tea. In regards to the bag vs. loose teas, the main concern is the quality of leaves, not the actual bags, although that does matter if you want the tea to expand as much as possible. If you open up a tea bag and compare it to loose teas you'll see what I mean. Tea bags are usually comprised of leaves that are too small (or are just crumbs) or low in quality to make it into loose tea products.
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By far the best cooking show ever! Alton Brown is hilarious.

I vaguely remember that episode. I seem to think Alton mainly used loose leaves.
 
I've found a very easy-to-make ice coffee that's a nice alternative to regular coffee now in the Summer. (I usually drink instant coffee, and have found one that is actually quite good, better than the coffee you buy from many convenient stores.)

I just take one tea-spoon of instant coffee, half a litre of cold milk directly from the fridge and tops of with 5-6 teaspoons of chocolate milk powder. Let the powder sink and then stir and I have a nice, sweet instant ice coffee... :)
 
IJ Reilly said:
Absolutely on the pot and boiling water. Essential! The other way makes foul brown water. As for loose vs. bagged, I prefer loose if only because I make it only for myself in a small pot and can adjust the "dose" to my liking. Also, the good varietal teas (as opposed to brand-name blends) generally are sold loose. A better value too, if you look at what you pay for the bags.
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I have to disagree with you on the boiling water, in part. Some "varietals" are best with boiling water and some not. I assume you are a black or Pu-erh tea drinker, hence the boiling water. I drink mostly green and white teas these days so your advise would be incorrect in my case.

It is satisfying to know that tea drinking in the US is getting more popular. There are several places in my area (Denver) that do a respectable job with
tea these days. I agree that properly prepared tea is still a hard find in the US.
 
both make me spew... coffee more so, but tea's just not very good for your insides so I avoid that too.
 
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