Coffee, Tea, or neither?

[lesbotronic]

(These words replace this thread-originating post authored by a now no longer active member --- topic title already self-explanatory.)

[keltheimpossible]

Oh, tea, most definitely! I just ordered a Xiang Fu travel tea set and  50 grams of a very nice 2016 Spring Laoshan Black! I own 5 pieces of Yixing ware, 3 tetsubin pots, and one personal celadon infuser/cup. Yeah, you say I'm obsessed! :)

[keltheimpossible]

I recently got the chance to introduce a friend to the joys of fine tea. She was visiting, and I served her a cup of Yu Lu Lan Cha, a new Black developed by Wang Yangxin, a small tea farmer in Qingdao. She took a sip and exclaimed, "This is amazing!' Such a far cry from Liptons, lol. I do so love turning people on to great tea!

[keltheimpossible]

If you like ginger tea, here's a great hack: take one ginger tea bag (I like Yogi), add 6-8oz hot water, ADD 1 SLICE/CHUNK CANDIED GINGER, and let tea bag steep got 5 minutes. Sweeten to taste but remember that the ginger has sugar. No need to remove ginger-just eat it when you've finished your tea!

[Geekomatic]

I love coffee! I tend towards strong, bit of sugar, nice frothy milk-- yum. At home, I'm pretty feral & drink instant, mostly. If I'm out, I'll get a nice cappuccino or sometimes a mocha. We do have a little Nespresso machine but it's too much hassle for me- especially in the morning- lol.

Tea: Earl Grey is the name of that game. Twinings is about the best you can get in a shop, unless you get into a city where you can go to a proper tea shop and purchase loose-leaf.

[keltheimpossible]

I heartily agree.  My tea come from China. I buy from small tea farmers, some of whom have been tending extremely old trees for generations. Sadly for those of who live outside of China, the Chinese government does not allow the finest tea to be exported. One day I hope to take a tea of China, Japan, India, and Africa.

Warning re: rooibos. Though rooibos IS tasty and can be beneficial, it does potentially interact with some medications. So check that out before you drink. As far as I know, barring an idiosyncratic allergic reaction, the only warning tea (camelia sinensis) carries has to do with caffeine content, which varies considerably according to tea type and manner of preparation. Usually-but not always-the higher quality tea has less caffeine and more antioxidants than the bagged stuff. And it definitely tastes better!

[kimjoy24]

I love both coffee and tea, but if I had to choose one, I'd choose coffee. I drink iced green tea or black tea every day, and enjoy hot tea during the colder months.