Friday, January 30, 2009

Coffee or Tea....

I have to say I got the idea for this post from Linda, as she was talking about tea.

When we lived in England we drank a lot of instant coffee, Nescafe being the brand of choice, and obviously black tea, probably either Typhoo or Tetley's. Both were with milk, no sugar and on the weak side.

When we came to Canada, still stuck to that choice, but over the years I began to develop a lot of headaches and decided to cut out coffee and stick to tea. I do drink coffee still but its make in a coffee maker with coffee grounds and its decaffinated. I am partial to the flavoured creamer, the liquid type, as I do find most ground coffee too strong for me.

Tea well that's a whole other ball game. I was always a strictly black tea type of gal, however I discovered green tea last year and love it. I can even drink it without milk, it actually tastes better without milk. I start the day with a cup of green tea with my breakfast. Its either the Tetley or the Lipton Pyramid tea brands. There is even a ginger green tea which I bought for when I have an upset stomach or am not feeling well.

I am still not a fan of herbal or flavoured teas, though at a push I will try one. I tried the Rooibas red tea the other week at Starbucks, and due to that I went and bought the Tetley's Rooibas Vanilla Tea the other day. I put milk in that and is different to any other teas I have tasted.

Are you a tea or coffee drinker?

How do you take your coffee or tea?

Do you like a mug or a china cup and saucer?

Do you like it weak or strong?

Do you have any favourties that you'd like to share with us?

35 comments:

Anonymous said...

Even though I tend to drink coffee now that I'm an alien spouse in the US, there's still nothing better than a bone china mug of earl grey tea with just a touch of milk. Mmm mmm.

Strawberry Jam Anne said...

I am a coffee drinker Gill. Until recently I usually only drank instant but went off the taste so tried grounds in a cafetiere and that is now the drink of choice. Have cut down on it lately though. I never, ever drink tea! I cannot even bear the smell of it. A x

Cathy said...

I drink tea every once in a while...not much though and I drink more coffee but it has to be cold for starters..lot of everything..My dad doesn't even count it as coffee.

Anonymous said...

I gave up caffeine for 6 months and that really helped. I now have a real coffee occasionally, maybe once a month. I do drink herbal tea (no caffeine).

Interview is up! Thanks, it was great!

Unknown said...

Tea for me! I like just about any kind, well not really green tea. But I like English Breakfast, Mint (with honey) and just discovered Chai with has some really nice spiced flavours. I drink my tea with milk and sugar, a bit on the stronger side.

I very rarely will drink a flavoured coffee mixed half with hot chocolate with lots off added milk & sugar to mask the coffee taste! LOL!

p.s. I'll be posting a pic of my xstitch progress later today.

Twisted Fencepost said...

I love the smell of coffe brewing. Or when you first open the package before brewed. But I can't stand the taste. And I've tried all kinds of different ways. Just don't like it.
And the same for tea. Although, my Captain loves iced tea.
I prefer my caffeine cold, in Pepsi. Yeah, I know. It's not good for me.

Naturegirl said...

Like you I am a decaf girl and prefer Tetley of all black teas.I drink it w/ a bit of honey..no milk.
Green tea I drink every day for it's health benefits and LoVe the one w/ ginger! I love to drink teas that are scented with roses..most specialty tea shops will carry the loose teas in various varieties..lavender tea another I enjoy!Always drink my tea in a cup and saucer..cheers to our tea!

The Good Life in Virginia said...

a great topic and i could go on and on.

i like both.

coffee ground and brewed and prefer a dark roast w/cream
coffee in a nice ceramic mug

tea another thing...depending on my mood...lol. i love:

earl grey
lady grey
irish breakfast tea
english breakfast tea
paris by haney & sons
hot cinnamon spice by haney & sons

prefer loose leaf tea over bagged

also love having tea...getting out my favorite china tea set and tray and having it in the study. makes it special in a strange sort of way...lol.

used to go out for high tea once a month when i lived in california. have no such places here in central virginia...sniff, sniff

have a good day gill.

Mary said...

Tea drinker....like it sweet, but dark and strong...usually in a mug with a bird on it....I like several of the Twinings Brand teas (Prince of Wales, Irish Breakfast) and also buy a lot of the Metropolitan Tea Brands because I like the interesting wooden boxes they come in (Shakespear's Blend and Pirate's Gold) :-) Don't drink coffee at all.

Ms Opinionated said...

It's funny how you talk about coffee/tea. I actually added a post about coffee, but mine was directed to Starbucks - http://gypcrose.blogspot.com/

Obviously, I'm a coffee fanatic!

Rudee said...

My favorite coffee is made from freshly ground beans and using a French press pot. It's fairly strong and would probably curl your toes. Not mine though, it's just what I need to get going. A bit of cream only and I'm in heaven.

I like to drink tea in the late afternoon or evening and Earl Grey is my fave. At night, I stick to herbal non-caffeinated tea.

Dewdrop said...

My absolute favorite is chai tea latte, and I take it in a mug with cream and sugar.

I also drink one cup of chocolate caramel creamer with some coffee in it each morning.

Cherie said...

Are you a tea or coffee drinker?

I love both!

Coffee
Has to be brewed in a maker, percolator or a press, ground fresh is best. My favourite coffee is grown in Turks and Caicos Island but I am not a snob! I like Tim Horton too!

Tea
I drink all kinds for different reasons!

How do you take your coffee or tea?

Coffee I take with cream only or black and a little sugar or I take it black

Tea
herbals and infusions I drink black
black, green, red and white teas I drink with milk and sugar or lemon and honey.vThey tasts best make in a pot IMO.

Do you like a mug or a china cup and saucer?

I use a mug, preferably dark for coffee and china preferably white to enjoy the colour for tea

Do you like it weak or strong?

I like coffee medium to strong and teas strong with the exception of green tea

Do you have any favourties that you'd like to share with us?

I already mentioned my coffee choices so I will list the teas I drink

Tetley is the best black tea

I haven't found a (Red) Rooibos I didn't like yet This tea has a lot of healing properties. It is good for your skin and has soothing properties and is thought to lower blood pressure

Green tea I drink for its fat burning properties more than the flavour to be honest. currently I am drinking 3 crowns

The white tea I drink is the pomegranate from lipton. It is so yummy!

Stinging Nettle I drink to control allergies and for it calcium, it is good for arthritis too I am told.

Raspberry red leaf I drink for PMS, this tea is really good for woman's health

Peppermint I drink because I like it but it has a lot of health benefits too

These are the ones I drink daily

Expat mum said...

Not quite answering the question, but I love the reaction I get from Americans if I ever offer or make instant coffee. I worked with one fellow about a decade ago who had never had a cup of instant coffee in his life. The ball & chain would rather go without than drink the stuff.
I'm a white without tea girl myself tho'.

fitrat said...

I am a tea drinker since we were little kids. Black tea(Lipton or Tetley) to be specific. I like mine steeped in a mug with milk and one sweetener and with tea biscuits ofcourse.

There is somethign very comforting about tea and it is the only think I guess that has stayed constant in my life since my childhood.

Although us brown people make it with pure milk and cardamoms which is excellent!!! but takes sometime to make. Also Kashmiri tea is Yummilicious(its made out of green tea and saffron and dried nuts)..
If you are in toronto, you can get it from Gerrard bazaar:)

Kim said...

Both

One cup instant or real coffee in the morning - I like the vanilla caramel creamer but rarely buy it due to price and calories.

I tend to drink tea in the evening. Tedley's with milk & honey.

Sometimes during the day I will make up a pot with 2 green tea bags and 1 Tedley's berry blend tea bag - I also add a touch of honey to this but no milk, and sip it through out the day.

Keeps me warm in the winter months :)

Patricia said...

I definitely love Coffe and my favorit one is "java coffe" or "Bali coffe" though where I live we have a lot of tea..
Cheers!

Margaret's Ramblings said...

I just naturally stopped drinking instant coffee about a year ago. It wasn't a conscious choice, it just happened. I bought some green tea at a health festival and it was the most discusting thing I had every tasted. Smelt like cow s**t as well. Do they all taste and smell like that or was I misled. Margaret

ChaChaneen said...

I drink both coffee and tea. I start with coffee in the morning and switch to hot/cold tea the rest of the day.

I like Creme Brulee flavored creamer in my coffee. When I drink tea, my favorite is Vanilla tea with milk and a cube of brown sugar. Delicious!

I like my insulated coffee mug for my morning coffee. When I drink tea, I always prefer it in a china cup with saucer.

Strong! Oh yea baby!

My favorite brand is Taylors of Harrogate and they do make a good decaf. And once I tried a Fortnum and Mason brand and it rocked my world. Would LOVE to get more of that!

Cathi said...

Coffee for me. Barzula is my favourite. With skim chocolate milk in it -- it's really quite a nice treeat.
Tea once in a while. There's something about the aftertaste from tea that always bothers me -- can't brush my teeth enough to get rid of it!!

AmyK said...

I go back and forth between coffee and tea. Lately it's been tea--lemon tea, with honey. When I get a good-tasting creamer, that's usually when I'm a coffee drinker; I'm not big on coffee with just milk and sugar.

Gill - That British Woman said...

great answers everyone, thanks for commenting,

Gill

George said...

I have to admit I drink both coffee (black) and tea from a mug.
I guess Earl Grey is my all-time favorite tea, although I learned to like green tea as well.

Scrappy quilter said...

I don't drink coffee and very little tea. When I drink tea, the tea bag just has to be passed over the water (very quickly). My grandmother use to boil her tea and it was so stinking strong you could hardly drink it. When I do have a cup, I drink it straight. It doesn't matter if it's in a China cup or mug.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Gill, I love French Vanilla or Hazelnut Coffee--regular, not decaf. We only drink coffee in the mornings.

George taught me to drink hot tea--since he drank ALOT of tea when he was in China. We drink at least one cup of green tea everyday since it's good for us. But we also drink black tea --and I love the flavored teas. The Pina Colada tea is to-die-for.

Caffeine doesn't seem to bother either of us--at this time. SO--we never drink decaf.

Hugs,
Betsy

Lakeland Jo said...

I love coffee. I love black, cappucino, latte....
I can't manage expresso- too strong for me, and it makes my heart flutter.
I like white tea, no sugar.I love green tea, camomile and leaf teas. I don't like fruit teas- especially the smell of them.
I can't abide earl grey- it is one of very few things I really cannot stomach. I also dislike lapsang suchong.

Joy said...

I drink both tea and coffee. I am partial to herbal teas. But once in a while I'd have a cup of Earl Grey with milk. If it's coffee, I enjoy cafe mocha - never just regular coffee.

Thanks for visiting Norwich Daily Photo and leaving your comments. The weekend's here. Enjoy yourself.


joy
A Pinay In England
Your Love Coach
I, Woman

Unknown said...

Coffee these days, but not much. Just enough to wake up with. I did drink tea for a while, but at some point it started aggravating my stomach, so I switched back.

Winifred said...

I'm a coffee girl. It has to be latte or cappuchino but with a good strong dose of espresso. Don't like it weak, black and don't take sugar. I make mine in a Gaggia coffee maker. Cost a bomb but worth every penny. I use M&S espresso or Asda's Espresso Yourself. Both reasonably priced.

Have to say I don't like instant coffe. Also don't like Starbucks coffee, don't know why, just can't stand it and it's expensive.

Always drink it in a small porcelain mug, preferably white. I think I'm beginning to sound like a looney here!

Like Strawberry Jam Anne I can't stand tea. Hate the smell of it and all types. I've tried green tea and Rooibas, couldn't stand them either.

I do like ginger and lemon tea, it's not really tea is it?

mommanator said...

I drink both. coffee with cream& sugar
Tea any old way with cream/sugar or with sugar/lemon or plain or did I forget iced. Here in Fla I like seet tea, but shouldn't drink due to diabetes
Have ya tried peppermint tea for upset tummy? thats good

Anonymous said...

Coffee Gil..I grind my own (shade grown, fair trade, organic) beans and then ruin it with creamer...

Evelyn said...

I drink coffe black and hot, prefer it perked and usually on the wek side. I drink tea occasionlly, also black and weak. i like Earl grey but detest herbals and green tea. i do like ginger tea once and awhile though. i drink it all out of mugs. evelyn

fizzycat said...

Tea - weak to medium classic black tea with milk. Green tea or Earl Grey tea, best without milk. Same with redbush tea.
Not much of a coffee drinker will sometime have a latte if in a coffee shop.
Earl Grey nicer in a china cup.
Herb tea, Lemonbalm, Comfrey (rarely)Mint or Chamomile nice.

Patty said...

I only drink iced tea, tall glass glass with plenty of ice, a little sweetener and sometimes a lemon wedge. I have to have decaf tea, my body doesn't handle caffeine too well.

Janet said...

Like most Brits, I'm a tea drinker. I like my tea strong, with a little milk, no sugar.

My brand of choice is Ringtons Connoisseur blend, which I have shipped over from England. Expensive but so worth it, I take my tea seriously. And I like to drink from a bone china mug.

Like you, I won't give herb or flavoured teas house room. But on your recommendation I will give the green tea a chance - but not first thing in a morning. :-)

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