I’m not shy to admit, but I swing both ways. When it comes to hot beverages, I am totally not monogamous.
Depending on my mood, I can enthusiastically sing the praises of both tea and also coffee. No problem. But, there is a time and place for each.
I grew up with tea. Tea is in my blood. Afterall, I am English. I remember my Nanna making tea in a stainless steel teapot, using a woollen teapot cover to keep it warm for the second round. She used proper cups and saucers, with pink and yellow flowers on them and poured the tea through a strainer (she was hardcore – she used fresh leaves).
Then there are my Irish friends who make tea so strong that you could almost stand the spoon up in the cup.
Tea. The backbone of English society. Many a tear has been dried over a cup of tea, many decisions skillfully made whilst drinking tea and many an argument been settled. There really is nothing quite like a ‘nice cuppa tea’.
Oh, but there is. As I have matured, I have officially become a coffee lover.
The ground granules of Nescafe, in my dad’s flask when we went fishing to the River Ancholme, was my first introduction to coffee. And I didn’t like it. It took me to travel to the other side of the world, aged 26, to be served a cafe latte, for my love affair with coffee to start.
It was the whole experience for me. The first time. A late starter. In a trendy cafe in Kings Cross, Sydney. Freedom of travelling. Free postcards. I sat there, pretending I knew what I was doing totally enthralled in my first ever cafe latte experience. Bliss.
That was the moment when tea had a rival.
Now, I didn’t grow up in a coffee culture. The cafe that I frequented in Scunthorpe high street was called El Toro and they served 50p chip butties served with a cup of tea. No fancy cappuccinos, macchiatos or lattes in sight.
Fast forward several years and things are so different. Coffee shops are popping up everywhere. In my now adopted homeland of Israel, I find myself living in a coffee culture. And coffee for me has become an enjoyable social experience. Alone or with friends, early morning or sundown I love going out for coffee.
Funny, but I don’t extend the same virtues for a cup of tea. I will only pay for coffee. Tea is drank at home.
Sometimes, it is just the simple things in life that bring a lot of pleasure. For me, it’s a hot beverage called tea or coffee.
