A rather loaded question this week, I think. Especially for Americans. Tea just doesn’t lend itself to manliness. One must be subtle about revealing the preference.

Mine is, however, largely dictated by time of day. Mornings, especially those that require limited work, are greeted with tea. I drink only two kinds, PG Tips or Yorkshire Gold (no, actually, three types, I also like Lifeboat). These are to be brewed very strong and dressed with milk. I only drink tea at home, never out, and will absolutely avoid ordering tea at a coffee shop or restaurant.

So, as you may have guessed, coffee is consumed almost equally. I drink coffee black. Never with sugar. Never with cream or milk. Just black. Very strong. I refuse to any coffee that involves steamed milk or flavoring. Cafe Americano, espresso, regular joe. Just those. Mainly in the afternoons.

My intake of caffeinated beverages has increased dramatically in the 2 years I’ve been sober. That, really, accounts for why I drink both coffee and tea.

Being a drinker of both coffee and tea, I am well aware that the resulting caffeine feels very different in the body. Coffee is jolty, tea has a slower pace. Coffee can occasionally overwhelm, as is the case when I drink a whole pot. Tea, I think by virtue of using a spot of milk, is never consumed in very large quantities.

Today I drank neither. I arrived at the office without keys. Couldn’t remember my computer password. And, now, I’m facing an onslaught of fire alarm tests. The incessant beeping is not good substitute for lack of caffeine.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 22nd, 2008 at 16:24 and is filed under coffee, weekly question, q & a. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.