Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Tea or coffee?

Image courtesy: Cliparts Zone
It is said there are as many varieties of tea as there are people who want to drink it. It just means there is no one single way of making tea, and everyone has his or her preference on how the drink should taste.

This is one reason why I often choose coffee when I am asked if I would like to have tea or coffee. The taste of coffee doesn't vary too much irrespective of the way it is prepared, at least for my palette.

Whether it be tea or coffee, I don't like it too strong or too light. Ideally, it should be a fine balance between the two, but a bit on the lighter side is way better than being on the stronger side.

The first cup of drink in the morning is two glasses of plain water. Then, a little later coffee without milk. Then after a bit of workout, along with breakfast, tea with milk.

India is the second largest producer of tea in the world, after China. A number of places in the state of Assam, which produces the largest amount of tea in India, Darjeeling in the state of West Bengal, Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu, Munnar in Kerala, Kodagu in Karnataka are some of the major places where we find tea plantations in India.

Coffee is more popular in south India, and tea in north India.

There are umpteen ways of making tea. But in India most people let the tea leaves or the tea dust brew in boiling water or in very diluted boiling milk.

How strong or light the tea would be depends on many factors like: 1. how much tea leaves is added, 2. how much milk is added, and 3. for how long the mixture of tea and water/milk is allowed to boil.

This is the most tricky part, because all this varies depending on the brand of tea. So it is all a lot of trial and error until one gets the right combination.

We at home decided to try out a new brand. And I think I got the right combination with the tea I prepared this morning. Finally!

How about you? You like tea or coffee? With milk or without milk? There are many people who don't take either; they prefer just plain water.

14 comments:

  1. I'm a coffee drinker, I'm not a coffee snob and I'm not a lover of trendy coffees, but I do like mine to be hot (most cafes make them lukewarm unless you ask for it to be made hotter) and I like it mild. European coffee is Horrible (capital "H" for emphasis) I'm not sure why but it's like black sludge!
    Thanks for linking up with us at MLSTL and I've shared on my SM :)

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  2. I'm absolutely a tea drinker. I love the rituals associated with it & I love the flavour. I am, however, super fussy about it! #MLSTL

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  3. I am also looking for alternate Tea brands. Which one did you buy?

    We make tea at home and drink tea regularly. But I prefer coffee when outside :)


    Destination Infinity

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  4. Visiting from #MLSTL. I am a daily morning coffee drinker but am trying to drink tea a bit more this winter (it's winter here). I like the soothing nature of tea that I don't get from coffee. I also see much broader variability in teas... so exploring a few different ones.

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  5. Neither. Coffee's out due to its caffeine. That also gets rid of a bunch of teas. (I can't do caffeine.) The other teas... I don't like warm drinks. I know, iced tea. At this point, there's no reason to get into any of it.

    I'll stick with water.

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  6. I prefer coffee except I travel by road in Tamilnadu or Kerala. Their roadside tea is the best. When I saw the title of your blog post, I thought you are writing about the airline industry. Tea or Coffee or Me?

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  7. Give me a choice between water, tea, or coffee, I'd pick tea every time. No milk, though.

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  8. Give me my daily double shot small latte and I am set. I used to drink tea (English breakfast) before my mouth cancer appeared and changed a lot for me. Coffee, however, is very welcome and forms part of my daily routine of getting up, getting dressed and getting out! Great post. Denyse #mlstl

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  9. I'm a tea drinker, and have never liked coffee of any sort. I've changed over the years to having black weak tea with a bit of sweetening added. I enjoy trying various other teas and always buy leaf tea rather than teabags. Interesting post #mlstl

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  10. Hi, Pradeep - Very timely post! Although I prefer tea (very lightly steeped - no milk or sugar), I am drinking coffee as I read this.
    To me, I believe that the taste of coffee also varies widely, depending on how it is made. I prefer coffee with soya milk, no sugar. Although many would disagree, for me, Starbucks gets this just right every time. Not the cheapest option...but a very nice treat!

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  11. thanks for sharing information its very helpful, your article is very nice so check now Best Sandal for ladies in India

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  12. I'm in an uncommon category, it seems. What else is new? Heh... I drink lots of plain water but enjoy a fruity green tea steeped hot then served cold with a little sweetener. Yum. It's so refreshing. I may go make a third glass, now! Be well, and thanks for the thoughtful and appreciated email folder and spam tips.

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  13. I love tea and coffee with milk....the "strength", amount of milk/water, cinnamon/cardamom etc don't really matter

    The thought of there being as many kinds of tea as people is really interesting

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  14. My choice is tea. Because nothing can match the taste of tea.

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