I Love Coffee, I Love Tea...

by Christine Wells

Does anyone else remember Manhatten Transfer, or am I the only one who hums along to the java java song when I'm boiling the kettle of a morning?

Well, actually, that is a barefaced lie. My children most often wake me up at around 5am (I really need to lock that cupboard under the stairs more securely, don't I?) and let's just say, I am not a morning person. So if I make any noise at all in the morning it takes the form of grunts and mm-hmms until I get that first, enlivening sip of COFFEE.

Anyhoo, since we had so much fun with the food wars (and since I recently had to pack COFFEE in my luggage to visit our friend Foanna Campbell who does not deign to keep makings of the precious beverage in her house) I thought we might have ourselves a little discussion about many writers' dirty little secret.

CAFFEINE!

In liquid form.

Now, having drunk one, two, three, f--ar too many cups of coffee today, you might suppose that I would quite possibly come down heavily on the side of coffee.

You would be right.

There are so many different ways to drink coffee--cappucino, espresso, latte, Betty Blue, short black, long black. And then there are all the fancy ones like affogato and moccachino and mellochino and the flavoured syrups and the yes or no to caramel on top.

Then there's the fat content of the milk, what size to get, all these decisions... And of course you learn what you like and stick to it, so you can rattle off double-shot regular skinny flat white no sugar and the barista speaks your language so she doesn't have to ask twice. (Btw, I believe only in Oz do we have flat whites, which are sort of like a strong latte and served in a regular coffee cup. Skinny flat whites are also known--affectionately--as Gwynneth Paltrows here... but I digress)

However. There is something to be said for tea.

I know. Shock, horror! But I can't eat a Devonshire TEA or a Cream TEA with coffee, it just wouldn't be right. And of course, high TEA with all those yummy little morsels on their tiered china plates require a beverage rather more refined than coffee to complement their delicate toothsome goodness.

And then there are the herbal teas, the fruit teas, and chai tea which smells so heavenly it really should taste a lot better than it does:) I love green tea with jasmine. It tastes divine and the antioxidants make me feel quite undeservedly virtuous.

So, yet again, I sit on the fence like the good, dutiful Libran I am.

However...

If the world could contain only TEA or only COFFEE, I think I would have to choose COFFEE, simply because it does a better job of keeping me awake so I can write, late into the night..

What about you? Is it tea for two or coffee for you? Or do you eschew hot drinks altogether? And no, I'm afraid hot chocolate does not count!