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Sunday, April 17, 2011

Coffee Shops and Tea

Mid Day Hong Cha

This past week I was getting a cup of coffee with a sandwich at a shop on campus, and while waiting in line I noticed they had quite a bit of tea on hand for sale. I frequent this shop somewhat often, and staring at this tea selection it occurred to me that I have never chose to try tea from this place, even though I consider myself predominantly a tea drinker and only frequent coffee shops when I need a caffeine pick me up in a hurry in a to go container.

The thing that struck me the most about their tea selection, was how I was practically repulsed by it. Perhaps I am slightly turning into a tea snob, but when I read the names of green teas, and black teas, that offer no real clue at what is in side, and many of the names hint at the blend likely containing some fruit, I do not really want to try it. Then I consider the fact that no matter which tea I order basically no care would put into brewing it. No attention paid to water temperature and likely the water would come from the same hot water reservoir that they use for the espresso machines which is potentially slightly altered by its proximity to coffee.

Now I have nothing against tea bags, or the fact that coffee shops want to sell tea, I just find it funny that I rarely see a tea shop that sells coffee, likely because they do not want to compromise their tea with the strong penetrating coffee aroma's, yet coffee shops just about always sell tea but rarely do it justice.

3 comments:

Chris Birkett said...

This is exactly how coffee people feel about the coffee you were probably drinking ;)

Unknown said...

There is nothing snob like in being conscious of the mediocre. Discernment comes from having the best and worst. In the West there is a growing virus of what I call Mall Tea Houses. Selling lesser leaf grades with boat loads of flavoring put into it. Most people are incapable of drinking Puerh without the addition of chocolate chips and flavoring to make it enticing. Most will never develop a ability to know the finer tasting teas just like many who think Dunkin Donuts and McDonalds serve good coffee.

Unknown said...

Chris,

Granted the coffee there is not the best, and while I probably have not had coffee as good as some of the teas I have had. But I am much more forgiving of mediocre coffee than I am tea.

Cloud,

In light of Chris's comments, I am sure we feel about those Mall Tea houses in a similar way that most coffee drinkers feel about similar types of coffee shops.

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