When most people think of coffee, they think of a hot, murky beverage that tastes bitter and wakes them up from the morning sleepies, but coffee is actually prepared several different ways, that may cause you to take a second look. We’re going to explore some of the ways that coffee and tea is prepared, from the normal to the bizarre, and a look at how coffee and tea has been used throughout history. Both coffee and tea have a great story behind their history and they have been used by people all over the world, not only for drinking but for things like religious ceremonies and other gatherings.
Of course we love our coffee but we didn’t want to leave out those of you that drink tea. Tea is most popular in the United Kingdom and in fact is considered a meal there. Most British people have tea daily, which may include some type of food besides the tea that is served. Tea is made from the Camelia sinensis plant and is the beverage that is second only to water in the number of people drinking it. There are four types that are most common, black tea, green tea, white tea and oolong tea, which all four come from the same plant and are separated by processing or growing the plant differently.
The tea plant originated in Southeast Asia, and since then has been introduced to more than fifty countries. Tea is generally prepared with hot water, and you can use a tea coffee press to get the best flavor, but many people prefer the cold version of tea instead. Iced Tea, or Sweet Tea as it is sometimes called originated in the Southern United States, and in fact Sweet Tea, which is the southern term for iced tea with sugar in it, is served everywhere year round. In other parts of the United States when you ask for tea you’ll get hot tea, or if you ask for iced tea it will usually be unsweetened and you’ll need to add the sugar yourself if you like it that way.
Another trend in recent years has been iced coffee. Normally, you get iced coffee in chilled bottles from convenience and grocery stores, but we have been known to brew coffee and put it into a large cup of ice. It loses a bit of flavor when it is chilled but it is actually quite delicious. Coffee itself has been around for hundreds of years. The legend says that a shepherd named Kaldi from Arabia discovered coffee but that story has not been confirmed, as the text it was written in was published after coffee had been in use in other countries.
There are many ways to prepare coffee. Most people in the United States use a traditional coffee pot to brew coffee, which runs hot water through a basket of coffee grounds. We prefer to use a coffee press which gives the coffee amazing flavor that you just can’t get from a traditional coffee pot. Some people prefer to take the time to brew espressos, and still others prefer the percolator method which is sort of a backwards coffee pot. There are even people who implement the cone method of brewing coffee. Whatever method you choose, we hope you enjoy your coffee (or tea)!
Jay blogs about his love of coffee at his blog Coffee Press Cup. He has a masters degree and currently works as the director of a non-profit in the North Georgia area.
Author: Jay A Smolik
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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