Food What is your favorite coffee or tea and why do you drink coffee or tea?

[Purr]

Heya fellow Sharkies (or whatever we call each other here in RP Nation)! For the sake of learning, sharing, and fun, let's see if I can get a ball rolling here. Shall we? =)

From this month's newsletter:

What type of drink do you all like to order at a coffee shop, perhaps black coffee like our patron above or maybe tea?

I like dark roast, preferably smooth and rich, without any burnt aftertaste. I grind and brew mine from the bean at home. Current favorite? Kicking Horse, Grizzly Claw.

I also enjoy a really good decaf. Verena Street's Sunday Drive Decaf is also terrific for the same reasons I listed above. I finally found a decaf that was rich and smooth without a heavy aftertaste.=)

I like some cold milk to cool it down (because who wants to wait 20 whole minutes just to drink your cup of coffee? Especially in the morning?!).

Instead of white sugar, I like to add a touch of Ghirardelli Sweet Ground Powder - Dark Chocolate & Cocoa. It adds a nice touch of flavor that adds to any coffee I'm drinking.

Why do I drink coffee in the first place? I found out earlier this year that coffee is really good for my particular brand of ADHD. I'm on a spectrum that makes me prone to headaches and migraines (I'm one of those that - unlike many people and thanks to direct experience - never confuses the two).

Six months ago, I began to study coffee and its effects on ADHD (Johns Hopkins University - the folks who diagnosed me with ADHD, and WebMD were especially helpful). I learned that coffee, if enjoyed responsibly (less than 200 mg of caffeine/day, don't drink it 8 hours before bed, things like that), the number of migraines and headaches I've suffered every month has consistently lessened, leading to improvements in my daily life and routine. Hooraaay! 8D

But back to coffee. So why do I drink my coffee this way? Because years ago, I read a certain book that basically said, "you be you." And so my fellow Sharkies... I gotta be me! =)

Honor and fun,
Dann

P.S. Your turn, folks! What kind of tea or coffee do you like and why do you drink it? C'mon and "spill the beans" with me already!

 

[Onmyoji]

That's a very detailed overview on coffee intake! XD

I'm more of a tea person than coffee person, although what you mentioned about coffee helping with headaches. I should look into that too because headaches and migraines are the things that kill me on regular basis.


One of my favorite teas would be genmaicha! It's probably one of the most unique things I tried and I love it! It's tea with rice. Some of my friends say it tastes like rice porridge lol

I generally drink a lot of tea. My tea collection is huge and I add new samples of tea every other month. But I actually drink it, not just store XD But all that variety comes in very small samples just for me to drink, because no one else in the family is a tea maniac like me lol
I also have a tea table with some accessories and tea pets so when I feel like it I do a proper tea ceremony for myself.

 

[Purr]

Onmyoji Thanks for the compliment!

I like how you enjoy tea so much as to be into the tea ceremonies of traditional past. I take it you mean Japanese tea ceremony? Or something else (British perhaps)?

Concerning headaches and gaming (Including on RP Nation), one preventive method I've learned concerns eye-fatigue (which leads to headaches). When most folks read information on a screen, they blink less, eyes dry out, blood vessels apparently expand in the brain, and bing! It's hold your head and reach for the medicine time. Wheee. So when I keep myself hydrated and remember to blink a lot, I think it helps.

There was also a method my dear Kaerri-darlin' turned me on to. I believe it's called the "20-20-20" method where every 20 minutes you look away from your computer screen at any object at least 20 feet away for at least (you guessed it!) 20 seconds. This helps with eye fatigue. I also use Dark Mode whenever I can and I use Night Mode on Windows 10. I even have invested in orange glasses (after reading a good article on Consumer Reports on anti-blue-light glasses where only the orange glasses blocked over 90% of blue light - as long as you don't mind seeing orange everywhere - it works great when driving at night!).

Back to coffee and tea. Caffeine assists with headaches and migraines as it causes those aforementioned blood vessels to constrict. It's an ingredient in some over-the-counter medicines. However, as not everyone knows, too much caffeine (which depends on your body's sensitivity) can cause headaches (which people end up drinking more caffeine to get rid of the headache). So yeah, I've learned keeping the caffeine around 200mg/day works for me. 400mg+ and I'm asking for a brain-buster! Can I get an "oof"? =)

I don't know a great deal about tea, though. With coffee, the lighter the roast, the higher the caffeine content (I thought it was the opposite before I did my research). I understand nearly all tea has at least a teeny amount of caffeine? And for "sleepy-time" teas that help you sleep, do you think lavender in tea is the best (if you use tea for that purpose) or would you recommend something else for when you want to drift off to Dreamland?

 

[Onmyoji]

I like how you enjoy tea so much as to be into the tea ceremonies of traditional past. I take it you mean Japanese tea ceremony? Or something else (British perhaps)?

Usually Chinese, it's more like traditional tea culture than the actual 'ceremony' like they would hold on special occasions. It's still very different from 'grab a teabag and put some hot water in the cup' XD

Thanks for the tips! I actually have screen mode where it reduces blue light on both desktop and phone, it makes things more yellowish but I'm fine with that. I work with a lot of documents that require white background so this mode helps.

Oof I need to figure out my caffeine dose then. In fact, lately I almost stopped drinking coffee. Can't stand the taste of it. Maybe I just need to find a better brand to drink lol

With tea, green tea contains less caffeine than black tea. I usually drink green tea and they say around 8 cups/day is ok XD And if you drink in those small cups as I have in my Chinese tea set, it could be more 'cups' lol

The tea for sleepy time is usually not as much 'tea', it contains herbs (like lavender) but no actual tea leaves, or very little of them (to reduce caffeine). So they'd be okay to drink before sleep. I can't confirm the effect of it though because I fall asleep instantly even after RedBull lol But personally, for relaxation I love mint. It actually helps me with headaches too. Maybe because mint taste is so strong that it distracts me from the headache XD

 

[Purr]

Oof I need to figure out my caffeine dose then. In fact, lately I almost stopped drinking coffee. Can't stand the taste of it. Maybe I just need to find a better brand to drink lol

Absolutely! When it comes to anything I put in my body, quality is important. For me, truck stop or convenience store coffee isn't going to hold a candle to a quality brand of coffee. As with any food or beverage, "freshness is essential. That makes all the difference." Being a tea-lover, I'm sure you can relate? =)

Spoiler: Ahh! Time for a distraction courtesy of melodysheep and my ADHD!

"Julia Child Remixed | Keep On Cooking | PBS Digital Studios"

Do you have favorite tea brands, people who just "get it right?" Can these brands be procured in the United States?

 

[Onmyoji]

Oh yes I totally agree. The thing is, I'm not enjoying even 'better' brands of coffee lately so I'm a bit at a loss here. Maybe my body is just not in the mood for coffee lol It's craving tea!

I usually buy tea from specialized Chinese tea shops so I can't really tell any specific brands. It's various loose leaf teas. There are a few types of tea that I prefer like Tieguanyin or Longjing. But even those vary in taste depending on where you buy it and when. And even the same shop can have same type of tea that will taste differently if it was harvested in spring or in autumn and so on XD So I just go to the stores that I know have quality teas and ask for their suggestions XD

 

[Chordling]

I never enjoyed coffee that much. I still don't. But I drowned myself in mocha lattes during my final year of college. I was working two part time jobs and completing my student teaching. There was always a Starbucks in sight. I never had any shortage of mocha lattes.

 

[Purr]

Onmyoji That's a very similar path to what I like to take. Ask the people who are "steeped" in the subject what they like and why. It's hard not to learn something new that way, plus it tends to make a good icebreaker. =)

Chordling Hey, whatever got you through and didn't do any permanent damage? =)

 

[Orichalcum Tiger]

Due to the labour intensive nature of my career I often find myself carrying a flask full of black coffee with an intense/high caffeine blend of beans I've ground myself. I drink it primarily as more of a form vs preference type deal.

When I was younger I was quite the connoisseur of tea and tried all kinds. Two of my favourites are your standard mint tea and masala chai. However when I hit puberty my body developed a strange intolerance to tea which means that drinking it

Spoiler: Trigger warning

will cause me to projectile vomit a few minutes later due to a sudden awakened tannin allergy like the world's shittest quirk.

Despite this, I still enjoy herbal teas like mint, lemon and ginger.

 

[Purr]

Orichalcum Tiger Oh, that's awful! FIrst time I've heard of that. You must like that tea a great deal!

 

[Orichalcum Tiger]

Purr Unfortunately, my black tea days are long over but since most herbal teas don't contain tannins I'm good with those. I can also stomach a british 'builders tea' since it's so watered down with milk.

 

[Purr]

Orichalcum Tiger Oh cool! =) But what is a British "builder's tea?" I take it has tannins in it?

 

[Orichalcum Tiger]

Builders tea is a very, very milky tea with a few spoons of sugar in it. Barely tea, haha.

 

[Chordling]

The only damage done is now I know I like mocha lattes (hot or cold).

 

[ChaoticLykos]

Honestly I prefer coffee with sugar and milk, and maybe some Irish cream mixed into it. I never really like tea, but I'll drink it if it taste good, with some milk.

 

[Purr]

That Builder's tea sounds like something I'd try. I come from a household where you were only allowed to say no to a food or beverage after you've tried it. I've always found that to be fair.

I recall more than a few coffee-lovers I've chatted with recommending Irish creme (usually Bailey's). I think it adds a delicious smoothness and sweetness, but I tend to avoid alcohol. Besides, as a flavorful addition to coffee (or even making milk-based cocoa), that Ghirardell's Chocolate powder is just plain hard to beat! =)

 

[Onmyoji]

You can get Bailey's-flavored syrup! Although I guess it won't be the same. But still adds nice flavor.

But you know what else is hard to beat? Cinnamon!

 

[Purr]

Cinnamon! You are not the first to praise that old, beloved spice. I really should get around to trying it. =)

Some folks I know are heavy into flavored coffees and iced coffees. Both are just too sweet for me. But when it comes to "flavored tea," I must admit to liking chai tea. The one thing stopping me from drinking chai tea more often is the sugar content (some folks make them as sweet as the iced coffees I've had). Another is I don't know how much caffeine content there is in a typical chai tea. Still yummy, though! =)

 

[Onmyoji]

But... you don't have to put syrup in iced coffee XD Can just have black coffee with ice that's iced coffee enough!

 

[Purr]

Around here, I think I'd have to make it myself! Ha ha!

Maybe with some cinnamon. Ooh. =)

 

[Oberan]

Coffee doesn't agree with me, unfortunately, because boy is it tasty. I actually really prefer blended iced coffees, but only if they're really sweet. (Yes, I'm one of those people haha) So if it tastes like a marshmallow, I'll drink it. As for teas... it's the same. Vanilla chai is my go-to during the winter. Nothing better on a cold day, and also I get to feel really fancy while I'm at work with my little coffee cup at my desk.

Edit: I've neglected the Cinnamon Gods! Miels are also very tasty! (The drink, in this case lol)

 

[Cosmo]

Just dark roast with some sugar added. I rather enjoy the strong bitter taste of some coffees. I don't use milk or creamers.

 

[Purr]

Edit: I've neglected the Cinnamon Gods! Miels are also very tasty! (The drink, in this case lol)

The Cinnamon Gods shall receive an offering the next time I am at a store that sells cinnamon - I want to give this a shot! And no, not the kind of shot some of you alcohol drinkers are thinking about. Ha ha!

Oberan What are "Miels," please? I don't think I've ever heard of that word.

Just dark roast with some sugar added. I rather enjoy the strong bitter taste of some coffees. I don't use milk or creamers.

I have tried bitter coffees and while they are well-made, I'm afraid I don't find them to my liking! And talk about a strong aftertaste! I could see why some folks like it - I think it'll wake anybody up in the morning.

I think if it is freshly-prepared with fresh quality ingredients, you can't knock it and say it's bad. =)

 

[Oberan]

Oberan What are "Miels," please? I don't think I've ever heard of that word.

Purr It's a coffee drink/latte made with espresso, milk, honey, and cinnamon. I wasn't sure where it's from, but a quick google search says Spain! If you like sweet drinks and cinnamon, you've got to give it a try. I think most coffee shops can make you one! It's pronounced like the word 'meal'!

 

[Purr]

That's neat! Except for the espresso, that sounds really good! I'd be open to trying something like that with a dark roast. =)