Thursday 12 May 2016

A Coffee Loathing Tea Lover Goes To Costa: And Comes Away Impressed.


I will admit I am a bona fide coffee hater. It's not just that I dislike the aroma or taste, I cannot tolerate it. I can't even dip into a bag of Revels as I will certainly not get the creamy toffee one or the fruity orange one - no I get the coffee one. Almost every time.

There are other things I dislike about coffee, too. A while back there was a trend where all across High Streets and shopping centres all you'd see is people walking around with paper cups (which some didn't even contain coffee, and I know that after seeing a girl slip over and drop her coffee cup and nothing but water spilled out onto the floor) which was often left discarded on the floor or dropped on buses meaning sticky drinks rolled all over the place. It was like a superior club where only the select elite could join. A bit like the beverage version of the Mason's.

It was almost like you were no-one unless you permanently had a cup of coffee stuck in your hand. It all seemed faddy, trendy, fickle, without substance. Shallow and one gigantic bandwagon, which I, for one, would never jump on.

Though my opinions on coffee as a drink will never change (you can't force yourself to like something, be it food or drink), a recent trip to a small, intimate Costa coffee changed my mind totally about the culture around coffee and in fact, though there is a difference between tea drinking and coffee drinking, there are similarities, too.

Whilst waiting in the line to be served, I realised what an amazing job barista's do in tight spaces and with limited amounts of time, often in very hot atmospheres. And the amount of coffee on sale is absolutely crazy. There are iced coffees, hot coffees, espresso, Americano, black, white, with this syrup, that syrup. Skinny, full fat ... the list goes on and on. And yet these amazing people were running back and forth, pushing buttons on very expensive coffee machines, totally at ease with what they were doing. And, often, with a huge smile. It was a perfectly oiled machine with customers barely waiting minutes in line.

Obviously, I did not have coffee. I had tea, my brother had hot chocolate. I was impressed that the amount of tea on offer - though not as extensive as the coffee, obviously - was generous. I opted for a green tea (notoriously difficult to get right, even when making it yourself at home). My choice was Twinings Apple & Elderflower Green Tea (review coming soon). Having to make a decision fairly quickly I was somewhat apprehensive - green tea? In this busy atmosphere?

But, the talented young lad grabbed the cup, boiled the water and let it cool slightly (he knew his stuff) before adding it to the pot. All the while they were making an awesome looking hot chocolate which was decorated with a liberal amount of cream and chocolate sprinkles.

After waiting an incredibly short amount of time, and paying, I was handed my tray and took a seat. Immediately I was impressed. The tea had been infused whilst the hot chocolate was being made and payment was taken. When I went to take the teabag out of the pot, to avoid bitterness, realised it already had been. I was now doubly impressed.

The tea was perfectly brewed. Though the picture look's as though the tea was weak, it was full of flavour and without a hint of astringency. I cannot fault how I was served in the Costa at Lakeside Shopping Centre, nor the quality of the drinks I had purchased. All of those people behind the till knew their stuff. They knew how to make a (what I assume!) is a beefy, strong coffee, and they knew how to handle the most delicate of green tea's. The hot chocolate was a hit, too.

Not only that, the tables were clean, the produce was displayed nicely, in a orderly way, and everyone seemed to enjoy their drinks.

The most important thing I realised though, was despite my loathing for the faddiness of coffee, the prancing around with coffee cups, not because the drinkers enjoy the coffee, rather because it's fashionable to been seen with a coffee in hand, those who love coffee are just as serious about the quality and flavour of the drink as the average tea nut is about tea.

On the table next to me two men sat chatting about their coffee, describing the taste, the quality and where it rated on the quality scale. They compared it to a rival coffee house, discussing furiously which was one better. Again, not too dissimilar to what I do when drinking tea out in cafe's and restaurants.

So, whether it's the coffee bean or the tea leaf, we are united by a love for a good brew, and the ethos of quality over faddiness.  And beyond the latest trend, there are people as passionate about coffee as I am about tea.

In the past I've often thought that whilst tea lovers are quietly passionate about their love of tea, coffee lovers were louder and brasher. But what does that really matter? It's good to be passionate about something, whether it's politics, religion or the humble hot beverage.

But there was a element of disappointment, too. That there isn't anywhere that us tea lovers can go to, to ensure we have a quality cuppa. Coffee lovers have Cafe Nero, Costa and Starbucks. We tea lovers have nowhere to go, to share our love with like minded people and I feel really sad about that. I have discovered a few specialist tea cafe's in London, but it's a long way away for most people to go just to have the luxury of a decent infusion.

As I looked at the jars of coffee and bottles of syrup lined up against the wall,I thought  wouldn't it be lovely if every shopping centre had a tea house, where upon entering you were greeted with lines and lines of tea leaves, herbal infusions and silky pyramids. Where you could take your pick from green, white and black tea's. Herbal infusions and fruity tea's. And where your tea of choice would be prepared by a expert, who instinctively knew how long to boil the water and how long the steeping process should be.

And I think that is what inspired me all those years ago to start this blog. To get everybody thinking about tea, trying new blends, giving people the option to have something other that a run of the mill breakfast tea.

I'll never be a coffee drinker. But it has taken a trip to a coffee shop for me to fully realise that tea is still such an underated drink. That we are so used to milk and two sugars that it's become just a part of the furniture.

Tea will most likely always been slightly in the shade of it's exotic coffee cousin. But I still sit in hope that a forward thinking business person may realise that there is still a love out there for tea and that there is a place on the high street for a chain of tea house's.

Till then, I'll visit Costa again. Their careful infusing of green tea was impressive. And, of course, there is always their sublime lemon tart ...


1 comment:

  1. I'm a coffee lover and found this post interesting to read. Trust me, us coffee lovers just don't get what the fuss is about tea. It's just tea right! But I totally understand the point you make about people seeing coffee as an accessory. It is dumb. What I found most compelling about the post is the fact that there are no tea houses. I find that weird as the Brits are a nation of tea lovers I thought. Hope you get your tea house one day. Great read!

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