Coffee's "Kissing Cousin" One of the New Focuses in Blog

This week's blog marks a departure of sorts from my usual exploration of all things concerning coffee. In the future, I will be devoting a considerable amount of time in these blogs to the discussion of tea, a beverage that my sponsor Destination Cafe also sells to the general public.

While I don't wish to denigrate the role that coffee has played in my life, I must say that if anything tea has been even more important. Tea is my chosen breakfast drink, as well as a staple during the evening. I find tea to be less taxing on my system than is the case with coffee. It is both milder and easier to consume in large quantities than coffee.

I have no idea what my life would have been like without the benefit of tea to both stimulate my senses and lighten my mood. Tea to my way of thinking is both more versatile and appropriate to any number of situations that daily life affords to me.

My favorite type of tea is orange pekoe, particularly the Tetley brand, though I usually find it too expensive and buy Red Rose instead. Red Rose is of course also a popular brand and makes perfectly acceptable tea; it is a matter of personal taste.

I am a die-hard caffeine drinker for the most part. I enjoy the pick-me-up that drinking tea or coffee provides. But I find tea to be especially soothing on my palate, and I like the ritual of making and partaking of tea in the company of friends and family.

I believe that tea has been a great civilizing agent in human history, although there are some who might argue the point, citing for example the tea and opium wars of the nineteenth century.
But in general people can't fight each other and drink tea at the same time; like coffee, the beverage tends to foster the free flow of thought and the exchange of ideas.

So here's a salute to tea and coffee both! May they remain a source of pleasure and stimulation to people in the years to come!