[Raion]

So as the title suggests, this is a topic directly discussing both coffee and tea. 

I drink both, but overwhelmingly it's tea for me, for one simple reason:

I hate coffee brewed at home. Yes, I've tried drip, percolator, MOCA, and a variety of other contraptions. Out of all of them, the only one I like is owned by my grandmother and is a Miele commercial unit built into her house. It's nearly 20 years old; and it is the only one that actually does coffee as I like it. 

Otherwise, I generally prefer even starbucks. I can't drink coffee from a diner, the carafes burn the coffee. Same with most gas station coffee... 

On the other hand, I'm rather decent at making tea. I drink almost any kind. The only ones I drink with milk are thai-style and chai masala. I also find it oftentimes more convenient and going better with the food I usually cook. I like pretty much all kinds. Jasmine, green, black, chai, thai, etc. Chinese tea is probably my first favorite. There's a variety of hongcha (black tea, though that name translates to "red tea") that is my preferred, but it's so fucking expensive. Like $80 for a lb of tea.

[Irinikus]

Short answer: Get yourself a proper industrial grade espresso machine!!!! (The Victoria Arduino Theresia works for me, and gives me coffee that's at the same level as the best coffee shops!)

The Theresia's not that cheap, but I promise you it's worth every cent!

Here's one available in the US:



I only drink tea if there's no good coffee available!

Luckily, caffeine doesn't affect me at all, so I can drink an espresso-based coffee at any time of the day! I'm also not addicted to caffeine, as if there's no good coffee or tea around then I'm perfectly happy!

Once I ran an experiment, where I drank 6 Red Bull's and then went to bed. I slept perfectly but had a rather wild dream that night!!!

All that being said, I do find tea to be more refreshing though!

[Raion]

8,000 USD... Yeah that's far and above too rich for my blood hahaha. Maybe if I make a million off my novel...

[Irinikus]

There are a whole range of good machines which cost considerably less, and also do an awesome job!

Elektra being one of them!

Having a proper espresso machine that delivers the water and steam at the correct temperature and pressure certainly helps!

[commodorejohn]

Coffee all the way, the stronger the better. I've tried a few times to get into tea (Douglas Adams even wrote us Americans a nice little guide on it!) but I've never been able to. Make it weak, and it just tastes like funny-flavored water; make it strong, and it's like drinking a shrub. Huh.

[rbz]

I drink both. While I prefer "good" coffee years of bad office coffee has made me resilient to the poorly made stuff as well. 2 cups in the morning are pretty much required. I used to be able to have coffee throughout the day but these days it will keep me up at night so I switch the other caffeine sources after mid morning.

I drink tea if its cool out or if I am feeling under the weather. Generally I prefer black teas but herbal, white, green, etc are all good as well. A decaf black tea in the evening with milk/creamer is excellent. Iced tea is a great afternoon treat.

[Irinikus]

When I'm at work I always walk around with a cup of coffee in my hand, no matter the hour!!!! (It's kind of my trademark!)

[jpstewart]

For me, the choice largely depends on the time of day.

I find I can't drink coffee in the morning without feeling weird and jittery all day.  So if I want a hot beverage in the morning, tea it is.  Twining's Earl Grey is my favourite, usually decaffeinated.  I find other brands just aren't the same, even when they're labelled "Earl Grey" too.  But having a favourite doesn't mean I don't enjoy others.  Just about any cup of tea is enjoyable, except green teas and mint tea.

Around 2:30 or 3:00 in the afternoon is when I start to get my caffeine craving and that's when I'll have a cup of coffee.  Plain, black coffee.  No espresso or cappuccino or latte or whatever.  And just the one cup per day.  I'm not terribly picky about the quality, either.  Coffee is pretty much coffee in my opinion.  The differences in flavour are usually subtle enough not to matter to me.  (I guess my taste buds aren't as sensitive as some people's.)

After dinner, if I'm in the mood for a hot beverage it's tea again.

[defaultrouteuk]

Alright Legends,

I'll tell you my story. I work in the middle east and sometimes I'm really really far away from my Porsche Design hand-made italian espresso machine, my titanium and carbon fibre coffee mug from an old Aston DBS I had crushed because it was at least a year old (fuck that car) and the coffee beans ground between the thighs of exotic amazonian early 20-something female virgins so I have to make do.

- Grab a bag of grounds before you fly (you ain't buying coffee grounds unless you want instant) also Turkish coffee keeps fresher for longer (must be the cumin).
- Take a pan of water and boil it.
- Chuck in the grounds - stronger is better because if you boil off enough water you can keep the mush for a quick dirty brew tomorrow. (kinda like you do with left-over pizza)
- boil the shit out of it with the lid on - stronger - stronger - hubble - bubble
- take off the heat and wait a few minutes for the water to stop moving and the grounds to settle. Pour the top off. Don't worry if you get grounds it your cup, that's half the fun.

Enjoy the best coffee of your life.

[sgt_barnes]

Alright Legends,

I'll tell you my story. I work in the middle east and sometimes I'm really really far away from my Porsche Design hand-made italian espresso machine, my titanium and carbon fibre coffee mug from an old Aston DBS I had crushed because it was at least a year old (fuck that car) and the coffee beans ground between the thighs of exotic amazonian early 20-something female virgins so I have to make do.

- Grab a bag of grounds before you fly (you ain't buying coffee grounds unless you want instant) also Turkish coffee keeps fresher for longer (must be the cumin).
- Take a pan of water and boil it.
- Chuck in the grounds - stronger is better because if you boil off enough water you can keep the mush for a quick dirty brew tomorrow. (kinda like you do with left-over pizza)
- boil the shit out of it with the lid on - stronger - stronger - hubble - bubble
- take off the heat and wait a few minutes for the water to stop moving and the grounds to settle. Pour the top off. Don't worry if you get grounds it your cup, that's half the fun.

Enjoy the best coffee of your life.

Ah, yes Turkish Mocca! I love it!

And also the greek variant: Put sugar, ground coffee, and water on the stove in a very small pot and boil the hell out of it. Then pour the result into one of those little mocca cups.

Some of the very fine ground stuff is trapped in the foam, and makes that very tasty. And the rest just sinks to the bottom and typically remains there as a residue. And in between the best coffee you can imagine.

So, coffee for me, please. But you might have guessed that already...