Drinking tea in the afternoon

I haven't written about coffee for a while but I can assure you that I still drink coffee regularly. I am presently drinking Bale Mountain, this year's harvest of the same coffee that blew my mind last year and expanded my perception of what was possible in coffee. I love drinking coffee, talking about coffee, and meeting people who also like coffee. Recently, however, I have reduced my consumption to two cups per day, down from my usual three.

I am not yet comfortable with drinking coffee too early in the morning. I cannot remember a time in recent weeks when I have started drinking coffee before 9 am. I cannot remember any day when I have drank a cup of coffee immediately after waking up. I like to wake up, get ready, eat breakfast, and then do a bit of business for the day before having my first cup of coffee. Something in my head tells me that I shouldn't have coffee too early. Thus, I have my first cup at about 10am or so on weekdays.

I usually have two cups in the morning: one at 10am and one at 11:30 or so. Then that's me for the day. Unless it is a weekend or I am on holiday, in which case I am a less regimented about coffee. I used to have a third cup in the afternoon but now I find myself skipping that cup on most days. Sometimes I will have one in the afternoon on a weekend or a holiday/ But, I no longer have an afternoon cup every day like I used to. Instead, I have tea.

I have been drinking tea for longer than I have been drinking coffee. I started drinking tea before I had even tasted instant coffee, way back before I learned about the speciality coffee industry. I prefer decaf tea but often I drink caffeinated tea. My favourite brand here in the UK is Sainsbury's decaf tea bags. Not a sophisticated choice but they are just right for me. Decaf and delicious. What else could I want? Although, I do like Yorkshire Tea and Twinings. I don't have an opinion on most other brands because I haven't tried too many brands of tea.

My afternoon cup of tea is a break from coffee. I haven't noticed any changes to my energy levels as a result of the afternoon cup, maybe because I am now used to it. Even when I cut down my consumption to two cups, I didn't notice any difference to the extent I can remember. I just substituted one cup of tea for one cup of coffee.

I don't know nearly as much about tea as I do coffee. That is fine. Tea is relaxing, doesn't require much thought, and has an elegant simplicity in its preparation. at least the way I make it. I put a tea bag in a cup, pour water over the bag, wait a bit, take the tea bag out, and pour in milk. Then I have a nice cup of coffee to enjoy. I have found the amount of milk you put in your tea is the key to a good brew for me. I like my tea with a bit more milk.

Do you drink tea? How do you like to prepare and enjoy your tea? Do you have a favourite vessel through which you consume tea?

Tagged in tea.