Tea, Coffee, & Me
The glistening, creamy sea foam I waded through at the beach last week, made me think of delicious, frothy, milky coffee - particularly the cappuccinos I used to make nearly 30 years ago when theatre-goers would pop into the cafe I worked in after their show. I was taught that the froth on a capp should be so thick that a spoonful of sugar wouldn’t pass through it.
Whilst I made a fair coffee (or so I was told), I didn’t like drinking it back then. When I was about 10 years old (around 1983), I offered to make my Yr 5 teacher his morning coffee when I was unable to do sport that day. It was black, Instant Roast coffee, and as I was walking back with it to the classroom I was intrigued, and took a little sip to see what the fuss was all about. All I can remember is thinking ‘YUCK’, and that it was the most disgusting thing I had ever tasted. There and then I vowed I would never drink coffee again.
It wasn’t until 2006 (15 1/2 years ago) - about 23 years AFTER I’d tried my teacher’s coffee, that I started drinking coffee regularly. I’d just had my first child, and twice a week I was walking around the Yarra River in Richmond with my Mother’s Group, which always concluded with a ‘very important’ new mums chat at a local cafe.
All I really wanted was a nice, simple, humble cup of tea. But $4 for a mug of hot water and a tea bag felt like a waste of money, when for the exact same price I could buy a much more sophisticated ‘barista created’ cup of warm, steaming, frothy, coffee-infused milk - and I was sure that would be much better for my breastfeeding baby! As long as it was weak and sugary to take away any bitterness, then bubs and I were happy campers.
I soon became hooked, and needed my fix of coffee on a regular basis.
To be honest, I’d also felt like a bit of a cop-out - moving to Melbourne in 2001 and ‘not’ instantly becoming a coffee-drinker, in the city that claims itself to be the coffee-capital of Australia. Strangely, succumbing to the drink of choice made me feel more at home in my adopted city.
I wondered though, would my newfound passion for coffee overtake my routine cup of calming tea? Would I still drink both? Could I have my cake and eat it too, so to speak?
Well, so far, so good. I seem to have ‘mostly’ found a good balance. There have been times though, when I know I’ve nudged the coffee a bit too far - heart palpitations, increased anxiety, on edge a bit more than usual. It’s those times that I’ve needed to back off the black stuff for a while - it was best for my own mental and physical health, before I became too addicted!
Have you ever become too addicted to coffee that it sometimes made you feel ill? Did you give it up, or were you able to tone it down a bit and continue to enjoy it within reason?
Or are you a tea-drinker? And if so, what’s your favourite brew? I’m mostly an English Breakfast kind-of-girl with some Earl Grey thrown in on occasion, but I sometimes like to spice things up with some Chilli Tea.
So where to from here with my coffee drinking?
Well, I don’t really know, but once again, I’ve probably indulged in it a bit too much of late. Term 2 is about to start and I really need to get some discipline back into my life. Backing off coffee (along with wine, cheese and chocolate!) might just be the best thing for my health, and a wise choice.
I recently had COVID and a gorgeous friend dropped off these home-made scones. They were delicious with a cuppa.
A nice, simple, humble cup of tea always seems to improve my day, and as long as I can have the occasional coffee (in moderation), then I think perhaps I ‘might’ just be able to have my cake and eat it too…
