Coffee or tea? a Guest Post from Lynn Austin who is part of A Novel-Tea Evening with Authors courtesy o fJust Read Publicity Tours
As newly-weds, my husband and I lived in Bogota, Colombia for two years, a Country renowned for its great Coffee, I hadn’t acquired a taste for Coffee yet, but oh, it smelled SO good! At one of my husband’s orchestra concerts they served tiny cups of Coffee at intermission and I decided to try one. Did I mention how GOOD it smelled? The Coffee was what the Colombians called Tinto, and what I’ve since learned is like Expresso. It’s a gigantic wallop of caffeine in a miniature cup. I don’t think I slept for a week!
Years later, we moved to Canada, where my husband performed with another orchestra. My Canadian friends introduced me to Tea—not the kind that comes in little bags with dangling strings, but real, looseleaf Tea, brewed in a pot. I’ve been swimming against the tide of Coffee drinkers ever since.
To me, the main difference between Tea and Coffee is a matter of speed. We use Coffee to wake up and get us going in the morning, brewing it quickly in pod machines and transporting it in large, metal to-go cups as we race to work or drive the kids to school. We speed to the drive-through at the Coffee shop and speed away. We invite friends to grab “a quick cup of Coffee” with us.
Tea is entirely different. A true Tea drinker seldom goes to the drive-through for a morning cup because to make Tea properly takes time. First, the teapot must be warmed, then the water is boiled before being poured over the leaves. It’s left to steep for a few minutes, covered with a Tea-cozy to keep it warm. Then you sit and sip from a porcelain teacup and have a leisurely talk with friends. No one invites a friend for a “quick cup of Tea.”
The point of Coffee is to get you going, usually at a rapid pace so you can multi-task. The point of Tea is to slow you down, to relax. It’s something you linger over with good friends and maybe a tiered serving dish with tiny Sandwiches and Scones. We’ve all heard of Tea-Sandwiches but I’ve never heard of Coffee Sandwiches. Coffee is a fast-food, Tea is a slow one.
And so, dear readers, that’s why I’m excited to take part in the Novel-Tea event on September 2, 2023 in Chicago’s elegant Palmer House Hotel. The hotel itself seems like a relic from a calmer, quieter, horse-and-carriage era. It could easily be the backdrop for one of my historical novels.
The Tea won’t be served in to-go cups or giant, coffee mugs, but sipped from proper teacups. Best of all, it will be a time to slow down and chat with friends and your favorite authors in a leisurely manner in a beautiful setting. Even if you’re a Coffee-lover, please join us as we slow down, turn back the clock for a few hours, and enjoy our Tea.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
