Tea drinkers must rise up against the coffee-swilling elite

[colwich]

I read this on The Australians website. Its obviously meant to provoke response and is quite tongue in cheek at times, but I think this bloke is quite ignorant to the work of a barista. I thought about writing an equally tongue in cheek response on tea drinkers from a baristas point of view...

DO you know who I cant stand?

Coffee drinkers. You may scoff, but tea drinkers such as me are sick of being treated as second-class citizens by the coffee elite. There I am, waiting in line to be served at a Collins Street cafe and the person in front orders coffee. How long does it take to make a cup of coffee?

Full article:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/property/tea-drinkers-must-rise-up-against-the-coffee-swilling-elite/story-e6frg9gx-1225955239673

[Thundergod]

Re: Tea drinkers must rise up against the coffee-swilling elite

Good coffee on Collins St?

[Dimal]

Re: Tea drinkers must rise up against the coffee-swilling elite

Must admit, I also love the super good quality Tea that Andy buys in. Have a cuppa tea at least a couple of times a day, in between the coffee brews.

Its all about quality in the end whether its Tea, Coffee or Chai. Love all of these CoffeeSnobs brews.... 8-)

Mal.

[rmoulynox]

Re: Tea drinkers must rise up against the coffee-swilling elite

Tea is fantastic. So is coffee. How could anyone possibly get "irate" when ordering a takeaway tea that coffee takes longer??? How about if someone orders, god forbid, an ICED COFFEE. How long will that take?

Seriously, if you want a takeaway tea in a hurry, buy the leaves, and make it yourself. There is no art in making tea...merely ensuring you have good quality product.

Also, Chai Latte drinkers take just as long for prep as coffee drinkers once they steam the milk, and drizzle the honey.

[malliemcg]

Re: Tea drinkers must rise up against the coffee-swilling elite

Id love to make a quip that tea drinkers are revolting already, but as with coffee (and as others have said) if you start with quality ingredients and the correct temperature water. (I drink tea myself when Im at work as its kind of hard to make a decent coffee in the workplace).

I think the authors biggest problem is that when the world is not revolving around them they get impatient and like a petulant child feel left out - the red wine drinkers on the plane waaaa waaaaa (yes Im one of them too). They need to relax, enjoy the ambience and if they want a drink quickly have it at home/in the office.

Today we have Tea Tantrums from this lovely fellow, what next - water whingers? Coke complainers? Where will it end?

[Fresh_Coffee]

Re: Tea drinkers must rise up against the coffee-swilling elite

Yeah tongue in cheek but....

I love tea and have a cup made with good quality leaves every night after my evening meal. Sorry to say, but someone that asks for tea in a cafe perhaps doesnt really understand good tea........because the last thing you want is for your cup of tea to be made with the water from inside the boiler of a cafe espresso machine where the water is deoxigenated and stale and has acquired its own flavour that affects your brew ...and thats if your lucky. If you are not so, then the water also has been tainted by the various milk or detergent suck backs that occur often enough in cafe machines through lack of good espresso machine management skills.

I thought I was safe last night when out with friends at a local and very well respected up market restaurant. We live in the country, and the water in the local township is from the bore. They (didnt use an esp machine but) made my tea with their unfiltered tap bore water....never again. It shows the usual lack of understanding although it is surprising for the calibre of the establishment.

If I was the writer of the article, I wouldnt have been ordering tea in a cafe to start with.........


Regardz,
Attilio

[flynnaus]

Re: Tea drinkers must rise up against the coffee-swilling elite

I wouldnt have been ordering tea in a cafe to start with.

Good point but raises the question about where you can buy a good cup of tea. Ive seen some of the coffee served up at cafes and figured tea using the boiler water was a preferable option.

[Fresh_Coffee]

Re: Tea drinkers must rise up against the coffee-swilling elite

Over a period of years I have been advising clients to get a small urn instead of using their boiler, so they can make their tea taste great by using fresh oxygenated water just like their grannie used to make.

Doesnt need to be a large commercial urn, can be a small norman ross ( ) cheapie...

Nobody listens....

It is of course possible, that if someone commercially does good tea (as in...in a cafe).....that "they (the clients) will come" and the cafe will sell more and more tea (insert the word "income" here) from the tiniest of investments (a small domestic urn less than hundred dollars to see what happens).

And still they dont listen.

Tea drinkers of the world should unite....but not in the sense or for the reasons portrayed in the artikill above.

Rgdz,
A.

[Thundergod]

Re: Tea drinkers must rise up against the coffee-swilling elite

I dont drink tea often but have some that Andy has supplied me.

When I make it I do boil just enough in the kettle as Attilio has said above.
I made it a few times at work for some colleagues (Indian guys - I think some of them know a good tea when they taste one) and they all loved it (thanks Andy).

[Gra]

Re: Tea drinkers must rise up against the coffee-swilling elite

Over a period of years I have been advising clients to get a small urn instead of using their boiler, so they can make their tea taste great by using fresh oxygenated water just like their grannie used to make.

Doesnt need to be a large commercial urn, can be a small norman ross ( ) cheapie...

Nobody listens....

It is of course possible, that if someone commercially does good tea (as in...in a cafe).....that "they (the clients) will come" and the cafe will sell more and more tea (insert the word "income" here) from the tiniest of investments (a small domestic urn less than  hundred dollars to see what happens).

And still they dont listen.

Tea drinkers of the world should unite....but not in the sense or for the reasons portrayed in the artikill above.

Rgdz,
A.

How about one of these Kambrook Hot Cup they boil 250ml only each time in about 40seconds great for that quick cupper

I picked this one up a couple aweeks ago from the Good Guys half price $45.00 promo new product

Cheers Gra..

[beanflying]

Re: Tea drinkers must rise up against the coffee-swilling elite

Interesting article and even though I am a non tea drinker Tea as a speciality commodity is long overdue for a come back at Cafes.

The ease and convenience of Teabags has made the average tea drinker lazy and turned them into the equivalent of instunt coffee drinkers accepting mediocrity over what was 20+ years ago a ritual and a drink to be savoured and appreciated. Coffee drinkers wouldnt accept instunt at a cafe so Tea drinkers shouldnt have to either.

As a T/away just not sure what the approach needs to be as good Tea takes time and doesnt live in prepacked bags of floor sweepings so sorry Tea drinkers the bag will be around for a while yet.

[rmoulynox]

Re: Tea drinkers must rise up against the coffee-swilling elite

Tea as a speciality commodity is long overdue for a come back at Cafes.

I dont know about the places you frequent, but I know of at least two specialty tea shops in my area. Granted both are take away only, but they sell quality leaf tea. My favourite coffee place is one of them.

[Pavoniboy]

Re: Tea drinkers must rise up against the coffee-swilling elite

Granted both are take away only, but they sell quality leaf tea.

Ive been travelling out of town for some work for the last 5 weeks. Ive found a specialty tea house that actually makes the best coffee I can find in the town. I always feel like a peasant there though - theres a big sign saying NO TAKEAWAY TEAS, but takeaway coffee no problems. I feel like they must think coffee drinkers belong on the street, being the bums that we are ;D

[Dimal]

Re: Tea drinkers must rise up against the coffee-swilling elite

I always feel like a peasant there though - theres a big sign saying NO TAKEAWAY TEAS, but takeaway coffee no problems. I feel like they must think coffee drinkers belong on the street, being the bums that we are  ;D

;D ;D ;D

Good one mate....

[oneaday]

Re: Tea drinkers must rise up against the coffee-swilling elite

I must say that I get the day started with a cup of tea as a ritual, and have done for years...nay decades (read becoming ol fart). I do get seriously "Pd" off when you go out and order a pot of tea and they bring out a pot...........WITH A TEA BAG IN IT!!! That is like ordering a coffee and they bring you out an instant!! Tea, like coffee, needs to be fresh to experience the best in it.