Love coffee? Let's change that. Do you LOVE GOOD COFFEE? Can't imagine living without that tasty dark brew and foamy cappuccino made to perfection? You love everything about it ... the taste, smell and the sound of it brewing. Even pictures of your liquid joy make you crave a cup. Did I ring a familiar bell?
It doesn't take much for a cafe or coffee bar to draw you inside. Nope, just the whiff of that robust java and gooey baked goods send you, or at least your eyes in their direction. You're embarrass to admit that your local barista knows you on a first name basis and starts making your favorite cup without you uttering a word. This happens to be sign #8 and #9 on Women's Health 16 Signs You're Obsessed with Coffee. But we'll get to that in a moment.
Tea Please!
Coffee isn't your thing, but you have it bad for tea. You even keep a small plastic container of tea leaves and a strainer in your purse, just in case. You're convinced the British have the right idea. It's always better to sort things out with a nice cup of Earl Grey and a scone. Any problem can be solved with a pot of tea served in a proper tea set.
"Anything is possible if you have faith." Mark 9:23
Miracles & Blessings, Kiki here ...thanks for stopping by iCafe Woman Moderne, our virtual cafe for inter-generational women and girls. We know a thing or two about coffee and tea.
Today, we're taking an exciting quick look at coffee and tea styles from around the world in our text-webisode: Coffee & Tea Styles Around the World. It's interesting to see how other countries and cultures prepare our favorite brews.
Our iCafe Woman Moderne divas are having a blast sampling our around-the-world coffee and tea concoctions and enjoying a delicious spread of coffee and tea favorites: scone, muffins, croissants, tea sandwiches, etc., They were more than happy to be our guinea pigs.
But first, let's take a look at Women's Health 16 Signs You're Obsessed with COFFEE. If you nod, "yes" to more than five of the signs, you may want to skip the rest of our text-webisode. Just kidding, we're hanging out with tea too, so you'll be fine. But you may want to try half caf and limiting the amount of days you drink. That's what I did. Thankfully, I only nodded to only one sign. Whew!
Here are eight of the signs:
1. Your family and friends avoid you before you've had your coffee.
2. Don't try to pass off decaf for regular. One sip and you can tell.
3. You never, ever drink decaf.
4. You take more coffee breaks than bathroom breaks at work.
5. You've paid more than $5 for a cup. (And you'd do it again.)
6. Your barista knows you by name.
7. Your favorite barista knows your order by heart.
8. You never order coffee with less than two shots of espresso.
Coffee Styles from Around the World
1. Vietnam - Vietnamese Iced Coffee with
Sweetened Condensed Milk
Vietnamese iced coffee, also known as ca phe sua da, is made with coarsely ground Vietnamese-grown dark roast coffee individually brewed with a small metal French drip filter (cà phê phin) into a cup containing about a quarter to a half as much sweetened condensed milk, stirred and poured over ice.
2. Brazil - Single Ristretto Brazilian Espresso Shot
Alida starts with strong black coffee and uses the sweet condensed cream. But to avoid the ice cubes diluting the ice coffee, she makes coffee ice cubes. Ingenious!
Alida Ryder's Perfect Iced Coffee
6. Valencia, Spain - Café Bombón
Popular in Valencia, Spain, it was modified to suit European taste buds as well as Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore. In Malaysia, it's a popular drin in "mamak" stalls.
Café bombón uses espresso served with sweetened condensed milk in a 1:1 ratio whereas the Asian version uses ground coffee and sweetened condensed milk at the same ratio. In a café bombón, the condensed milk is added to the espresso.
For visual effect, a glass is used, and the condensed milk is added slowly to sink underneath the coffee, creating two separate bands of contrasting color. But these layers are commonly stirred together before consumption. Some cafes simply serve an espresso with a sachet of condensed milk for customers to make themselves.
7. Switzerland - Swiss Cafe Crema
Caffè Crema refers to a long espresso drink, popular since the 1980s in southern Switzerland and northern Italy. It consists of a running 180 ml–240 ml (6–8 oz) of water when brewing an espresso, primarily by using a coarser grind.
It's similar to an American or a long black, except that the latter is diluted espresso, and consists of making ("pulling") a normal (short) espresso shot and combining it with unbrewed hot water. Caffè crema extracts differently, and has a different flavor profile.
8. Pakastan - Pakastani Masala Chai Tea
Pakastan tea known as Urdu aka chai, is popular throughout the country and has a major role in local culture. It's one of the most consumed beverages in Pakastani cuisine. Pakastan is the seventh largest tea-consuming country in the world.
9. China - Chinese Tea
Chinese tea can be classified into five distinctive categories: white, green, oolong, black, yellow, puerh, flower and post-fermented tea. Others add categories for scented and compressed teas. All come from varieties of the Camellia sinensis plant. Green tea is the most popular type of tea consumed in China.
Popular in Valencia, Spain, it was modified to suit European taste buds as well as Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore. In Malaysia, it's a popular drin in "mamak" stalls.
Café bombón uses espresso served with sweetened condensed milk in a 1:1 ratio whereas the Asian version uses ground coffee and sweetened condensed milk at the same ratio. In a café bombón, the condensed milk is added to the espresso.
For visual effect, a glass is used, and the condensed milk is added slowly to sink underneath the coffee, creating two separate bands of contrasting color. But these layers are commonly stirred together before consumption. Some cafes simply serve an espresso with a sachet of condensed milk for customers to make themselves.
7. Switzerland - Swiss Cafe Crema
Caffè Crema refers to a long espresso drink, popular since the 1980s in southern Switzerland and northern Italy. It consists of a running 180 ml–240 ml (6–8 oz) of water when brewing an espresso, primarily by using a coarser grind.
It's similar to an American or a long black, except that the latter is diluted espresso, and consists of making ("pulling") a normal (short) espresso shot and combining it with unbrewed hot water. Caffè crema extracts differently, and has a different flavor profile.
8. Pakastan - Pakastani Masala Chai Tea
Pakastan tea known as Urdu aka chai, is popular throughout the country and has a major role in local culture. It's one of the most consumed beverages in Pakastani cuisine. Pakastan is the seventh largest tea-consuming country in the world.
9. China - Chinese Tea
Chinese Tea Ceremony
The ceremony should be carried out in an appropriate space. A table large enough to hold the tea-making utensils, the drip tray, and the water is the minimum necessity. Ideally the surroundings should be peaceful and conducive to relaxation and socialization. Incense, flowers and low, soft, traditional music add to the ambience.
Modern culture
In 2014 China, virtually every dwelling — even down to the simplest mud hut — has a set of tea implements for brewing a hot cup of tea. These implements are symbols of welcome for visitors or neighbors.Traditionally, a visitor to a Chinese home will be expected to sit down and drink tea while talking. Tea leaves are traditionally produced by constantly turning fresh leaves in a deep bowl. This process allows the tea to dry with its full flavor ready to be used.
10. Tea in the United Kingdom
England has been one of the largest per capita tea consumers in the world.
(British Tea Party at Selfridges)
In England, tea usually is served with milk and sometimes with lemon. Strong tea served with milk and occasionally one or two teaspoons of sugar in a mug, is commonly referred to as builder's tea. Cream tea does not refer to cream mixed into the beverage, but to a meal in which tea is drank along with scones, clotted cream, and strawberry jam.
