Observation on Tea

OK.

I was in the library the other day, editing stuff. I was struggling with wakefulness, so I went to get something caffienated (sp?) at the Library Cafe. I was in line and at the last minute I decided that I would get a tea instead of a London Fog. I've grown to really like London Fogs after some friends recommended them and I was trying to find new sources of caffeine than Diet Coke. I like the smell of them, but also the taste, and the Library Cafe makes excellent ones. However, a regular tea is cheaper, so I order that. I've never had Earl Grey tea before. I had this mint tea meant to make me sleep better, and I thought it was so boring. I had a Chai tea once at a friend's place, and I thought it was pretty boring--not as numbingly dull as the mint stuff, but still not fun. But I love the smell of Earl Grey, so I thought, this is the tea for me. I also let it steep a really long time in there.

I was so bored. It's just like faintly-flavoured hot water! And not faintly flavoured, like flavoured water. Flavoured water is like pop next to tea. Maybe I need to dump even more cream and sugar to give it body. I don't know. It was better when I got to the bottom, but that might be because I did some serious tea-bag squeezing down there. It had dregs, perhaps, and was therefore stronger. Whatever the reason, I was bored. From now on, London Fog.

Or I could try more experiments with coffee beverages again. Someone told me I need to get a lighter roast; a friend of mine worked in a coffee shop and she explained to me the ins and outs of different roasts. Apparently, what they don't tell clientelle is that the longer they roast the bean, the less caffeine there is. A lighter roast technically has more caffeine in it, but it doesn't possess as strong a taste; the strong taste of an espresso, for instance, jolts people, and drinkers erroneously associate a strong flavour with more caffeine, creating a placebo effect that wakes them up. However, if I don't like the bitterness of a dark roast, I ought to try a light roast blend, armed with the knowledge that it, in fact, contains more caffeine...and so hopefully I'll get the full chemical and placebo combo. Or I could stick with my overpriced tea drink.