Coffee vs. (black) Tea (social anthropology)

Tea_Mistress

Well I'm british and I associate cute things like cupcakes and scones with tea, whilst biscuits tend to go better with coffee

DKG28

Nothing's better than coffee and cake, but I'm happy with coffee by itself, with half and half, because there's a richness to it. Well made coffee is a treat. But tea is utilitarian for me. I drink tea - all flavors, to hydrate myself and to keep away from too many servings of half and half that would come with drinking coffee all day. But tea with sweets doesn't work for me. It's more of a savory than a sweet. I don't put anything in my tea.

pandaahoy

I find myself drinking both! Besides, after doing research on both drinks you will find that each has their own special health benefits. I typically drink both in moderation though. I find myself usually having a cup of coffee in the morning, and tea throughout the day. My tea choices vary based on how I'm feeling but black tea makes it on that list occasionally (:

GilBrennan

Tea shop, explain this to me.

EmmaFitzwilliam

Well.. for my purposes, as I generally understand the term to be used in the US (and especially in larger, more affluent cities) a "Tea Shop" is an establishment where one can experience the literary affectation of "High Tea" which imprinted itself on many an American mind as a small party of Ladies enjoying tea and delicacies (scones, finger sandwiches, etc.)

Here, there are several shops which cater to the experience (inaccurate as it may be compared to the reality of "tea" in the Victorian era) of a "Fancy Tea", complete with extravagant decor and niceties such as waitresses in black dresses with frilled white aprons, and a bell upon the table so one may ring for a waitress.

A "tea shop" in Britain, as I experienced it, was a small shop in which one could purchase tea, scones, meat pies, and assorted other items.

An independent coffee shop in the US might have a similar atmosphere to the modern British "tea shop", except, of course, the primary beverage is coffee, and not tea (although more teas are available in more locations than previously).

But the American "Tea Shop" is very much the product of a deliberate, contrived (albeit, for me, quite pleasant) atmosphere.

MeiannaLee

Unfortunatly its become a habit of mine that every time I have black tea or coffee, I need to accompany it with some biscuits or some sort of bread. Of course I opt for kedem tea biscuits or raisin bread (something a little healthier than a cinnamon roll!) but still... I just crave the yumminess of a hot beverage with a snack!