What's In Your Cup?

It seems the world runs on coffee. That caffeine hits you, smooth and acidic—maybe it’s even creamy and sugary, or with a hint of vanilla or hazelnut. Whatever the case, they sure do make for beautiful Instagrams… marble or wooden tabletops, wispy latte art, maybe even a hand clutching the mug: this stuff gets my heart beating.

That is to say, the perfectly-proportioned and –lit images on my phone do, but the coffee itself? Not so much. I, myself, am an avid drinker of tea. Green tea, black tea, chai lattes (the stuff of dreams) is what I run on. I find myself wanting to like coffee, though, and I will occasionally order an extra sweet iced coffee. I have yet to find the courage to order a cortado (not because of the actual ordering in and of itself, but the consumption of it, ‘cause man, that’s a large ratio of espresso in my books)… though I suppose the lovely names of the various espresso drinks isn’t enough to warrant ordering something I most likely won’t like drinking.

This differentiation (coffee, or tea?) is just the start. Once you choose one, the options to customize your drinks are endless. That saying that “you are what you eat?” The way someone drinks their coffee or tea could be a peculiar and fascinating look into who they are. Everyone has their own preferences, but with coffee and tea, which are often beverages that carry someone through the day, the preferences perhaps reflect a little more on the person than, say, what they’re feeling for lunch. And when there are so many different combinations from cup to cup, it’s curious to think of how many people drink it in different ways than yours, and how many people drink it like yours. Maybe the people you think you would never have anything in common with like to take their tea the same way—who knows?

Either way, coffee and tea is a good way to gather round a table and talk, isn’t it? That being said, what’s in your cup?