Coffee making and drinking is not just a personal, it's cultural. Explore different coffee cultures around the world. Check out the background history and how to replicate the coffee drink in your own home!
The battle goes on: Tea vs. Coffee
When it comes to great rivalries there are few that can top tea vs. coffee. When trying to work out which is better there are a few things to take into account.
Taste
Whether you’re comparing a builder’s brew with instant coffee, or the taste that you get from the finest coffee beans with top-class tea leaves, everyone has a preference when it comes to the flavour of tea and coffee. Tea lovers can choose between varieties such as Earl Grey, lapsang souchong, and jasmine tea, while those that prefer coffee can add syrups to their beverage for a different flavour.
The Challenging & Promising Road Ahead
Walking the winding bustling streets of the Thamel in Kathmandu, you can easily spot any number of coffee shops offering the familiar variety of espresso drinks such as cappuccinos, lattes, macchiatos, and mochas. With all the tourists walking around, and the many restaurants with cuisines from around the world, this tiny but crowded part of the city, gives off a whirlwind energy of movement, excitement, and also the sense that a café culture is really starting to take off here. There are all kinds of coffee shops, mostly offering Illy or Lavazza coffee, and with their free Wifi signs, they easily draw in a number of tourists with their laptops, smartphones, and iPads. Yet, in the midst of all this development and excitement, it is difficult to find the few cafes promoting local Nepali coffee and I became curious. Where can I find locally grown and produced coffee? How does Nepali coffee taste? Where is the local coffee industry headed?
Vietnam is often lauded for its coffee, which is strong, thick, and oftentimes over-the-top sweet. Sitting at local café’s – from Saigon to Hanoi – you can’t miss the unique way coffee is brewed in Vietnam (through the Phin filter). But, the lesser known, “Egg with Coffee” can be found on menus in hidden coffee shop gems. The option could also be found next to the likes of “Yogurt with Milk,” but trying the Egg with Coffee is really worth the risk and thrill!
"Fair Trade" has certainly become a familiar term, and not just in the coffee industry. While more big name companies are incorporating this latest buzz term in their marketing and packaging, the greater understanding of what goes into "Fair Trade" elludes most of us consumers. Coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world. Besides being our personal drink of choice here at Over Coffee, it clearly has the power to create real changes on ground in terms of economic improvement and building socially conscious business models for the world. Warren Trieber, one of our own Over Coffee members, is our guest blogger today. In his op-ed, he poses an important question to us all: Fair Trade Coffee: Is It Worth the Purchase?
In a one-line answer, Warren replies, "Fair Trade serves a purpose in the context, but it is nowhere near perfect." Here is why ...