Like tea and hot chocolate, there are many ways to serve coffee, but did you know that over 50 countries actually grow the beans? Only a handful produce them in commercially viable quantities. However, there is a growing number of specialist coffees from smaller producers reaching our shores. They include Jamaican Blue Mountain, Java Estate Kuyumas and Indian Mysore.
All are at the higher end of the market. However, the most expensive coffee in the world is Kopi Luwak. Made from beans that have been eaten and passed by the Asian Palm civet, it is produced in Indonesia, Timor and the Philippines. With a totally different chemical structure to ordinary coffee beans, it has a mild, aromatic flavour.
Brazil and Columbia are the coffee growing nations of the world, producing more beans than anywhere else. Prized for their light, tangy quality, they are ideal for blending. Other Latin producers include Mexico, Guatemala, Panama and Costa Rica. Some of these countries are equally prized for their cocoa beans, used to make hot chocolate.
The coffees of Eastern Africa and the Middle East are like wine: complex and alluring, with copious flavours including citrus fruits, blueberries and spices. Asian coffees, on the other hand, are full-bodied and thick, and are often used to deepen lighter blends.
The coffee of each country has its own distinct characteristics and flavour. Coffee tasters, like tea tasters, are employed by importers to ensure only the best beans reach our shores. These connoisseurs sample each batch as though it were the finest wine. It’s certainly something to think about, when you next reach for a cup.
Christmas 2009 gave us one of the worst winters we’ve ever had in the UK, with seemingly endless snowfall and icy conditions on the roads. The weather meant it was better for many of us to stay indoors, with the fire on and firmly hold on to a nice warm drink, while other people went outside to work or to build snowmen.
So what are the best drinks to enjoy during the winter, while you sit by the fire and look at the thick blanket of white snow on the ground?
In Britain we’re known as a nation of tea drinkers, and that is one stereotype that we’re comfortable with. A good hot cup of tea certainly serves the purpose of keeping your toes warm when it’s too cold to go outside. There are also a wide range of teas available to drink, rather than just the usual brands that you see advertised on TV by monkeys and men with flat caps.
If tea isn’t to your liking, you could always stay indoors with a good, strong coffee. Many people find that a cup (or usually mug) of coffee is the best way to start the day, whether it’s snowing or not.
Perhaps the best drink for staying warm in winter is hot chocolate. A tall mug of hot chocolate, filled with marshmallows and sprinkled with chocolate flakes, is the ideal way to sit out the cold weather. There’s no need to venture outside, so long as you have an ample supply of marshmallows on hand.
Tea may have been invented by the Chinese, but it is the British that have truly adopted tea as their national drink. In the UK we tend to stick to a select few brands of tea, but there are so many more loose teas that we can buy from further afield, such as China.
Here are some of the more unique and quality examples of tea for sale in the world:
Dragonwell, also known as West Lake (Xi Hu)
This tea is a favourite among those who know their tea. This tea has a pale yellow colour and a nutty aroma. It also tastes slightly nutty and is made from flattened leaves.
Yellow Mountian Maofeng
This is another yellow tea with a very delicate flavour and aroma. The leaves for this tea come from China’s An Hui Province, high up in the mountains.
Donting Biluochun
This is one of the more common teas and suitable for drinking every day. The tea has a sweet fragrance and feels quite thick when you drink it.
Xinyang Maojian
This tea is also known as the Feather Tip because of the leaves that it is made from. The leaves appear to be hairy when they are dried. This tea comes from the He Nan Province and has an aroma reminiscent of asparagus. The tea also has an aftertaste that is likened to chestnuts.
Lu An Guapian
This tea is golden in colour and has been dubbed ‘pumpkin seed tea’, not because of its taste, but because of the similarities of the tea leaves to pumpkin seeds.
Same old Christmassy concerns!
You have found the perfect presents for the whole family. Mum and Dad have a gift for two anyway so that really isn’t complicated. Plus, your mother will always try to let you know what she wants!
It’s the same story each year, Mum opens her gift and can’t think of anything else to say then: “Oooh, you shouldn’t have…” Yeah, we’ve heard it all before.
One of the most difficult gifts to find is definitely for the grandparents. Think about it, you’re never too sure of what they already have, of what they really want and especially which “20th Century” contraption they know how to use! Tough choice! You obviously don’t want to get them each year the same kind of present.
Here are some good ideas you should really consider when buying a gift to your grandma or grandpa.
Remember to always personalize it as much as you can! Granny doesn’t care about an expensive gift. She prefers sentimental and simple things which will remind her of her grandchildren!
One of the best gifts is pictures! You could maybe compile them into an album or if you really wish to bring your grandpa or grandma up-to-date you could go for a digital frame!
One other very traditional gift is the “I love my nanny” mug. Perfect for her morning tea or coffee. Or if again you want to cross boundaries: go for the “My Grandma rocks” one! You will sure earn some brownie points and be on the top of her “best grandchild” list!
The very special touch would be to add some great tea or coffee.
Whittard of Chelsea offers a great selection of tea gifts including gorgeous tea pots and china!
Hope Santa will bring you some great presents this year!
Merry Christmas and happy holidays!
