Tea or Coffee? The question that haunts many, many people in the morning.
Personally, I am a fan of both. They both have great, intense, rich, and sometimes delicate flavors.
Tipu’s Chai, a chai tea company based out of Montana, contacted me a few weeks ago and asked if I would like to try some free samples.
Free food? Of course I would!
They were so kind and sent me a package of their instant chai tea “with no preservatives, no sugar and no artificial sweeteners.” I learned that most instant chais do contain these three things, so I was very happy to learn that it didn’t!Β Β It would be great for the lactose intolerant and diabetic.
The directions say to simply add it to warm milk, but I added it to warm almond milk. It was very good!! A little bit of this stuff goes a long way!
My mom, who is a big chai fan, loved the tea because it was rich and full-bodied. She said, “It is not like the chai that you get in a coffee shop with the sugar and milk and froth. Instead, it tastes very authentic. Just like the Indians make.” She should know because she has an Indian friend who makes her own chai tea.
Thanks again, Tipu!
Now onto coffee. Mocha to be more specific.
I have always been a big fan of iced mochas. When I was about 8 years old, my mom bought me a mocha mix to make my own mocha shakes. They were so good, yet they were filled to the brim with sugar. On average, a small mocha purchased at a coffee house has atleast 30 grams of sugar. Some of them having as much as 50 grams. Sheesh, that’s a lot of refined carbs.
Alas, I craved a mocha one morning…
My solution: Mocha Oatmeal!
Mocha Oatmeal
~This is a great substitute for those high-sugar drinks. It also fills you up, and keeps you satisfied!
Serves 1
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup oats
- 1 cup milk or milk substitute (or water, but the milk makes it super creamy. I used almond milk)
- 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 Tablespoon instant coffee mix (I actually cheated here and used Caffix, a decaf instant “coffee” made from barley…)
- Toppings: sliced almonds, chocolate shavings, or even whipped cream. Be creative!
Heat milk and oats in saucepan until it begins to boil. Turn down to medium heat, and stir until oats are cooked. While stirring, add the cocoa powder and coffee.
Serve in a bowl, or a coffee mug and top with your toppings of choice!
Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:
Are you a coffee person or a tea person??
i’m definitely a tea person. but i do like coffee substitutes like Teecino and Kafree Roma
It depends on the day, my tiredness, and my mood. π If I am cold and simply need a warm up, I will opt for tea. I try not to overload on coffee too much, but there are days that I need the caffiene!
For the most part I am just a water buffalo.
I love both for completely different reasons.
I drink coffee every morning because it’s a great tasting way to start my morning. I have become very picky about my coffee. I drink it black, so it needs to be good. Lately I have been adding a little sprinkle of cinnamon to my coffee. It adds a little something fun to it.
I love tea because it is so simple, yet so complex at the same time. I rarely drink the same tea two days in a row. When I need something comforting and warm, I know I can always count on a good cup of tea to make me feel better.
<3 Milieu
Yeah I’m like you. I LOVE coffee, and wish I could drink it every morning, but since I’m an athlete, I can’t because it is dehydrating π But I drink my tea!! What’s your favorite kind? I am a HUGE fan of Jasmine Dragon Pearls
A few years ago I used to drink a lot of iced coffees. Now I barely consume any caffeine aside from trace amounts in chocolate. If I want something different I will get iced tea from a restaurant if I go out to eat. Mostly I am a water drinker with a little almond milk in my oatmeal. Caffeine is not my friend. Maybe I’ll look into some type of tea. π
Yeah, I don’t do caffeine either because it makes me stay up at night :/
Did you make that coffee froth design? so pretty.
Currently I am both coffee and tea drinker. I have late night studying sessions and some days I just need coffee the following morning. Or I’ll have Yerba Mate for breakfast.
The coffee flavor I’m enjoying right now is Pumpkin Pie flavor, it’s really yummy but I dilute it a lot with almond milk, it’s still tasty though.
Normally I’m a herbal tea girl, no caffeine needed.
No I did not make the design π I wish I did, though-it is gorgeous! But….that pumpkin pie coffee sounds soooo good π Can I come over to study tomorrow so I can have some yummy coffee?? π
Instant tea, Alex? I think you deserve better! π
Coffeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!! love it! I’m a night-shift worker and like not only the perk, but the taste…..
Was surprised by the mocha oatmeal recipe using decaf coffee made from barley? what? Not quite sure about that….what did it taste like? also, there are good aspects of coffee health-wise…less gallstones and improved memory! especially in women! Also, there have been studies done on the “dehydration” hypothesis surrounding coffee….not as dehydrating as one may think….
Can you speak to the decafination process as well…..go alex! π
Coffee, is like ritual, the aroma, the intense flavor; it’s like the opening to “doing” wither the doing is a great conversation or your whole day. Tea, is like anti-ritual, like the monk chanting, a heavenly mantra, the act of being and non-being. I do both, coffee and tea, not being and non-being.
I have a friend who has traveled coffee producing countries extensively and she came back telling me that here we not drink coffee, we drink coffee flavored water.
Wow. That makes sense, though “coffee flavored water.” Many people really only like coffee once it has been smothered in sugar and cream…
I’m from Montana and I love Tipu’s Chai! it is wonderful! In Missoula where I live we have an ice creamery where they make Tipu’s Chai ice cream, sooooo Yummy!
Thank you for your blog! I LOVE it!