Why Do Americans Drink WAY More Coffee Than Brits?

After moving to America, it wasn't lost on me that coffee played a big role in American life. This was particularly true in comparison to Britain. Here are some of the reasons for this difference.
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[@bmbirdsong]

If I'm drinking coffee, it's probably breakfast time; if I'm drinking iced tea, it's probably a summer weekend; and if I'm drinking hot tea, I've definitely got a cold or a sore throat.

[@lairdcummings9092]

Hot tea with honey & brandy. Makes a cold bearable, and shorter.

[@8catmom]

I drink tea every morning

[@treedillinger5801]

Mid afternoon coffee is good too

[@RonSparks2112]

I drink coffee in the morning or early afternoon. I also drink tea, usually iced tea. Recently, I have substituted iced yerba mate for standard tea.

[@8catmom]

I don’t drink much coffee but love Irish breakfast tea every morning

[@jonasthedad]

Mr. Lawrence, Arizona makes perfect sense. There are incredibly large numbers of old retirees from cold states living there

[@kaldo_kaldo]

Also there's nothing else to do

[@GamingAfter50]

And Western Canadian snowbirds wintering in AZ.

[@GoingGreenMom]

I was going to say this. Lol

[@martiseelye6443]

I love dogs AND cats and I love coffee AND tea. Coffee in the morning and tea the rest of the day...or another coffee 😂

[@l.plantagenet2539]

Me too although I don't drink coffee everyday and when I do it's half decaf and half flavoured plus I add Land O' Lakes different flavoured cocoa or Bailey's. My mom and I still watch Downton Abbey a lot so she's gotten to where she like hot tea. I've liked it for years.

[@janicefeny2223]

I do like an occasional traditional tea time, especially on a dreary afternoon... but I'm definitely a 'serious' coffee person☕☕☕! Your clips of music describing a trip down the street (with coffee in hand, in a euphoric haze) cracked me up lol 🤣😂😁

[@catherinefairweather9936]

It was spot on. When I see a really happy person with a cup of coffee, I immediately feel the need to go get myself a cup so I can be that happy!

[@twillbdone3273]

That's me with my first cup in the morning. All is right with the world.

[@micheleparker8123]

Coffee and a cigarette... Ah, the perfect breakfast. I'm probably being politically incorrect but let the negative comments come!!! When I'm in that coffee/cigarette coma, I don't care!😂😎

[@jenna6149]

A significant portion of my funny t-shirts involve coffee. The gift I most often receive is coffee mugs. I have coffee makers from 4 different cultures. I am pretty sure coffee is the closest thing I have to a religion.

[@deed5811]

I have drip, perculator, french press, bialetti pot, and an ibrik ☕

[@firequeen2194]

😍❤️💕

[@donaldcady3839]

Rock on.

[@parkwood6334]

Then we know what's in the communion chalice.

[@Alectium]

Would you like to form The Church of the Bean? I'm sure we would amass the faithful quickly.

[@brentkreinop489]

One of the few things Dad and I agreed on before he passed on was that neither of us could figure out how something could both smell so good and taste sooo bad as coffee. I'm told I was given tea as in infant, and when I make my own, I make it strong enough to float the spoon, but I cannot stand coffee. Mom was much the same until recently. She gets the last cup from the pot my stepfather makes each morning (US Navy vet, so his coffee is blacker than coal), and dilutes it with enough milk, cream, and other stuff to make it only slightly tan :)

[@CyberNut930]

Lol. If you can teach your self to like black coffee you never have to worry about someone getting your order wrong….or that’s what I’ve heard since I don’t drink coffee.

[@slcRN1971]

Brewing coffee usually does smell nice, but the taste,🤢‼️ Edit: my tea is rather weak (decaf) and when I was young, my dad would say that I must.....just wave the tea bag over a cup of hot water,😆.

[@UpNorthFreyja]

I love the smell of coffee too, but can't stand the taste.

[@bigscarysteve]

I remember Maxwell House TV commercials from the 1960's. Their slogan was, "Good to the last drop." My father would always reply to the television, "So what's wrong with the last drop?"

[@flyingkitty67]

Dads got to dad joke.😄

[@elultimo102]

I think that was a quote from Teddy Roosevelt about Maxwell House.

[@tallactordude]

@@elultimo102 This is sort of true. Maxwell House coffee originated at the Maxwell House Hotel here in Nashville, Tennessee (or at least the hotel was the first customer of the company who made the coffee). But now it seems as though Roosevelt never said those words and that the phrase was created by someone at General Foods.

[@Bacopa68]

Big regional brand here in Texas was Maryland Club. No one in Maryland even knows why.

[@mooniejohnson]

As an ex-barista, I can confirm we gave lights and orchestral music for free. The instagram filters were $.50 extra.

[@Blondie42]

Glad your sarcasm is still in top form 😉

[@dorismidge8762]

I’m not a coffee drinker, but it is definitely a nostalgic smell. It makes me think of my grandparents and their cabin in the mountains. There was always coffee in the pot. Add the smell of fresh made waffles and Karo pancake syrup and I’m brought right back to my childhood. 🥰

[@k.b.tidwell]

You just took me back with Karo. Thanks! I'll be back when I've grown up again.😁

[@JonahNelson7]

When I smell dogshit I think of my childhood

[@betsyadams9670]

Wait!!! People actually put Karo syrup on their waffles and pancakes??? I thought it was just for baking. Couldn’t figure out why Walmart always has it with the other syrups instead of in the baking aisle.

[@lh8508]

Yes. The smell of coffee is like a comforting blanket.

[@treedillinger5801]

Drink it. It’s good. ☕️

[@jonmiguel]

Warm drinks raise your internal temp which can both relax and invigorate you depending on how you started out. We departed from the tea habit during that little skirmish between the Crown and the colonies. Except sweet tea. Iced, Southern-style, sweet tea.

[@lindaschultz7253]

I'm an anomaly. I love both. I like coffee for breakfast and during the day. I prefer tea with supper and up until bedtime.

[@Motherhubbard170]

you're not an anomaly, you're a Jack of all tastes lol

[@rwbimbie5854]

Legend has it.. _THE SOUTH_ will drink huge tubs of iced Sweet Tea when given the chance

[@johnnabuzby6103]

@Linda Schultz How do you ever get to sleep with all that caffeine? I'm from eastern North Carolina and I love both; I'm a bit weird in that I prefer a good strong cup of hot English Breakfast tea over our Southern sweet iced tea anytime. Coffee's smell and taste have been ruined for me by Covid-19 back in May and June of 2020. Smells [and tastes] like it's brewed with dirty fishbowl water. Every time I go into Target, or the Harris Teeter grocery store, I smell the SBUX and it almost turns my stomach. Thank you Covid-19...not!

[@lindaschultz7253]

@@johnnabuzby6103 my body is so used to all the caffeine that the only time I have trouble sleeping is when I stay overnight at our daughters house. The problem there is she is out of the city and its too quiet. I can't sleep without the background noises of the city that I'm used to!🤣🤣🤫😉

[@SuprousOxide]

I mostly like my tea cold and unsweetened. But sometimes like a hot mug of herbal "tea" (contains no actual tea) at bedtime.

[@richardsbrandon5027]

I literally cracked up at that clip of you walking beautifically with the coffee.

[@vtcs1963]

Highly recommend the book “Your Brain on Plants” by Michael Pollan. He does a great job with not only the effects of caffeine but the history of coffee and tea, focusing on the US and UK. A great history lesson for you and full of surprises.

[@Ammo08]

When I was stationed in the UK, we would sometimes order sweet iced tea, just to watch the look on the waiter's face..I love coffee and iced tea..I sometimes drink hot tea in the winter..

[@jilledmondson6894]

My mothers family is of Norwegian ancestry and they ALWAYS have a pot of coffee on the stove. Not drip but percolated coffee. My mother and father went through 2 to 3 (12 cups) per pot day. I always loved the smell of coffee waking up in the morning.

[@joshuapeterson6072]

My grandparents both full Norwegians, would have coffee morning noon and night. On picnics from the thermos, or my favorite at 9pm with ice cream and chocolate sauce.

[@nitroxylictv]

caffeine is bad for your cardiovascular health if used regularly over a long period of time, but I think the deliciousness of coffee balances it out lol

[@endermwatts]

My step-moms family in northern MI is of general nordic descent and when we would visit I was always impressed at how much coffee they would drink just sitting at the kitchen table in the morning, pot after pot after pot. And there was almost always a pot in progress throughout the day.

[@living4mylord]

Midwestern swedes here and no different.

[@LarryHatch]

The one thing I miss about returning to the office: my espresso machine at home four feet from my desk, churning out as many Godiva Chocolate Truffle espressos I can wish for.

[@bonecanoe86]

I'm American and I drink black coffee every day. In my grandparents' day that was how everybody drank it so I unintentionally brought things full circle and we have black coffee together when I go to visit them.

[@annguglielmino8989]

That sounds lovely. 😊

[@juliebaker6969]

I prefer my coffee black too, but unfortunately it upsets my stomach.

[@juliebaker6969]

@@laurie7689 yeah. At first I had to put cream and sugar in it, then I had to also start making it weaker. Now I can't drink it at all. Except occasionally when I really get to craving it, I will use coffee instead of water to make a cup of cocoa, but even THEN I have to put extra creamer in it. And I had to switch from black tea to herbal for the same reason. I couldn't go the sugar and creamer route with tea, I don't like anything in my tea but more tea. But I HAVE found several mint and mint blend herbal teas I really like. There USED to be an herbal blend tea that satisfied my craving for coffee, it was called "Roast Aroma" I think it was a chicory root blend, but I haven't been able to find it for ages.

[@YellowBrickRoadBlog]

@@juliebaker6969 I have the same issue with coffee and tea, even after switching to decaf. I'd love to know the reason behind this issue. I'd love to drink coffee throughout the day without worrying that it'll make me sick.

[@juliebaker6969]

@@YellowBrickRoadBlog Even decaf still has SOME caffeine in it. And I've also heard some people say it's the oils and acids in the coffee that are the culprit.🤔 All I know is I can only drink herbal tea anymore. Once in awhile I can get by with using coffee instead of water to make a cup of cocoa, but only with extra creamer, and if I eat food with it. And even THEN not very often.🤷

[@LotsofWhatever]

Being from New Orleans a port that historically imports a lot of coffee, we never lost the coffee thing.

[@echobeefpv8530]

Tea when I'm ill. Coffee if I'm breathing..

[@LarryHatch]

As a kid I thought it would be brilliant if one could make a coffee-tea drink and provide the advantages of both in one cup. Failed miserably as did my goal of combining orange juice and coffee into one morning up.

[@lbcntx9169]

Turkish coffee tastes like a mixture between the two

[@watcherwlc53]

Hong Kong Yuanyuan drink

[@laralilly]

A dirty chai is kind of that

[@LarryHatch]

I've done that too but only three packets

[@watcherwlc53]

now orange juice in iced tea is not bad

[@PQcoyote67]

I grew up loving coffee, first it was just smell of my grandmother’s percolator coffee when we’d go up to visit, then getting fresh ground coffee at the one shop that sold it back when I was a teenager, nowadays I go through maybe 40lbs a year. Ice tea is my next go to, especially in the summer.

[@Naltddesha]

Gotta love the old percolator

[@kevinloving3141]

When my mom would visit her mom along with my brother and I my grandmother (gramm) would have the percerlator going and put it on the kitchen table along with condensed milk and sugar

[@waycoolscootaloo]

FUN FACT: The largest Starbucks in the world is located in downtown Chicago on the Magnificent Mile just south of Chicago's famous landmark tower the John Hancock Center. (875 North Michigan Avenue) ☕ 🙂

[@rubioblack]

Yes it is. Thank you for knowing that. - 43 year Chicago resident.

[@darkfireeyes7]

There are also some coffee shops in Chicagoland that serve coffee with a nip of alcohol.

[@MarleneMeier]

Fun fact: That Chicago Starbucks was built right before the city shut down for Covid and Civil unrest and since many Starbucks closed.

[@jeffreyfoerster1415]

In my opinion, 🤢Starbucks🤢, is terrible. Also, why would I pay major league prices for little league coffee

[@MarleneMeier]

@@darkfireeyes7 WHERE???

[@mags102755]

I adore coffee and am sorely addicted. I drink it black, and it's got to be a dark roast. Now, you may be thinking, "who cares" and you'd be right. However, when I am in the UK, which I am from time to time, I do drink tea, and I enjoy it. I am choosing to refrain from making rude remarks about the quality of the coffee found in the UK. The tea is divine.

[@rickcamren5423]

I too like a good black dark roast. My favorite was Millstone before they went under.

[@Sorrowdusk]

Do you prefer wet process or dry process coffee?

[@simonpowell2559]

From England: I picked up my coffee habit in Italy and now use a filter system for coffee, every morning. I guess that is what most Americans use. Only a few years ago everyone, including cafés and restaurants would use instant coffee from a jar. It tastes of nothing and simply doesn't give you that coffee "lift". When people offered me a coffee I would say "I only drink real coffee." They would look at me like a crazy person, and show me the jar to prove it was "real". Things are getting better, but I wouldn't be surprised if you were served "Nescafe" from a jar. Oh yeah, and with milk, if you like it or not.

[@tammywilson985]

@@simonpowell2559 ugh, instant coffee is horrible.

[@mayloo2137]

@@tammywilson985 you get used to it. It's really nice if you add a flavored coffee creamer to it. The International Delight brand, not Coffee Mate.

[@sallycormier1383]

Tea daily, coffee occasionally. I think having a roommate in college who was English and taught me how to brew the perfect cuppa had a lasting effect. We went to college in Niagara Falls and walked across the bridge to Canada to buy my first teapot, a Brown Betty.

[@zacharyrome3432]

Coffee and water are generally the only things I ever drink daily outside of a rare glass of Orange juice !

[@treedillinger5801]

Fresh squeezed, at least?

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

Same

[@Heavywall70]

Ewww Orange juice? Really?

[@yadayada752]

Wow Lawrence, visual effects!!! What more could we want!

[@HippieMagic]

We like tea. We made the biggest cup of it ever.

[@deaniebeanie4416]

Bahahahahaha omg 🤣🤣🤣

[@BitterBetty76]

HA! This is gold!😂😂😂

[@HippieMagic]

@@BitterBetty76 Yorkshire Gold

[@juliebaker6969]

The biggest EVER, are you sure? I have a bubba keg that holds about a quart.

[@jenniferibarra7737]

Haha

[@BammyNC]

"Coffee, the favorite drink of the civilized world." Thomas Jefferson. One of my favorite Jefferson quotes, and just about the best indirect insult ever.

[@lipstickcloud]

I was a manager at a Starbucks, way back when I was in my 20's. The "I don't like coffee folks" in Seattle have been a proud and vocal bunch. Countless times, there were interlopers that would be in the store, saying loudly that they didn't even like coffee, not like everyone else in Seattle"...I can't think of a lot of restaurants I would go to for the purpose of loudly saying " I don't EVEN LIKE"...Whatever the main food being served is. I always pretended to find it amazing, because I appreciate the need to feel special.

[@justcurious1146]

I am smartass enough that if I worked at a Starbucks or any coffee shop and someone came in and yelled that, I would yell back "then get out of here!"

[@EricaGamet]

Hello, coffee-disliking Seattleite Starbucks-goer here. Three of my baristas don't even like coffee. I have a friend in NYC that anytime I mention going to Starbucks (up until the lockdowns, it was my daily habit for nearly 20 years... iced chai, in case you're wondering) he yells, "Dunkin's coffee is better!" I remind him it all tastes like swill to me because I don't like coffee... and I remind him that SBUX is more than just coffee. Some people really do just need to feel special. I live near the Roastery in CH and love to go in for the atmosphere and take anyone visiting for a coffee.

[@martiseelye6443]

😂😂😂

[@cloudsn]

In the hipster town where I live in Washington, the trendy people say "friends don't let friends drink Starbucks" like they're so edgy. Coffee snobbery here is out of control. There's one group that only drinks coffee from local cafes, one that only makes pour over at home and will lecture you on proper technique, and one that scoffs at any so-called "fancy" coffee, will only drink drip coffee or instant and will mock anyone for wasting their money at any coffee shop. I belong to a really small group that doesn't care. I'll drink any coffee. Even break room coffee.

[@jonc4403]

Does Starbucks even serve coffee? I kid, I do like a little bit of coffee with my milk and sugar. Ok, technically kind of a lot of coffee with my milk and sugar, because when I make coffee it's a quadruple extra-strength espresso with my milk and sugar. But I don't do Starbucks, because I'm not rich. I just make it at home.

[@cjmarsh504]

We like our local brands of coffee here in new Orleans. Community, Cafe Du Monde, French Truck, and PJ's. Even though, we have a Folgers plant in New Orleans. That Cafe Du Monde (CDM) in the yellow brick with the Chicory make a great Cafe Au Lait with some beignets.

[@karenebarker9244]

I fell in love with CDM a few years ago while visiting NOLA. The line was down the street at that famous coffee and beignet spot so I bought a can of CMD and a box of beignet mix at the visitor center. Took them back home to prepare. I have been drinking that heavenly chicory blend brew since.

[@cjmarsh504]

@@karenebarker9244 I'm glad that you're enjoying the local brands of our city.

[@mbn9672]

I tried PJ’s in Houston, great coffee!

[@donna9121]

I used to live close to a small store that sold bags of ground coffees. They had wall to wall shelves of coffees. It was wonderful. It was in Berkeley.

[@clmaynor]

If the doctor ever told me to give up coffee or die, I would just have to start making my final arrangements.

[@pammasheppard1338]

I like both. Tea as my own thing and coffee for the nostalgia of sitting with my dad and godfather while they loudly clanked their spoons in their mugs after adding sugar and half-and-half.

[@svenska81]

I’m half and half, as I had an English grandmother and a Swedish MorMor. Coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon.

[@brendagrimm2964]

There's nothing like the smell of a fresh pot of coffee...percolating. Gone are the days. But as much as I love the aroma, I dislike the taste. I've been a tea drinker since my first pregnancy nearly fifty years ago when it was recommended as a drink that would stay down in the mornings. It didn't, but I learned to love it anyway and have been drinking it ever since.

[@xo2quilt]

But it definitely was the least painful thing upon its return!

[@johnnabuzby6103]

I agree with you about the aroma of coffee...it smells [or used to] amazing, but that smell is false advertising. I have to sweeten and flavor the heck out of it. I am a coffee drinker, but unfortunately for me, I had Covid-19 back in late May and all of June 2020, and ever since then, brewing coffee smells like it was made with dirty fishbowl water...tastes kinda like it too...even though I add chocolate flavored liquid and powdered creamers, even coconut, vanilla or almond extracts to it. I do, however, love a good hot, strong cup of English Breakfast tea with honey, lemon juice and sugar, even a touch of ginger sometimes. I'm from eastern North Carolina, and I'm unusual for a Southerner in that I prefer hot tea to our Southern sweet iced tea anytime.

[@brendagrimm2964]

@@xo2quilt Very true. 😆

[@brendagrimm2964]

@@johnnabuzby6103 I drink my tea hot with milk. I used to stir in quite a bit of sugar. I switched to honey when I discovered orange blossom and other lightly flavored honeys. But over the years I've lost my taste for so much sweetness. When I do stir in a little honey it's for the flavor of it. And, yes, on the rare occasions that I drink coffee, it is sweet, flavored, and diluted with more milk and/or cream than there is coffee in the cup.

[@warreneckels4945]

The problem with percolation is that it boils off many of the compounds that give good coffee its taste, but leave the bitterness behind. My mother was probably the last percolator in town, but they stopped making delicate glassware inside the pot, so she had to switch to Mr. Coffee, which was a revelation in taste to her.

[@GregInEastTennessee]

I'm surprised you didn't mention the pods that coffee is made with now (Keurig). Club Coffee in Canada makes 100% compostable pods (which I get through Amazon). I drink coffee all day long. But I like tea as well. Of course, living down south, it has to be sweet tea. I remember taking a trip with my late wife to Michigan to move her mother's stuff out of a house she was renting to other people. We stopped at a restaurant and I ordered a glass of tea. It was unsweetened. I asked for sweet tea an the waitress looked at me like I was from Mars (I'm not from Mars, I'm from Tennessee). So I asked for Coke. She said they had Pepsi. So I ended up drinking coffee. So you should think about talking about regional differences in drinks, as well.

[@nicolcacola]

Americans, we like our coffee in our cups and tea in the harbour 🤙

[@johndaley9143]

Bwahahaha

[@marks.c4753]

😂😂

[@BrianFullerton]

Some things are intolerable.

[@Sorrowdusk]

But is it Swee' tea?

[@marks.c4753]

@@Sorrowdusk Doesn't matter I'm from the south I drink my ice tea like my coffee straight black please.

[@andreawilson776]

In general I'm a tea person in the morning because hot coffee upsets my stomach and I just like a nice Earl Grey with a touch of stevia and some cream when I get up... I don't dislike coffee though and will sometimes get an iced coffee midday if I'm dragging to wake me up!

[@sulleys1929]

The English side of my family drank tea, my German side of the family drank coffee. I drink both but my preference is Coffee! I love it and I drink lots of it. We love it so much my husband roasts his own beans.

[@juliebaker6969]

My German great grandma always served coffee with every meal. Infact she would make extra for supper, then sit it on the back of her wood stove overnight, and by morning it was extremely concentrated. Then for breakfast she would heat up a pot of milk with sugar and the coffee extract from the night before. She called it "milk coffee" and had it everyday for breakfast. After she had a stroke, she moved into town, and had an electric stove. But she still continued to have her milk coffee, just with instant coffee instead of the coffee extract.

[@desertdarlene]

My dad was born in England but grew up mostly in Canada. He used to only drink tea. It was weird in school because all the other kids' parents drank coffee.

[@coffeegrinder6319]

I like high quality coffee as well, and have been roasting my own beans for about 1 year now

[@Skye_Writer]

Actually, there is a pretty scientific answer. I used to work customer service for the Mr Coffee appliance line, and as part of our training, we had to learn about caffeine addiction, inclusing how quickly it happens (less than two weeks) and the real-life *physical* effects of caffeine withdrawal. Caffeine definitely *is* addictive, and you get more of it from coffee than tea (coffee has between 95 and 200 milligrams of caffeine while black tea has between 14 and 70 milligrams of caffeine. In comparison, caffeinated sodas tend to have between 20 and 50 milligrams of caffeine [with Mtn Dew having the highest number] per serving). Tea leaves actually contain more caffeine than coffee beans. After brewing, however, a cup of coffee has more caffeine than a cup of tea. The reason for this is simple: coffee is a stronger beverage than tea. If you don’t think brewed coffee is more concentrated than steeped tea, just look at a cup of each. You’ll be able to see through the tea more than the coffee, even if you’re comparing black tea. So, when Americans had to switch from tea to coffee, they were getting a double dose of the caffeine per cup. Many people develop a tolerance for caffeine. This means that your body adjusts and gets used to having caffeine every day. Over time, you might find that you must keep increasing your caffeine intake to achieve the desired effects of alertness and ability to concentrate. Once the stigma went away and it was no longer unpatriotic to drink tea, it's likely that those who had turned to coffee now found that *a* cup of tea was not satisfying their caffeine needs. Maybe they didn't know what caffeine was at the time, or that the lack of it was causing them to be irritable, have headaches, tiredness, have difficulty concentrating, and perhaps even muscle pain and nausea if they had become accustomed to several cups of coffee a day and then suddenly cut back to tea. Someone somewhere just got used to coffee and found that tea no longer satisfied his or her needs, and they kept drinking it, and raised their kids on it. And those kids would have raised their own kids on it, and so on and so forth until drinking hot tea was no longer a daily tradition. Now, all that said, Americans do drink a lot of ICED tea, but this is obviously a weaker drink than the hot tea brewed by the cup, so coffee is still required to give us that daily perk up in the morning.

[@smurfmonster]

I'm in the UK and I get the impression that most Americans make "proper" coffee from ground beans at home whereas in the U.K. I'd guess that 90% of coffee drinkers drink instant coffee at home and "proper" coffee when out and about. EVERY home here has a kettle but very few have a coffee machine that used regularly.

[@shannarose5616]

We use a French press to make our coffee in our U.S. home. We either buy ground beans for convenience, or we grind our own on the weekends.

[@Sorrowdusk]

I love grinding my own beans. Smells so good. But, advantage of keurig pods or the like ? You can have many different types ready to go at once. Specially in a variety pack. Thing is, a lotta folks out there don't grind their own beans. At least not years ago. Maybe things are shifting

[@smurfmonster]

@@Sorrowdusk Most people in the U.K. use instant coffee from a jar.

[@rapa2894]

@@smurfmonster Americans can't even fathom drinking instant coffee like that. Keurig is about the lowest we'll go 😂 They do sell instant coffee in the US though, but I've only seen it used in baking.

[@adeleetherton2665]

We love coffee... meaning my hubby and I. But I also like tea as I grow it. It took me many years to get me to get my hubby to drink tea as an alternative. But, we still get up each morning and brew in our Italian pot, our coffee. Even when we are camping, we cook coffee over the the campfire. Tea is drank in our comforting times, when we are slowing down our day. We also like think made with coffee.. But, it seems that coffee affects my hubby's anxiety and he has switch to decaf.. oh how sad...

[@danielbanks7500]

I like them both. I tend to drink my tea iced and during the warmer months but I also drink my coffee iced during that time.

[@essaboselin5252]

A couple thoughts - the first drop in coffee consumption had to do with the beans themselves. There was a global shortage of the "good" stuff (due to weather, IIRC), so coffee blends started using lower quality beans. Those beans were also cheaper, so they stuck to using them. People noticed the coffee wasn't as good and drank less. Tea was also hard to get during WWII, since a lot of it was grown in areas controlled by Japan and lack of shipping for commercial products. Again, people found other things to drink. At least in the US, coffee was still coming in from South America, so peoples' taste changed. For the record, as an American I do hate coffee. Give me tea any day of the week.

[@Mountlougallops]

I liked making coffee for my mother. Love the smell. I don’t dislike coffee. I just prefer tea especially my favorite chai. I’ve been to coffee tastings when living in the very coffee town of Portland, Oregon. Amazing how diverse coffee is. And still I would ask if they served Queens Tea or chai. And I love cats and dogs equally. I usually have both at the same time. Go figure.

[@emilywhitfield2780]

I love chai too with a little milk and honey!!

[@Mountlougallops]

@@emilywhitfield2780 the best! A little nutmeg and grind cinnamon on top and voila perfection ☕️

[@Mountlougallops]

@@emilywhitfield2780 the best! A little nutmeg and grind cinnamon on top and voila perfection ☕️

[@emilywhitfield2780]

@@Mountlougallops Yes!!!😊😊😊😊

[@juliebaker6969]

Are you also ambidextrous?

[@Kashanta]

I've got a mug of coffee to my left right now as I type this, hehe. So I guess that answers the "tea or coffee" question.

[@rickcamren5423]

I'm more of a coffee person. I occasionally drink tea when I can find a good loose leaf tea. I do respect Britain's custom of Tea. I hope it continues.

[@epistte]

It's hard to get good loose leaf tea in the US. I often have to buy it online because brick and mortar stores very often don't have it. I'm on the eternal search for Earl Grey with enough bergamont.

[@ReikaLady]

I drink both. Got to have my morning coffee, but during the day I'm more likely to drink iced tea.

[@agoogleuser4443]

As a southerner I'm going to have to agree with you on that!

[@stardust949]

What a nice history lesson! I like a morning cuppa. My tea is herbal and organic. My coffee habit wasn't one I picked up til I was in my 40s. It was the Mother's Neighborhood Coffee Klatch that got me hooked.

[@samanthab1923]

That was me. Always had tea growing up. Even at night. Have a little tea & toast before bed. No decaf either. Never liked coffee. None in college & started my first job without. Wasn't till my 30's was introduced to cappuccino. Downfall.

[@donna9121]

Was it in Berkeley?

[@stardust949]

@@donna9121 are you asking me? if so, no---I raised my family in Ohio, so the coffee klatch was here too. Once a week someone would host it while all our pre-school kids played together, kind of a round-robin deal. It was wonderful, made some friends---but also started drinking coffee, lol!

[@donna9121]

@@stardust949 Thank you.

[@zubee1]

I love all of your videos! My mother is from Manchester and I’m from Ft. Wayne. So, its extra enjoyable to watch you. I’ve learned a ton about these United States from none other than you. Thank you so much!

[@livinginthenow]

Dual American-Canadian citizen here: I drink many cups a day of my favorite high quality Assam tea, but frequently drink a cup of coffee after dinner. That single cup of coffee must be high quality as well. I am apparently a bit of a caffeine snob.

[@Sorrowdusk]

I like Lapsang Souchong as well

[@georgiancrossroads]

Tea. American here. Serious tea at that. No tea bags. Only loose leaf. And yes PG Tips® too.

[@johndaley9143]

Prefer coffee in morning and sometimes during the day. Enjoy tea sometimes in the evening. Red Rose , preferably the stuff bought in Canada

[@juliebaker6969]

What's the difference between Red Rose from Canada and Red Rose from the USA?

[@johndaley9143]

@@juliebaker6969 i have relatives in Canada who sometimes bring it across the border. Not exactly sure what the difference is. It seems to me like its more full body flavor. Similar to different coffee roast. Crappie explanation. But if you tasted both you would taste what I mean. My kids feel the same. One daughter knows immediately whether I gave her the American or Canadian version.

[@juliebaker6969]

@@johndaley9143 I've heard that said of other things too like Kraft Mac & Cheese. I don't know, maybe it has to do with the difference between our regulations from the FDA and whatever their equivalent is.

[@johnsaia9739]

Really like the SONAR ping at the beginning.

[@Eirewolf]

More Brits would like coffee more if the UK started offering cream for the coffee, rather than milk. Using cream makes a huge difference and improves coffee dramatically. 😁 ☕

[@juliebaker6969]

They only offer milk because that's what they traditionally use in their tea and they just don't know any better.

[@pjschmid2251]

That and they need to stop believing that instant coffee is coffee. They put Sanka out in British offices as if that is what should be considered a viable coffee option. Given the choice between a teabag and Sanka who would choose Sanka?

[@elultimo102]

@@pjschmid2251 Usually, one only drinks Sanka, or other decaf swill, for medical reasons and certainly not for flavor.

[@edennis8578]

Just to say that I don't like cream in coffee. I use milk. Organic, usually, which is much richer than nonorganic. Even organic skim milk is much richer; it isn't thin or watery.

[@namelessone3339]

@@pjschmid2251 A teabag is to tea as Sanka is to coffee.

[@joeflynn1523]

Thanks for mentioning the Nordic Countries. When the missus and I were in Tampere, Finland (a university town btw) we noticed coffee shops on just about every street.

[@Hogtownboy1]

ahh morning coffee and a croissant. and of course my insanity stroll so accurately mimiced😁 by Lawrence

[@DidrickNamtvedt]

Norwegian here, self-proclaimed coffee addict, can definitely confirm us Nordics do drink lots of coffee. The cold climate here could definitely have something to do with it. We actually had a mayor here in my hometown Bergen between 2003 and 2007, Herman Friele, who had also famously been a chairman of the coffee manufactorer Friele, a very popular coffee brand here in Norway, and I always thought it was so cool that a man who had brought amazing coffee to Norway was also our city's mayor for that period. When I lived and studied abroad in the UK back in 2015, I quickly grew a fondness for the Costa Coffee cafe chain and I would find myself visiting them regularly for my coffee fix.

[@paulgodbey304]

Definitely tea. It's just a preference thing. I love the smell of coffee, but I can't stand the taste. Cheers!

[@tammyjohnson7401]

Hello Lost in Pond. I'm a coffee drinker primarily, however I drink hot tea in after noon, and in winter. Really enjoy your videos.

[@janicewebber5584]

For years, I've watched Keeping up Appearances & almost every episode Hyacinth would invite Elizabeth to pop in for a coffee. All the while, I was telling myself, I thought they drank tea.🤔

[@Ira88881]

I just posted the exact same thing, before seeing your post. I think she offered tea once or twice, but it was always coffee! Funniest show of all time, and the funniest episodes were a 2-parter when they took a cruise.

[@justme2423]

@@epilektric GREAT SHOW! My husband and kids don't get it, though.

[@markabbott3936]

I noticed that too -- but I always surmised that Hyacinth must have thought coffee a good deal less Common (working class) than tea, as she was never one to miss a chance to put on airs (i.e. ape her betters).

[@Ira88881]

@@markabbott3936 That makes perfect sense! I never thought of that!

[@dianamajors45]

I'm from Arkansas, but I'm definitely a hot tea drinker!

[@Private-Potato]

It might also be because it’s easier to get coffee from South America than it is tea from India or China. But that’s probably just a small part to it. Also I’m more of a coffee drinker btw.

[@theodoresmith5272]

We drank tea. Then they passed the tea act. The Boston tea party wasnt 1 event. It happened up and down the coast. The Dutch smuggled it for a little while but the British navy stopped that. Americans banned its import for years from coming into its ports. You didn't want to come to port with tea anywhere in your hold. They would take your ship and the captain was in trouble. The coffee growing of South America was already a big thing and we started drink coffee. Its why Americans like the Arabic beans grown in the mountains of South america. Not robosta coffees like Europe.

[@TenOfZero1]

Probably less of a reason today, but I imagine historically it was, then it just became what people were used to, and Theodore's theory also makes sense (again not a factor now, but we do what we are used to, which is what our parents were used to etc..)

[@rwbimbie5854]

I wonder about the Pounds per person. Americans are know for some weak autodrip/industrial coffe, thus fewer pounds per gallon perked

[@jonc4403]

@@rwbimbie5854 I don't think anybody under 60 drinks that crap.

[@tmichell1128]

Can we appreciate his shirt for a second? Plus The red glasses he’s wearing? 🤣💯

[@MsAabbo]

Your t-shirt is everything!!! I never drank coffee until my husband started replacing my caffeine-free Starbucks he would bring home with the real stuff! After a few weeks, he confessed but I was feeling so much more alert and active. Now I can drink straight up espresso shots like a pro! In his defense, he was trying to give me a little oucj me up since I was so exhausted from the birth of our second kiddo. It worked-and I have been a dedicated coffee drinker ever since.

[@MargaritaOnTheRox]

Lucky. Caffeine has never affected me. It sucks because I'm prone to daytime drowsiness, but since caffeine doesn't wake me up, and adult naptimes are frowned upon, I have had to learn how to function half asleep. I don't wake up until 8 or 9pm.

[@ajl8198]

That is so funny Alisa Because I am now a daily coffee drinker I cannot start my day without it but before I met my husband I actually didn’t really drink coffee only occasionally because I liked the taste but he is a huge coffee drinker and I literally cannot believe that I used to be able to start my day without it how on earth did I function?

[@ajl8198]

@@MargaritaOnTheRox sounds like you are a night person My daughter has always been the same way she suddenly gets full of energy and inspired around 8 PM

[@largol33t1]

Your husband definitely created a monster...😂😁

[@MrSweeperUSA]

Always a coffee person but I just recently discovered a British import shop here in Queens New York and they have Digestives and Hobnobs and British tea so I’ve been having kind of a teatime every day. Delicious

[@shirleynitka5030]

it's an easy answer Laurence. Coffee is easier to make with consistent results. Finding a decent brand of tea isn't easy. My entire family loves iced tea. I was raised on it. In my teens I loved mint tea made by an English Company. Stores stopped selling it. Others do make mint tea but it's not worth drinking. I would love a good cup of hot tea, especially in colder months. Any tips on what tea is worth drinking? No I have never bought Starbucks or walked around in ecstacy carrying a cuppa. You're too funny. Cheers.

[@gemoftheocean]

Barry's tea from Ireland is excellent. If you can't find that try red tea.

[@ZombieBarioth]

Red Rose is pretty good, their English breakfast was one of my favorites. Unfortunately places around here stopped carrying it. Twinning is also a decent pick for earl or lady gray. Irish breakfast too from what I remember.

[@Parcha64]

Always go loose leaf. No matter the brand, it will brew better than baged tea. However, as a Coloradan, I think Celestial Seasonings has the best herbals like mint or chamomile.

[@MrDragon1968]

As a Brit I'd say Earl Grey, Darjeeling or Lapsang Souchong. Although they're not to everyone's taste as they're more flagrant (particularly Lapsang Souchong). I love Earl Grey (it's my favourite tea) but there are some people who also don't like it and prefer something grittier. You also can't really go wrong with an English Breakfast tea. Twinnings and Whittard are your regular/fairly-decent go to UK large brands, but for better specialist brands I'd suggest something like Happy Elephant.

[@ikreer9777]

@@Parcha64 Their flavored black teas are wonderful too. I have yet to find a better Christmas tea than Nutcracker Sweet.

[@margareteraab3899]

I'm a coffee person. A big mug of black coffee for breakfast. Also when I have cake or pie. Love Earl Grey tea on a cold winter's night, peppermint and chamomile tea when not feeling well. I'm German and my family drank both.

[@susanapplegate9758]

Both! But in Alaska, friends don’t let friends drink Starbucks. Kaladie Brothers FTW. ;)

[@juliebaker6969]

I prefer Tim Hortons myself.

[@pjschmid2251]

I remember my trip to Alaska and I was constantly amazed at the density of boutique coffee shops. I’ve never seen that number of coffee/espresso shops anywhere in my life.

[@catherinefairweather9936]

@@juliebaker6969 Tim Horton's is so so good! We don't have them where I am, but I love the grounds at the grocery store.

[@juliebaker6969]

@@catherinefairweather9936 My daughter goes there every morning for coffee and an everything bagel with onion and chive cream cheese. I used to walk over there all the time for an iced coffee back when we only lived a block away. They make fabulous doughnuts too, I LOVE their Boston Cream, and their Crullers are like eating a sweet cloud.

[@joelletatter4063]

I drink coffee year round, but do enjoy tea in the fall and winter- it's a great drink for cozying up with a book by a window and under a blanket

[@nancyankrom3803]

Definitely team Coffee. Pretty sure I drink so much of it that a blood test would show coffee runs in my Veins 🤣. Also, I grew up in New England in the 70’s where Hot Coffee and Ice coffee was on every menu and Hot tea and ice tea wasn’t. When I lived in England during the 80’s finding a good cup of coffee was difficult anywhere outside of the base.

[@tippytoes2358]

Being in London and Salisbury in the late 1990s, I learned that they never heard of putting ice in tea! In fact, when asked where to buy ice, the British waiter said "Why would you want to buy ice?" When asking for much ice, they put just few small cubes in the cup. From NC here and so iced tea is a popular beverage. Even on a business trip to New England with my NC colleagues, they still asked for iced tea at restaurants. I'm not too surprised about Arizona, though, since many of its residence are transplants from cold-weather states.

[@georgeadams1853]

I'm a coffee drinker, although i've been known to have a cup of tea on occasion. On a trip to Europe 25 years ago I my experience was that the French had pretty good coffee, and terrible tea. Then, in London, I came to the conclusion that the English had really good tea, and terrible coffee.

[@johnbaird4912]

@CLester Doesn’t that apply to coffee also

[@johnbaird4912]

@CLester Neither do we

[@douglaswilsmann4599]

@CLester To Asians, the Brits are considered an embarrassment to tea. Not exaggerating either.

[@johnbaird4912]

@@douglaswilsmann4599 Europeans think the same about Americans and their coffee 😂

[@johnbaird4912]

@CLester Think you are taking it way to personal

[@paulawolff3456]

As a child, i would sit outside with my Dad at the picnic table reading the newspaper and drinking our morning cup of coffee. I remember this but I don't remember when I quit. I'm a confirmed tea drinker now with a love for the smell and taste of coffee in something like ice cream or a mocha cake. But love my tea!

[@paul-davidalmond716]

I drink about 40 lbs of coffee a year, based on my bean purchases, alone.

[@xo2quilt]

Glad someone is drinking my 10 pounds worth!

[@catherinefairweather9936]

Funny I too thought the 10 lb. number seemed a little low for what I drink. I'm making up someone's share for sure.

[@patrickcollier7090]

I am American and while I occasionally will drink a cup of coffee I am definitely a tea person. I almost always have 2 large cups of tea a day and often have 3 or 4.

[@michellwaterman3160]

I love your shirt! I didn’t learn to appreciate coffee until college.

[@samanthab1923]

Have you seen the clip of Conan visiting Springfield IL Lincoln Pres. Museum? Hilarious. 😆

[@shannarose5616]

I had a similar story with coffee. I didn't like the taste of it, but I loved the smell of it. Then, I started with a mocha or something, and I've been addicted ever since.

[@tinahairston6383]

One cup of coffee to start my day. In the evening if I'm chilled, a cup of tea. Definitely hot tea when I'm sick and on occasion, iced tea but only in summer.

[@MrDDiRusso]

Do you know the difference between inlaws and outlaws? Outlaws are wanted.

[@LindaC616]

👏👏👏

[@Joeybagofdonuts76]

😂

[@brendagrimm2964]

Tee hee

[@amb163]

I'm Canadian and I'm a coffee AND tea drinker, though I didn't start drinking coffee until I was 38.

[@raymondmuench3266]

The stroll through paradise might be a regular feature in moments when general cluelessness must be highlighted.

[@shannarose5616]

I interpreted it to be like how I feel on a crisp Fall day with a coffee in my hand. Ecstatic.

[@jennifermoody487]

Just read Doris Midge's comments and that is so true of me, except that it was my mom who drank coffee every day. But, VERY NOSTALGIC! Also, I usually put some coffee into beef roasts (gravy); most chocolate things I bake; etc. On the drinking front, I am TEA all the way. I enjoy hot tea during the winter, but living in Alabama, mostly it's ice tea! I make a 2-quart pitcher of tea every morning. I always offer tea or coffee to company, and usually it's coffee that is wanted.

[@Big_Tex]

I used to work for a British company and would make a trip or two per year to UK headquarters. In addition to being surprised to find they had bottled milk delivered for the break room, I was a bit surprised to find that the break room would have coffee as well as tea. However I was distressed that it was, ahem, INSTANT coffee 🤮

[@desertdarlene]

Yeah, I can't stand instant coffee.

[@nitroxylictv]

hey hey hey Keurigs make damn good instant coffee, but those plastic bottle shits are horrible

[@Big_Tex]

@@nitroxylictv dang it Bobby!

[@largol33t1]

I find it interesting that the only country that can make half decent instant coffee is Switzerland...

[@greendragonpublishing]

I enjoy tea, but oddly, only when I'm on vacation in someplace that does it a lot, like the UK or Ireland. I was never much of a coffee -drinker, until I went on vacation to Iceland in 2015. Now I love it.

[@therandomstranger3951]

I love the smell of coffee but not the taste. I will drink hot tea, but as a southerner I drink iced tea. I do brew it with loose leaf tea though.

[@BeccatheBargainer]

I drink more coffee but I love tea too I worked in a tearoom in NY when I was in high school I just loved the atmosphere of the Judy Garland music playing and the croissant sandwiches with salad, high tea, and teapots filled with fragrant loose tea. My favorite tea though is Bigelow Lemon Lift If you haven’t tried What are ya waiting for ? Love your channel And really enjoy the ones where your sweet wife joins in 🙌🏻

[@57kwest]

I ask my wife, by early evening, if she's going to finish her coffee in her Contigo or should I dump it. She'll often say "don't throw out my coffee (from the morning 😳).. I'm gonna put ice in it 😂

[@Birdbike719]

My sister from another mister!

[@LoyaFrostwind]

I really like coffee, mostly in the mornings, with cream and sugar. I drink tea in the evening sometimes: jasmine, oolong or green tea.

[@jamienelson3470]

Coffee has more caffeine than tea. Here in Seattle we self medicate with it to combat the depression that sets in after months of gray drizzly winter skies.

[@stuartdollar9912]

Given the other options for self-medicating for depression, coffee is probably the best alternative.

[@michaelbaughman4017]

Jamie Nelson...it depends on the roast. The Darker the roast the less caffeine. This was tf to me from a barista from Starbucks.🎶 I like ☕ coffee I like tea so goes an old song.🎶I enjoy my coffee in a beaker and my tea in a cup. 😳👍

[@morphodidiuscrafts]

Coffee also gives a bigger boost of caffeine, where as tea is a much slower boost.

[@carrellblack1014]

When I visited there in the early nineties they said it was the suicide capital of US.

[@stanleydenning]

Idaho here. Can say the same thing. Damn the Winters are long up here. Missouri boy myself. I wonder if I'll ever get used to it.

[@alicerudolph8106]

I'm a tea person, but my parents were big coffee people. As a child in the 1960s, I made their coffee for them, and had to learn to use both drip makers and percolators, as Mom switched machines. The percolator was so complicated!

[@georgemaster689]

I'll only drink tea if I have a head cold.Can't do without my morning Joe.

[@vickytaylor9155]

Where I live in the UK our very small market town has one cafe nero, two Starbucks and five (about to be 6) Costa. Then all restaurants and pubs sell coffee as do our supermarkets. Not to mention Macdonalds and petrol stations or independent shops. I have a cup of tea first thing in the morning, coffee with breakfast, herbal tea or coffee at lunch, coffee mid afternoon and a tea before bed.

[@DrDaveW]

When Starbucks first opened in York, I loved walking around with a paper cup, basically advertising Starbucks, burning my mouth, and drinking coffee that tasted of despair and paper.

[@Parcha64]

That dang cup is like blood in shark infested waters! My mom and I once walked into a department store with starbucks in hand. We were literally swarmed by the employees asking "do we have a starbucks now?" And they were visibly disappointed when we said we got it a few miles up the road. People like this are why starbucks is on every street corner in America.

[@richdiddens4059]

I enjoy Starbucks coffee if I buy the beans and make it at home but their in-house coffee always tastes scorched to me.

[@pacmanc8103]

@@richdiddens4059 Do you think that Starbucks serves it that way purposely? After all, they know that the vast majority of their customers like that roast or they wouldn’t make their coffee like that. Some folks prefer Folgers, Maxwell House, and even Nescafé!

[@agoogleuser4443]

@@richdiddens4059 I think so too. But then, I'm one of those who drinks a little coffee with her cream, lol.

[@melissalentz32]

Good lord, you’re a hoot! While growing up in Maryland, I first began to drank tea with my Grandmother in the afternoon. Then in my early teen years it was still tea in the afternoon, but perhaps a coffee after dinner. Eventually, my habit grew to coffee am & pm (I’m a performer) and maybe some tea somewhere in there. By now I guess I call myself more of a coffee drinker. This is way more than you really needed or wanted to know about my caffeine habits, but there ya go lol!

[@calvingreene90]

I take my caffeine decently as Dr. Pepper.

[@nicknoga564]

Guy from New York here... certainly there's a rise of really top-quality, independent cafes all throughout this city, as well as the eastern seaboard. We call it hipster-coffee... and I've got 3 awesome coffee shops within 3 blocks of my apartment. Great to buy a cup and kill a few hours doing some work in one of these places.

[@brokenedges763]

I hate coffee but i love the smell of the beans!

[@Sgt_SealCluber]

Have you tried cappuccino? It was the version that got me into being able to drink coffee.

[@brokenedges763]

@@Sgt_SealCluber i have not.my wife keeps trying to get me to try it but i just can't do it.

[@samanthab1923]

It's funny, when I was a kid O hated the smell. Then was cool in my thirties until I was pregnant. Made me nauseous

[@LindaC616]

@@Sgt_SealCluber Cappuccino and mochas are the gateway drugs. I didn't like coffee until I started graduate school. And that was how I got into it. Now I have a cup every morning. I can function without it but I move so much more quickly if I get just one cup. Anything beyond that is social or extra

[@Sgt_SealCluber]

@@brokenedges763 That reminds me, my father is the same way. Loves the smell, hates the taste.

[@popartjunkie]

I grew up in a strictly tea household until I moved to Seattle for college almost 17 years ago and then tea went out the window (i do still drink herbal tea in the evenings though).

[@intorsusvolo7834]

Because like our Dictionary and which side of the road we drive on, we needed to be as different from Britain as possible out of spite.

[@rapa2894]

Neither are true lol

[@intorsusvolo7834]

@@rapa2894 it was a joke.

[@DumbBunny5328]

Americans also tried making tea from other things before adopting coffee. A popular drink in the 18th century was tea made from cacao bean shells.