The debate over which is a more popular beverage, tea or coffee, never seems to end. Although the odds are squarely stacked in favour of tea, coffee-drinkers stubbornly refuse to admit to the fact and never miss an opportunity to ride their favourite hobby-horse. Even in South America, long regarded as the world’s coffee capital, tea is the scene-stealer as numero uno. Yes indeed; not coffee, not cocoa, not even beer – Only tea. Perhaps online book shopping could give us clues.
In the meanwhile, there is unassailable evidence that tea is the reigning champion. For one thing, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) says the average daily consumption of tea globally stands at around six billions cups every day. The two maximum populated countries, China and India, are extreme tea lovers. And now the ultimate and most irrefutable evidence. Tea came in around 3000 years before coffee.
Tea is scientifically proved to be a huge source of antioxidants. The best thing to do is buy ebooks online and see what they have to say on this. Coffee only made its appearance on the planet in the 10th century, when it was discovered in Yemen, before finding its way into South America, around 1720.
India ranks among largest tea producers in the world (is it because of the consumption here, I wonder! smirk). Assam was the first place on the Indian subcontinent, where the East India Company began producing tea on a large scale in the 1820s. They also introduced a separate ‘tea-time’, an hour ahead of Indian Standard Time to improve efficiency and output in the tea gardens of Assam. This was prompted by the very early sunrise in the north-east of India. Anyway, getting back to the debate, it is interesting to note that in India there is a North-South divide, more or less, over tea and coffee. South Indians love their coffee, dark and strong; any time and many times. North Indians, however, are ‘pucca chai-wallahs’. Though the newer generations have a certain inclination towards coffee too, yet a morning is not good for anyone if not a cup of tea.
If you want to take this debate any further, all you need to do is jump onto the bandwagon, publish your book and share your views with the world.