Tea and Coffee

1.     Tea plants come in a wide variety, some common and widely used, others are more of a specialty and specific to geographical areas.

Teas are classified by the amount of oxidisation they've been exposed to. The lesser the oxidisation, the more delicate the flavour and colour of tea. The greater the oxidisation, the darker and stronger the flavour. Brewed using boiling hot water and served from a teapot, there are a number of different varieties: 

-          The classic, black breakfast tea is brewed in china teapots using Ceylon tea. Other varietals like English Breakfast can be made from a blend of different teas (e.g. Ceylon, Kenyan). Black teas are served as 'black' (no milk) or 'white' (with milk), often with a lump or 2 of sugar for sweetening.

-          Rooibos, an indigenous Western Cape shrub, producing a red caffeine free tea

-          The healthy, Chinese 'Green' tea is traditionally served on its own from ornate teapots. Another popular Chinese tea, favoured by some for its taste, is Oolong.

-          Russian tea is a normal tea with the addition of lemon. Traditionally served in 250ml glasses, held in silverware.

-          Premium specialty teas are normally named after places or people and sold as loose-leaf. Brewed for varying periods of time, they are served with a tea strainer e.g.  Assam, Darjeeling and Earl Grey

-          Iced tea (made from strong black or Rooibos tea leaves) is a chilled form of the beverage, and can be served with pieces of fruits.

-          Chai tea is a traditional sweet Indian tea, made with herbs, spices, warm milk and sugar or honey.

-          Herbal and fruit teas, made by infusing plant material in hot water, are normally caffeine free.  e.g. blackcurrant, chamomile, mint, vanilla.

The correct way to serve tea is with a teacup, saucer, spoon, small jug of cold milk, white and brown sugar and some extra hot water on the side. Other ingredients such as honey or lemon may also accompany a tea serving.

2.       Coffee is commonly made using a filter, percolator, French press or a plunger. Coffee should be fresh and served immediately after preparation. It is usually served with a coffee cup, saucer, spoon, sugar and a choice of cold or hot milk.

-          A plain white coffee is brewed coffee with room temperature milk added.

-          Filter coffee is made by allowing water to pass over and through ground, roasted coffee beans, before dripping and being collected in a container below.

-          Espresso is very strong, dark, thick coffee served in a demitasse (a small cup). It can be used to make a wide variety of other coffee beverages.

-          The classic French coffee, cafe au lait, is half espresso and half hot milk.

-          The Italian coffee, cafe latte, is hot milk with an espresso added. In America, this is called cafe mocha and tends to have cocoa or chocolate flavouring added.

-          Made with equal parts espresso and frothed, steamed milk, a cappuccino has a strong, slightly bitter taste.

-          Iced coffees are available in multiple varieties, normally including ice, milk, cream and coffee

-          Irish coffee, Cafe Royal and other specialty liqueur or alcoholic  coffees, are normally served as a digestif (after a meal) and are made using specialty glassware, coffee, cream (normally double) and an alcoholic addition (whiskey, brandy, rum or cream liqueur)

-          There are also a wide range of geographic specific coffees, like Turkish or Egyptian, where additional ingredients and unique preparation methods are used to make the final product

-          Decaffeinated, meaning without caffeine,  varieties of the above are also commonly available

In terms of efficiency and for ease of use, instant 'powdered' coffee can also be used, especially when catering for large audiences. Instant coffee is a freeze or spray dried concentrated coffee which dissolves instantly in hot water.