Tea or Coffee

I've been a tea drinker all of my adult life. Well, almost all. I started drinking tea when I was living with Becky on Seymour Street in the late 1970's. I think I probably started around 1977 while I was going to Temple University. It was a gradually process and I didn't just suddenly one day decide to be a tea drinker. I first had tea in some Chinese restaurants.

I was never a coffee drinker. Never. I never drank it as a kid or teenager growing up and I also never drank it while in the Navy although I did try it a few times. During my time at Great Lakes I had a temporary job working with an old chief and one of my jobs was to go down to the mess and get him his coffee. I hated the smell of it. Another time onboard my first ship as the most junior person in the division it was my job to make the coffee everyday. That didn't last very long because they all said I made the worst coffee they've ever had and that was saying something.

Over the years I've been able to tolerate the smell of coffee because after all I live with a person who makes a pot of fancy coffee every day just as I make a pot of tea every day.

I should add that I do not like anything with coffee flavor in it. Not coffee flavored ice cream, pastries, candy, etc. Not even coffee flavored beer which can be common with some stouts.

I do like and drink all different kinds of tea but I mostly have just plain regular black tea every day. About three years ago I stopped drinking caffeinated tea and I really didn't miss it. I've never gone back and I feel better.

I've been drinking a lot of tea since I retired five years ago. I used to make a cup of tea in the morning before going to work and then I usually made a cup sometime during the afternoon at work. Once in a while I might make one after dinner. I started making a pot of tea in the morning when I retired but during the pandemic I was making a second and sometimes even a third pot during the day and evening. Fortunately it has always been de-caffeinated for the past three years but I was still drinking an awful lot of tea. I stopped cold turkey for about two weeks and then started back slowly. Now I drink tea every day but in moderation.