There is an underground battle taking place in this country. A fight raging on every quaint, vine-tangled street. A struggle more epic than Cromwell's conquest and no more frivolous than Winston's handling of Gallipoli. I'm talking about the modern war between tea and coffee. 145 million cups of tea are consumed each day in Britain. I have no motivation to find coffee's accompanying statistic but I am motivated to guess that it is probably much less. Probably.
Tea, the traditional English beverage, is such a fundamental part of their culture that it would be silly to consider coffee as a true competitor. Fine, Brits, drink your stupid tea, with your stupid milk (which negates all health benefits, by the way) but at least give me quality coffee. The coffee trade seems to be sorely ignored. Half of the coffee aisle is filled with instant coffee. Instant. I'll pause to let you hold back your vomit. Coffee as Americans know it, the smooth drink made with ground beans and a filter, is rare. Espresso, americanos, and lattes are the usual alternative. Those are all great, in fact, Americanos are tastier and richer than filter coffee, in my opinion. However with the introduction of an espresso machine and milk steamer you can expect to pay a whole hell of a lot more.
Not only are my options limited here but so are my cafe hours. I've never been a library studier. I get distracted and lonely cooped up in my dorm room. I go to coffee shops to do homework. I appreciate the buzzing of caffeinated talk, the smell of freshly ground beans, the humming of steaming milk. I meet friends there and I read on their comfy couches. Most coffeehouses here close at 7pm on weekdays. Close at 7! It is unthinkable! I see how the British might have preferred hanging out spots late at night (pubs, bars and clubs) but come on! England was the birthplace of the modern coffeehouse. Give it some respect - and increased hours.
I want my coffee culture back.
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