I love coffee and I love tea. I'm a teacher so I survive on anything with caffeine. However, I've been accused by coffee lovers of being a tea snob while enjoying a nice cup of Earl Grey. I've been told I'm a coffee snob by tea drinkers for the same reasons. I thought I'd address the differences between coffee snobs and tea snobs and get your opinion.
Often tea lovers find themselves under scrutiny from avid coffee drinkers. Yet, some avid tea drinkers have also been known to stir up trouble with those who love coffee. In an ideal world, coffee drinkers and tea drinkers would be the best of friends, but it does not always seem to work out that way. It would be that way if not for some of the snobs. They always seem to be at war with one another, but who really deserves to win? Do the coffee snobs truly have a reason to feel superior, or do tea snobs?
The Mindset of a Tea Snob
The tea snob is a real stereotype that has been around for a long time. It is odd that many who easily classify as a tea snob do not consider themselves to be such. These are not your ordinary tea drinkers, who enjoy their favorites for the health benefits, or just a way to relax as they read a good book. These are the type of tea drinkers that get all dressed up to have their tea. They are the leaders of tea party clubs. With their dainty lace-edged white napkins, bowties, and church lady hats, perhaps even white gloves, tea snobs are all about high society. They say tea is a drink of the polished and proper; a show of good manners and impressive etiquette.
To the tea snob, coffee is low-class; a hard drink for the brutish and the blue collar worker who must have a jolt of caffeine in the morning just to get the day going. Some tea snobs equate coffee drinking with tobacco smoking. They consider both a bad habit that needs to be gotten rid of. According to a true tea snob, a coffee drinker is someone that lacks refinement.
Are They Justified?
There is no doubt that many are addicted to coffee. It is a drink more for the business world where energy needs to be kept high and many rise up early to get to work, keeping long hours through the night into the early morn, only to start the cycle all over again. These go-getters are not about being polite or relaxing. They have no time to sit back and daintily sip a cup of Earl Grey.
However, tea snobs fail to see the variety in the type of people that like tea. Tea is a drink for anyone and all sorts of people are passionate about the drink. A true tea snob might take a look at some of the others who proudly consider themselves tea lovers and mistake them for coffee drinkers.
The Coffee Snob Perception
According to the coffee snob, there is so little time in the world and so much stuff to get done. To them, anyone who is not drinking coffee must be a slacker. The coffee snob considers it righteous to start off the day with a large pot of Joe in order to get hyped up for the day ahead. It is also right to keep drinking coffee throughout the day, even all night, because there is no excuse for substandard productivity. Coffee snobs want to get through life at 300 miles an hour or more. To the real coffee snob, tea drinkers are wimps.
Are They Justified?
Not everyone who loves getting caffeine high is successful, highly organized, and highly productive. Just like the tea snob, the coffee snob should take a look at all the different kinds of people subscribed to their group. There are many coffee drinkers who drink coffee and do not get much else done in a day. There are many avid and dedicated tea drinkers who can outdo any coffee snob any day, taking the prize and putting them out of business.
So, Who is Worse?
The argument should be settled once and for all, but it probably is not going to end here. While the coffee snob might be able to get a lot done, the tea snob appears wiser for several reasons. First, tea, their favorite drink, comes with a long list of health benefits. Tea started out as a medicinal drink. Secondly, tea can be a good source of energy. It can supply caffeine in the right amount with less worry of overdoing it. Third, tea is a drink that has long represented culture. A life of high society is exactly what many coffee-drinking go-getters are aiming for. If they succeed, they might become tea snobs as well, so why not just enjoy tea today instead of waiting?
What do you think?