Nothing can wake up a sleepy head like coffee, no not even your boss’s rage. Coffee is our first love when we enter office. Pure aroma of this drink takes us to places never been before.
Whether you sip it in your home sitting by the window or in a café with your friends, each following sip will dissolve in your mouth and leave you at peace.
As good as all of the above sounds, we must also try to let go of the addiction of caffeine and for that we bring you five alternatives according to lonelyplanet.com.
Masala chai, India
Masala chai was originally brewed as a tonic to boost spirit and mind, comprising cardamom, ginger and other spices steeped in hot milk. Black tea became part of the recipe when the British East India Company introduced it to India in the 19th century. Today blends vary by region: clove, green tea, rose.
Bubble tea, Taiwan
From humble teahouse beginnings to a global craze, bubble tea has enjoyed a wild ride over its 30 years of existence. It began as a blend of condensed milk and hot black tea with a dollop of tapioca pearls, the ‘boba’ that gave it the ‘bubble tea’ name.
Sbiten, Russia
Honey, berry jam and pounded spices (often clover and thyme) are boiled with water in a shining copper samovar to make sbiten. The drink’s health-boosting qualities are renowned, promising everything from a sturdy immune system to mental agility. Coffee may have replaced sbiten in Siberian thermoses in recent decades.
Mate, Argentina
For Argentines, sharing mate with friends is a national obsession. Locals gulp down more mate than they do coffee – and they love their coffee. Dried yerba mate leaves are shaken into a gourd and topped with hot water. The bitter infusion is sipped through a metallic straw, or bombilla, which also sifts out the herbs.
Po cha, Tibet
Creating ‘butter tea’ is a labour of love: black tea is steeped for hours before being churned with butter from female yaks and stirred with salt. This staple drink of the Tibetan mountains is perfectly suited to the high altitude: hugely hydrating and fattening enough to fortify labourers against the chill.
