After alcohol, coffee and tea seem to be the dueling elixers of choice for writers. (There is the possibility of mixing coffee or tea with alcohol, but that’s another blog). Both elixers have their fans . . .
Who knew that tea inspired so many poems? Samuel Johnson said, “I am a hardened and shameless tea drinker, who for twenty years diluted my meals with only the infusion of the fascinating plant, who with tea amused the evening, with tea solaced the midnight, and with tea welcomed the morning.” Johnson was pretty prolific, so perhaps tea works for writers by soothing stress levels, thereby allowing us to think less about how much our writing sucks and how we’ll never amount to anything, and to think more about how darn-tootin’ fabulous tea is! I do love tea, but there’s something about coffee. . .
Coffee has always had the reputation as the “bad ass” drink. While refined, tempered individuals drink tea in their pretty china cups with saucers, the “average jane” argues for her one more cup of coffee for the road, often dumping that coffee into 64 ounce cups and sipping with pleasure. It’s no coincidence that coffee houses around the globe support poetry readings, slams, and other literary events. My good friend Jane always said “You can’t get anything done over email; but a conversation over a good cup of coffee always helps sell your point.” Perhaps this blog should come with a hot coffee option? Nothing against the tea drinkers–tea is good, beneficial, healthy; but coffee–that is liquid love for writers. How else could you stay up all night writing that novel?