Let me be the first to tell you that hot tea and I do not get along. We just aren't friends and I've never been a fan of it, so I stick to what you could find running through my veins at any moment — coffee.
When I decided to sign up for this study abroad program to Brighton, England, I thought I was going to have to go three weeks without my beloved obsession. Turns out that after a meeting or two with our instructor before the trip, I found out that coffee is, in fact, in England. Once we flew out and landed in the Queen's country, the jet lag and caffeine addiction pushed me to make a cup of Joe as soon as we walked into our new home for the next three weeks. One cup down, many more to go right?
The hot bean juice kept me moving for the rest of the day, while the rest of the group fought the urge to fall asleep standing up. This was due to our instructor, Andy Coughlan, ensuring us that we had to keep moving in order to beat the jet lag (a story best told by Andy himself).
That evening, we met with Andy's parents for traditional fish and chips on the Brighton Pier. Knowing we would have tea time at their house later in the trip, I joked with his mom, Ann Coughlan, that I am not a hot tea drinker but I would gladly have a cup of coffee. She let me know that she, too, is a coffee consumer and would happily drink a cup with me later on.
Day two arrives and we end up in a coffee shop early in the morning in order to work out the answers to our Brighton Scavenger Hunt, after our fearless instructor (who is a born and raised local, might I add) left us to figure our way around the city as a group.
I walk up to the counter and ask if they have a caramel syrup to add to a macchiato. For all those who don't know what a macchiato is in America, it is essentially a latte made in reverse. However, in England, it's totally different. The barista proceeded to tell me that the macchiatos here are in fact and I quote, "not like Starbucks." Was it my backpack, vlogging camera rig, or accent that gave away the fact that I'm a tourist?
I assured her that I realized the difference, but would still like one with a little bit of caramel flavoring in it. I order with ease and get my much needed cup of coffee. Down the hatch it goes. My sleep deprived senses actually screamed "WOAH!" Not only did this coffee wake up my brain, but it actually tasted amazing too. The craziest part about it being that I only paid £1.55 ($1.95 in American money) for a stellar coffee. I couldn't get over how cheap it was here. The rest of the day goes on, and unlike the average three to five cups a day that I was once accustomed to, I kept with the one cup.
Day three rolls around and after an early morning alarm, along with a 20 to 25 minute walk to the Brighton and Hove transportation depot, I was in dire need of a caffeine fix. Can you tell that I'm an addict yet? Luckily, once we arrived, we were offered free coffee, tea, water and snacks for our meeting. It could have been the desperation, but that was the best cup of vending machine coffee I have ever tasted — I even went back for a second cup.
When we finished our interviews and were done taking pictures at the transportation center, we took the trek back to our house. It was almost 2 p.m. by this point, and with only pre-packaged biscuits sitting in our stomachs, we ventured off to a small cafe close to where we are staying. I was told that this place brewed and roasted their own coffee and I was sold. I scanned the menu, asked the barista what his favorite drink was, but what caught my eye was the gorgeous latte art in a cup on the counter. I ordered the flat white — coffee consisting of espresso and milk, with foam from the milk being frothed — costing me only £2.37 ($2.98 in American money), then joined my classmates at a group of tables and chairs outside. I wish someone had captured the look on my face when the barista set down the piece of liquid art in front of me. With just one sip, my taste buds sang out to the heavens and I melted into my chair, content.
Little did I know that this would be the last cup of coffee I drank ... but you can find out about that in my next blog article.
Comments