African Sunrise Vanilla Tea Latte | Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf

Name: African Sunrise Vanilla Tea Latte

Complete Name: *blend of African Honeybush and Orange Peel with French de luxe Vanilla

Where: The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf is definitely a break from the other coffee shop that people go to just to be seen and be seen. I find that pathetic really, though you couldn't really blame them for doing so. My favorite CBTL branch is the one in Greenbelt 3. The people there are friendly and you could really chill and have a quite time, at least most of the time.

The African Sunrise Vanilla Tea Latte is best savored warm or hot so you could really smell a very light sweet aroma, as if you are smelling the scent of the warm African soil. When you take your first few sips you could hardly recognize that it is tea, probably because it is a type of  milk tea. More sips however would seemingly bring you to the African safari since it has a very light and creamy taste (due to the milk, though the consistency is not heavy). The orange peel blend gives it a zing that is very mild almost sweet, which is a break from the usual citrus blends which are limited to lime or lemon zests. The beauty of this drink lies in the fact that the vanilla used isn't in any way overpowering (the French de luxe vanilla is a registered trademark!). It is just enough to give it a creamy texture and a light sweetness. The Honeybush that was added is not really honey but is a flower which gives off a scent and taste that resembles honey and grows in a few areas only in South Africa! The Honeybush successfully adds that subtle sweetness. You have to think and sip it deeply to taste it.

Despite coming from Africa, the tea almost never gives a hint that it comes from a region where millions are dying because of HIV-AIDS, genocide and poverty. The tea however gives you this

sensation of a warm african sunset, though I haven't seen one. All in all, the tea has an energetic vibe to it, seemingly reminding us of the struggles that Africa has to face every day. Sad and sweet.

Rating: A must try for the tired and weary souls. If you want to get energized, this isn't really recommended since it puts you in soulful mode. If you want to help out Africa you should definitely drink gallons of this stuff! 9 points out of 10.

Coffee, Tea or both?

I love drinking tea and coffee and nothing could replace the moments I enjoy with these two drinks. I don’t just drink them to get that caffeine or sugar high (though I admit I am addicted to both things- I am after all drug dependent), but I drink them because they often taste good and they let me think and contemplate on so many things. They are two of my friends who have different personalities but nonetheless I keep them not for the sake of variety but for company. I sometimes even wish that the boring and obnoxious people I meet and encounter every day would transform into a warm cup of tea or coffee- not only would that make the world a little more beautiful but it would also increase their usefulness. These two drinks contribute more to the world than the lousy existence of some people; some people are just better off boiled or placed in a very warm cup of water to make good use of them.  I bet if that happens, the Philippines would be the number one exporter of coffee and tea and we wouldn't be living in this third world country.

 

Okay, I will control myself and I will stop ranting about other people and instead pay homage to god's gift to mankind.

 

Tea gives you a very strong sense of calmness and serenity which almost brings you to the level of nirvana, which is probably why the Japanese hold it as an important part of their lives. When I drink tea, it almost gives me a glimpse of that promised paradise at least in my tongue that is. It gives me space to introspect, look within myself and clear my mind of the clutter this pathetic mortal life brings.

 

Coffee on the other hand gives me quite a different feel. Coffee gives me a vibrant spirit, a youthful energy and a perkiness that is palpable. It fills my mind with so many ideas, questions and answers to things I never thought of before.

 

I wouldn’t really say that coffee gives me sensations that are diametrically opposite to tea since I don’t think one is the antithesis of the other. As Slavoj Zizek would put it, they are simply two ways to look at the same coin; two ways to interpret the same world; two different meanings to the same existence. So here I am, always in the hunt to try out new teas or new coffee beans from different places around the world and within the country. I consider it a cheap way to travel. When I drink my tea or coffee I only have three rules. One is to drink it hot. Two, is to make the drink my own. Three, is to take time to savor every moment. So if you have time and a couple of bucks to spare, don’t hesitate to buy that cup of tea or coffee- may it be from one of those commercialized shops or that friendly neighborhood shop you don't pay attention to. And if want to have a pleasant (or an amazing) chat with me over a cup of warm hot coffee or tea (your pick), feel free to invite me. :-)

 

The Letter Tea

I love tea aside from coffee, so i decided to go to a tea party organized by one of the organizations in school last saturday (August 15, 4pm). It was an afternoon tea party with a twist: it was a soiree of sorts. There were students not only from the University of the Philippines School of Economics but also from other universities like the Ateneo de Manila (hi purgy! - the only other guest who had a name that started with the letter P) and the University of Asia and the Pacific.
Since going alone would be boring, I went there with Lowela Limbaring, my orgmate from the UP School of Econ and Marjowyn Vito, my orgmate from the neighboring College of Bus. Administration.

Andrew, my classmate in my Money, Banking and Financial Markets class was also there. I didn't really like their tea selections since there weren't too many, but I decided to go with the green tea that they served. There wasn't really something amazing about their green tea. I have definitely tasted better green teas but it was worth a try. The taste wasn't nasty and I sensed the earthiness and a hint of mint. Its mint taste was very subtle which made me wish I was sipping moroccan mint tea latte instead, so I could get a fuller flavor.