I’m feeling guilty. See, I am a proud tea drinker. I drink cups and cups of it. Iced in the summer, hot in the spring, fall and winter, and it’s an important part of my writing routine. Snuggling into the corner of the couch with my laptop and a steaming mug of Chamomile ready to lose myself in my story. It’s the perfect afternoon. (Hence the starring role of the steaming mug on the homepage of my website.)
Today, however I wrote at Panera. Panera, home of yummy soup, yummy salads and free wi-fi, is my second favorite place to write. And settling into a booth near an outlet with a steaming paper cup of Honey Ginseng is also quite cozy. But today, when I walked into Panera I saw this.
It’s a pumpkin spice latte. As I am a lover of all things Fall, I couldn’t resist the lure of pumpkin.
Jazzed up on mega-caffeine from the shot of espresso, and completely unused to such stimulation, my hyped-up brain and fingers pounded out close to two thousand words of my novel! I’m suddenly understanding why so many writers out there are coffee drinkers.
As fun as today was, and it was perfect for the exciting climax scene I was working on, I’m still not a coffee gal. There’s no lingering, no dreaminess when writing with coffee. So while I may occasionally sip some Java, I’ll always be a tea girl at heart.
Okay, now you tell me. What’s your beverage of choice?
I love fall – just for the pumpkin spice lattes. Decaf, of course.
But I think you need to try Argo Tea (in Chicago and possibly Evanston too). They make a teapuccino – it’s the best of both worlds. Steamy, foamy milk with tea. A great drink!
I am a routine girl, every morning I brew myself a cup of coffee then everything afternoon around 3 I get an iced Chai Latte. But it is an expensive habit and one I need to break! I also have recently become addicted to the Dunkin Donuts coffee, I guess that is what happens when you move north.
-Casey G.
I like an Arnold Palmer on a hot afternoon. Preferably near a pool. But the morning routine demands coffee, usually a Starbucks grande size in a venti cup (I have stained enough clean dress shirts from the initial sip spillover). Tea seems like more fun that coffee. The entire process of picking which tea leaves and waiting for it to soak seems like more of an adventure than waiting for the coffee buzz to kick in.
Chai tea, or when I’m feeling extravagant (or in need of something warm and extra comforting) a soy chai tea latte. Yum!
Coffee, coffee, coffee…but only one cup – at the most – and first thing in the morning, which is usually 5 or 5:30…It’s actually a quiet, soft time, not filled with buzz, but with transition…from night to day, dreams to words, solitude to community. I must have the coffee, yet then never want it again until next morning.
And congratulations on finishing the Big Scene!