Coffees and Teas of the World

Words by: Nimit Kaneria

Eighty-five percent of Americans can’t imagine their life without coffee according to research conducted by the National Coffee Agency. In 2017, the organization said the number of teens or the people drinking coffee and tea increased by 37%. With this knowledge, you may be wondering, “What does coffee have? What are the advantages of coffee? What are some of the different kinds of coffee existing around the world?”

Ganesh Prasad, a junior studying computer science at Iowa State, said he continues to travel to many countries since 2016. While traveling, he tries niche kinds of coffee, including several from his native region Bangalore, India. Whenever people hang around Starbucks or stomping grounds in Ames, he says they usually find him trying different combinations and types of coffee. In the 21st century, there are various sources of caffeine consumed by various people in different ways, but two of the most popular sources of caffeine are coffee and teas.

Coffee originated in Ethiopia in the late 16th century, but continues to be grown worldwide for various purposes. For example, Brazil is widely known for its coffee beans, which are used in espressos all around the world. In contrast, Kenyan and American coffees are famous for their sweet, savory, fruity and nutty flavors.

Prasad started drinking coffee daily in 2015. Since then, he has tried more than 10 different kinds of coffee. This includes “monkey poop” coffee in Bali, Indonesia, “deer poop” coffee in South Africa, Turkish coffee in Turkey, filtered coffee in southern India, “cat poop” coffee in Tanzania and Egyptian coffee in Egypt. He also added that the first time he drinks a coffee, he consumes it in its purest form (i.e. with no other ingredients other than coffee beans and water). This, he says, helps him get the genuine taste of the coffee.

Prasad said the best coffees on his list are not only his international picks. Coffee shops in Ames like Starbucks, Stomping Grounds and Bookends have also qualified his tastes and quality standards. In his perspective, the best coffee in Ames is the Guatemalan coffee at Stomping Grounds.

Another popular, consumable caffeine item is tea.

Shadi Khayyat, a junior at Iowa State majoring in

aerospace engineering, grows tea in his backyard in New Jersey. Khayyat said the main ingredients of an original tea are tea leaves, milk or water, and honey or sugar.

Khayyat has traveled to five different countries, including the United Arab Emirates, U.S., Morocco, Jordan and Israel, trying more than ten types of teas. He gained interest in teas as a child. In his culture, everyone consumes different types of tea as a part of their morning breakfast. The seven types of tea that Khayyat tried from around the world include chai mint tea, nana tea, or spearmint tea, mint tea with lemon, flio (tea mixed with another flavor), and atya which has a more robust flavor. In all, the inspiration and desire to try different kinds of tea made Khayyat capable of judging tea. He says the best possible way to consume tea is with water and honey. Shadi further advises that if someone is drinking tea for the first time, they shouldn’t consume the commercial teas like Lipton available in supermarkets like Walmart, Target and Hy-Vee. To get the best taste out of tea, a person should use organic tea leaves sold by Starbucks or Teavana. He says Teavana sells the best quality of tea in the world.