Tea

Centuries old, yes but still so mysterious. When Yvette and I were in Boston about two years ago, I came across a tea pot and decided to buy it. At the time I drank both coffee and tea but was more of a Lipton, or off the shelf tea type. And I wasn't real hard core coffee drinker either. Once I got my pot home...”Now What?”
So I went in search of some loose tea. I found a store in Northampton called The Cooks Shop where they had a huge selection of Teas from all over the world including China, Japan and Taiwan just to name a few. All types of teas and more importantly, the knowledge to help you weigh through all of the choices. I have only been there when the one of the two owners have been behind he main counter but both were extremely knowledgeable and friendly, always giving you little tidbits about the tea your buying or one you might be interested in. I have several types that I like the best but right now, Oolong, green and pu-erh are my favorites. The pu-erh is a bit like scotch as it is, or at least for me an acquired taste. It has an earthy Smokey flavor that clears the head and may make “the night after” a little easier to bare. I don't know if the Chinese have a specific tea for a hangover, but this one works for me.
Tea as a beverage is pretty cheap. You can probably make 40 cups of tea for what you spend at those drive through coffee places in a week. And, most teas can be infused more than once. The pu-erh tea can be infused up to four times before you toss the leaves in the compost.
The Cooks Shop has a website called Tea Trekker where you can find all of their teas and other related products.
I've learned to drink tea without sugar and have found it easier to drink unsweetened than say coffee. I usually make a pot every morning before work. I usually make enough so that when I'm done with the pot, if there is any leftover, it goes into a glass and straight into the refrigerator to be used as Ice Teas after a long hot day at work. The best ice tea you'll ever have! If you would like more info on tea, the Tea Trekker folks have written a book on it, it's called “The Story of Tea”. You can find it and the Tea Trekker website here.