Why Coffee And Tea Is Such A Delicious And Unexpected Drink Combination

In the U.S. in particular, there is something of a stereotype around coffee drinkers versus tea drinkers. The New York Post even conducted a survey to compare the personality types that favor each of the hot drinks. What's curious about this is why we consider coffee and tea to be opposites, when we could be enjoying them both. Even at the same time.

Mixing coffee and tea is neither new nor uncommon once you get outside the U.S. It's a popular combination across much of South East Asia, and also found in Ethiopia. Though tea and coffee have different tastes and characteristics, they can complement each other to create a more complex drinking experience.

The aromatic and sometimes floral taste of tea can balance out the more earthy bitterness of coffee, adding top notes to the flavor palate. Tea has a lighter texture, but it's full of tannins that can be brisk and astringent on the tongue. The natural oils in coffee can balance this harshness for a smoother mouthfeel, especially when combined with milk.

If you're still not convinced about the merits of mixing tea and coffee, consider a dirty chai latte your gateway drink. It has all the cozy, spiced comfort of chai, with a shot of espresso that adds extra warm notes to the flavor, as well as a boost of caffeine. Another drink popping up on cafe menus is a matcha latte with espresso. This goes by a few names including military latte, camo latte, and matcha espresso fusion.

Perhaps the most famous traditional tea and coffee combination is Hong Kong's yuenyeung. It starts with a Hong Kong milk tea – strong brewed tea with condensed milk – to which a shot of coffee is added. It's so popular that the country's Leisure and Cultural Services Department has set an official ratio of 30% coffee to 70% milk tea.

In Malaysia and Singapore you'll find kopi cham (meaning coffee mix), which has a lot of overlap with yuenyeung and is usually considered to be a different name for the same thing. However, kopi cham is a more general term for mixed tea and coffee (rather than a fixed ratio), and is often made with evaporated milk, then sweetened to taste. Both yuenyeung and kopi cham can be served hot or iced.

If you've always enjoyed your coffee or tea black, then the Ethiopian spreeze is for you. Also known as spritz or spris, it's a mix of local tea and strong coffee, served with plenty of sugar, but without milk.