The common impression is that the writers’ drink of choice is coffee, and that is probably true; surveys do show that writers/editors are among the top coffee consumers. I don’t know what that says about writers as a whole, haha… that we’re all sleep-deprived, perhaps? One Brian Andreas put it, “I don’t really like coffee, she said, but I don’t really like it when my head hits my desk when I fall asleep either.”
I’m probably a minority here. I don’t hate coffee and do drink it occasionally… though mostly out of necessity and usually with TONNES of sugar. My writing drink of choice would be tea, iced tea or fruit juice… and even those I don’t drink often. I usually find drinks, especially hot drinks, distracting when I’m writing, because they force me take my hands away from the keyboard. There is some notion that writers rely on coffee (or alcohol) for inspiration, but I know some who drink neither and are incredibly creative.
The lovely Maddie Cochere tagged me to take The Coffee Quiz, and even though I’m not a coffee drinker, the questions were fun!
1) How many cups of coffee per day?
For me it’s a weekly-basis kind of thing. I only drink like two cups of coffee during the week, three if I’m feeling really REALLY sleepy.
2) What is your favorite caffeine delivery system?
Chocolate! I know there’s very little caffeine in it, but I eat enough chocolate for the level to be significant. There’s also Hot Chocolate, coffee and occasionally Pepsi.
3) What was your best cup of coffee?
I have no idea actually! I could tell you about my best milkshakes and fruit drinks in explicit detail, but no coffee cup stands out to me.
4) What was your worst cup of coffee?
At one point I tried a cup of Turkish coffee and nearly gagged. The smell was heavenly so I thought it must taste yummy, right? Once that black liquid attacked my taste buds I was sent running for the kitchen sink to spit it out.
5) What does your favorite mug say?
I had one cup with lovely flower patterns on it, but it cracked so now I keep it as a decorative item. So now I take my coffee from the following mug, which as you can see simply says “Latte.”
6) How do you take your coffee?
I like my coffee hot. My regular cup of coffee typically has three-four spoons of creamer, one spoon of Nescafe and five-six spoons of sugar, and if available, I add caramel syrup or sweetened concentrated milk. So you could say it’s the sugar rush that wakes me up, not the coffee itself, haha.
7) When was your first cup?
It was probably that Turkish coffee cup I mentioned above. I think it was a friend who later convinced me that coffee can be made sweet or creamy, or else I might still be a coffee virgin.
8) Have you ever gone on a coffee date?
Nope. I don’t think I would’ve liked to go either. Sitting and talking over a cup of coffee seems… boring to me. It only seems appealing in novels!
I’ll pass this on to Cresting the Words, Dianne Grey, Lea Jurock, Naughty Nefarious, Lisa Spiral, Letizia and Cramped Writing. If you consider yourself a coffee addict, feel free to answer these questions too. 😉 If you don’t like coffee, what is your drink of choice? Do you add too much sugar to it?
Zen Scribbles 
I love sitting and talking. Over coffee, tea or alcohol it doesn’t really matter it’s the company that keeps it from being boring!
Fair enough! You know I don’t mind sitting in cafés with my friends (though we never drink coffee), but meeting someone new in a café feels rather awkward to me!
🙂 Nice.
I do drink coffee, but not as much as tea and I like drinking warm drinks while I write. I just like having a cup of something hot next to me. But a certain level of alcohol helps as well, sometimes.
Tea is just lovely. I always like trying out new brands and flavours. Currently I’m loving English Breakfast! I guess alcohol helps in the sense that it lowers one’s inhibitions and so they feel free to write anything, no? As a rule, however, I never consume alcohol.
I’m drinking huge quantities of the following mix at the moment: black tea (any natural kind, no flavoured) – fresh ginger cut into small pieces – a teaspoon of sugar – two teaspoons of honey. It’s keeps me awake and refreshed and fresh ginger is super-healthy, so I also feel good about it. 🙂
Oh I love ginger and honey together with tea! Have you tried adding just a squirt of lemon? It’s really good. 🙂
Oh, I forgot, I do add lemon to the mix! 🙂 And you’re right, it makes all the difference. Although I was out of lemon this weekend and put lime and that’s interesting as well, though I think I prefer lemon.
Definitely lemon over lime. I think lime works better in cold drinks, because it’s a little sharper than lemon!
I like adding a dash of lime to my salad dressing though, that’s really good. 🙂
Same here! I like a little zest with my salads. 😀
You have never savored the moment of meeting someone new over coffee? The anticipation of are they a sophisticated double tall soy vanilla latte with two shots of esspresso, or just a plain joe. The wondering what they are thinking of as they gaze over the rim of the mug, or slowly swirl the coffee wiping out all traces of the baristas artwork. Well guess you’ll just have to imagine the endless permutations and combinations. 😛
I’m afraid not! Though I really doubt a real-life meeting would be as lovely and mysterious as the picture you’re painting here, haha. Unless you’re perhaps speaking from experience?
Oh, Zen! “Sweetened concentrated milk” – I never gave that a thought for hot coffee drinks or hot cocoa. I bet that’s divine! 🙂 I LOL’d at 5-6 spoons of sugar. I generally stop at 3. Before I give up these drinks for good, I have to try the sweetened concentrated milk!
Now that you mention it, I think it’s actually “condensed milk”; I was tired and sleepy while writing that post! It’s really wonderful, the kind of sweetness that can be overwhelming. And I always use that much sugar, whether I’m drinking tea or coffee. =D
Thanks for “tag”! I’ll answer some here as I only write about reading and books on my blog. I loved your answers and I love your obsession with chocolate 🙂
Ever since I moved to the U.S. from Europe I’ve had some trouble finding a good espresso so I’ve become more of a cappuccino drinker (much to the horror of my parents who believe it should only be drunk in the morning).
The best ones were when I lived in Italy (oh, how I miss them!) and I love coffee dates (I think I’m the opposite of you – I can spend hours in a cafe… maybe it’s because I’m French?).
But, to address your fascinating point at the start of your post, I don’t drink coffee when I’m writing either. It’s distracting. And I’m worried that I’ll knock it over on my work 🙂
Aww, well that’s all right. Thank you! I’m glad to hear that.
Is there a reason why they think that way? I like cappuccinos, and I usually drink them late at night!
I don’t mind spending time in cafés with friends and the like, but personally I would prefer if dates were more… interactive maybe? Not sure if that’s the right word. I just mean that it would be better if there were more things to do at a date so as to prevent any awkwardness!
Yay someone who agrees with me! I’m forever worrying that I’ll spill drinks over my computer; I’m rather accident-prone, haha.
I’m a little accident prone too 🙂
In Europe, cappuccinos are traditionally morning drinks (anything with milk) which is why my parents were initially shocked to hear that I drink it in the afternoon now (it’s become a family joke now though!). With the rise of Starbucks, etc. it’s slowly changing though…
Ahhh, I didn’t know that, but I guess I can see the logic behind it! In that case I’m anything but traditional, because my coffees contain a LOT more milk than coffee.
Yes, I add too much sugar so usually only have one cup a day
It’s nice to hear I’m not the only one to do that! People think I’m weird and tell me I’m “killing” the flavour, but I can’t stand coffee if it’s not really sweet. 🙂
me too – I don’t think we are true coffee lovers
No, I don’t think so either. =[ Coffee cakes, however, are a completely different story.
they are a completely and yummy different story!
Aww, this makes me kind of sad. I’ve always loved the idea of going out with someone over coffee. It’s such a mood setter.
That said, I still need to have coffee sometime eventually. That’s going to be my excuse to take you on dates over coffee, because I need to actually taste the stuff. >.> I know it smells amazing, though.
Well, if it’s you taking me on coffee dates, then I certainly don’t mind, excuse or no excuse! :3
I love coffee!!! 😀
I was never a heavy drinker of coffee, until I went to university. Students live off coffee! It’s the only thing that keeps you awake in lectures.
My favourite coffee spot will always be the one we have on our campus. It’s called DCM (for Doughnuts, Coffee and Muffins) and is probably the best place for anything: coffee dates, meetings, assignments, etc. It’s also the regular meeting place for my group of friends.
It’s REALLY strong coffee, but it’s like a drug. You just simply can’t have enough of it. We actually have a saying about it: “Once you go DCM, there’s no turning back!”
At DCM, where you collect your order, there is this big salad bowl of sugar and a spoon. There you can add as much sugar as your heart desires. I usually put in 4 spoons minimum, but sometimes (most times) I get carried away and lose count, which results in me drinking coffee with 6 spoons of sugar or more.
At home, I drink coffee, because it’s the only way I wake up in the holidays. Otherwise I hang around the house in a really creepy groggy state.
I like to think that coffee gives me inspiration of some sort. There is a certain buzz that my brain experiences and I’m able to think more clearly. It doesn’t work for everyone and I know people who are unaffected by coffee. I think it’s all about what you let yourself believe about where your inspiration comes from.
I actually rarely drank coffee during university! If I need to stay awake during a lecture, I just grab a chocolate bar before the professor begins to drone. It worked in all classes except one.
DCM sounds like a nice place! I would go there for the doughnuts and muffins. 😉 And six spoons of sugar is definitely the way to go.
And that’s a fair point. I too know people who aren’t affected by coffee in the slightest, but usually I drink it to wake myself up. 🙂
Nice post! Of course, any post about coffee is bound to set off a pheromone in my brain which causes me to lick the screen with an unbelievably desirable hunger for such a sweet, sweet drink. Really liked your answers too. Might I just say though – in regards to the coffee dates question – I don’t think you know what you are missing. Just saying…
Thanks also for the invite to answer the questions Zen. If you wish to see my answers, they may be found at the following link: http://wp.me/p2tQ7q-53
Cheers!
Well I just got promised a coffee date a couple of comments above, so I’ll be sure to post about my experience!
And no problem. I’ll hope over now to read your answers. 😀
I love the Turkish coffee story – I hate that stuff!
I need two cappuccinos in the morning to get the motor running and then I’m right for the rest of the day! 😀
Me too! But it’s all everyone seems to drink around here.
Cappuccinos are a good choice! Most people I know seem to go for espressos – the stronger, the better they say.
I do think it is a common assumption that writers live on coffee….but it seems like bloggers, at least most of the ones that I’ve seen here in the WP community enjoy tea over coffee. I think most of my non-writer friends enjoy coffee. Personally, I enjoy my morning cup with breakfast – 2 teaspoons cream, 1 teaspoon sugar. I have used sweetened condensed milk instead of creamer in the past but I think switched to half/half years ago to cut down on the sugar.
Very entertaining post. 🙂
You know… you’re right. I’ve noticed that people who don’t write tend to drink even more coffee than us! Sweetened condensed milk is most definitely sugary, so I don’t blame you for replacing it. xD
Thank you, Nicole!