Just as coffee is huge in the US, European tea and coffee is also a huge part of life in many European countries. Possibly the country most famously linked to European tea and coffee is England. Specifically England is known for its love of tea and indeed this is true and tea really plays the role that coffee does in the US when you head to England. The majority of English people will enjoy tea with milk and this is the first thing many residents will do when they wake up in the morning to get them ready for work, while settling down to a project or task, or when they get home from a long day at work. Like a lot of other European tea and coffee, tea in England is also a highly social drink and if someone should come round for a visit will likely be offered tea. Another traditional way to enjoy European tea and coffee in England is to have ‘afternoon tea’ which is offered in quite a few places still and particularly in smaller villages and in expensive hotels and restaurants. Here the tea will come with small sandwiches, scones and butter/jam to spread on them and will be presented on a large stand that goes in the middle of the table. This is a very fun way to experience European tea and coffee and a highly social way too.
However while European tea and coffee is well known in England it is actually just as popular or more popular even in Ireland. The Irish also enjoy tea in a similar manner to the English and produce more of it than anywhere else in the world. Of course they are also well known for creating ‘Irish coffee’ and ‘Irish tea’ in which they add a touch of whiskey into the proceedings (try Jameson for an authentic Irish tipple). This is not the European tea and coffee they drink as a matter of course, but is famous and highly popular nonetheless.
In most of the rest of Western Europe such as France and Germany coffee is more popular though tea is gradually gaining ground. Meanwhile the European tea and coffee of choice in some Eastern European countries such as Poland is lemon tea. This is black tea that includes a lemon rather than milk and is very refreshing as a result. Across some of the hotter countries such as Turkey fruit tea is a popular form of European tea and coffee. This includes things like lemon tea and apple tea, and you may find that you get offered Apple tea while shopping around Turkish markets to entice you in (but also because the Turkish are great hosts). Fruit tea is also very popular in Austria and has many health benefits over the European tea and coffee you get elsewhere.
