PEOPLE usually just drink tea or coffee plain or with the usual sugar and cream. But did you know there are many ways to enhance these drinks? Try these tricks:

For tea

1) Instead of squeezing lemon into your cup of tea, add lemon drop. Even cheap lemon candies sold in supermarkets will do. Stir the hot tea until the lemon drop melts. You'll have a nice citrusy tea; the sugar in the lemon drop will add sweetness.

2) To soothe troubling cough, drop menthol candy into a cup of hot tea. You can use Fisherman's Friend (original flavor, which has eucalyptus), Halls, Storck or your favorite cough drop. Stir until the candy dissolves. You will absorb medicinal properties. Eucalyptus and menthol will help suppress your cough. I've tried this several times and it does help quiet a cough. But this is only temporary remedy or you can use only in dire need.

3) Candied orange peels give a nice flavor to tea. Add the orange peels after steeping the tea bag and stir.

4) Honey and calamansi also add soothing qualities to tea. Squeeze one calamansi into a cup of tea then stir in one to two teaspoons of honey. It makes a really comforting drink at the end of the day (I love sipping this brew while watching TV).

For coffee

1) Divide caramel candy into two to three pieces. Drop into a steaming cup of black coffee. Stir until caramel dissolves. (Dividing the caramel into smaller pieces makes them dissolve faster.)

2) Stir a piece of your favorite chocolate bar into a cup of coffee. It's like drinking coffee and chocolate.

3) Instead of adding sugar and milk to your coffee, pour in some condensed milk to taste.

4) A piece of cinnamon stick makes a nice stirrer for coffee.

For those who prefer hot chocolate, here's one way to enhance your drink. Since the Christmas season is near, use candy cane to stir the chocolate. The minty flavor will add pizzazz to the chocolate.