The Undeniable Reasons Why Coffee Is Way Better Than Tea
Coffee vs. tea: It’s an age-old debate, and everybody’s got an opinion. You probably reach for one beverage or the other each morning, whether you’re commuting to work or lounging at home.
Tea lovers have long held that tea is better than coffee. But the coffee lovers among us beg to differ. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most compelling evidence that coffee really is
way better than tea.
15. You can choose among many different drinks
Not sure how you want to prepare that coffee? You have lots of options. | iStock.com/Razmarinka
If you love coffee, there’s a practically endless assortment of ways for you to enjoy the beverage. (There are different roasts, of course, but there are also different kinds and flavors of tea.) What we’re really talking about is the impressive array of coffee drinks on the menu at every coffee shop. You can order a cappuccino or an Americano. Alternately, there’s the espresso, the macchiato, and the mocha. And that hardly scratches the surface.
14. Coffee is fun to brew at home
Making coffee at home can be fun. | iStock.com/Ktasimarr
Stopping by
Starbucks everyday isn’t exactly friendly to your wallet. Fortunately, you can make a great cup of coffee at home — no matter how you like brewing it or how you want it to taste. You can use a simple automatic coffee maker if you want to keep things easy, of course. But you also have plenty of other options, like the Chemex, a French press, an Aeropress, or a percolator. The options are basically endless, and you can customize your process and setup to get exactly the taste you want. Tea is a little (or a lot) less fun to prepare at home.
13. Everybody serves coffee
Every cafe serves coffee. | iStock.com/Pkanchana
If you drink coffee, you can be pretty confident that any cafe will serve your drink of choice. If, on the other hand, you prefer tea, you can never be quite sure whether the cafe will have what you want. “Grabbing a coffee” with a friend or a date is simple when you drink coffee, but a little nerve-wracking when you don’t. What if the cafe doesn’t have the tea you like? What if they don’t have any tea at all? You can try to check the menu online — or just realize that your life would be simpler if you drank coffee in the first place.
12. You can bond with your co-workers over a coffee break
A shared coffee break will give you something to talk about. | iStock.com
Many people leave their desks for coffee breaks throughout the day. If you do, too, that’s an easy way to bond with your co-workers. You can catch up on what they did over the weekend or talk about where everybody’s going on vacation. Or you might catch the latest office gossip (we don’t condone it, but we all do it). Going on coffee breaks together gives you more face time with your co-workers, and it may make it easier to be friends outside the office, too.
11. Latte art was invented for coffee
Baristas invented latte art for coffee. | iStock.com/Itman__47
If you want some gorgeous latte art with your morning caffeine fix, coffee is a much better choice than tea. Baristas invented latte art for, well, the latte. Sure, you can order a tea latte and hope you get a heart or something decorative on top. But typically, baristas create latte art by pouring steamed milk into the foam on top of an espresso drink — a blank canvas you won’t necessarily get with a tea latte. A flat white, for instance, is one of the best drinks for artistic baristas to display their creativity.
10. Coffee gives you energy
Coffee will fuel you for whatever the day has in store. | iStock.com/Microgen
If you pulled an all-nighter or just didn’t sleep well, a cup of coffee will go a lot farther than a cup of tea toward making you feel human again. (Let’s be real: Coffee is also a must if you just aren’t a morning person, regardless of how much sleep you got.) Some people want to avoid caffeine altogether; they consider it a drawback that coffee contains a lot more of the stimulant than tea. However, anyone who needs that extra help in the morning will definitely prefer coffee to tea, since it’s much more effective at waking them up or helping them stay awake.
9. But it also helps you practice self control
Coffee lovers know the true meaning of self control. | iStock.com
Anybody who drinks coffee each day knows their limits — and has learned to stay within them. You can drink tea all day and suffer no ill effects. But if you had cup after cup of coffee all day, you’d find it difficult to sit still and be productive. Coffee can help you practice some self control — at least until you decide that you really need just one more cup to get through the afternoon slump.
8. A cup of coffee can help you get more out of your workout
Drinking coffee in the morning can help you get more out of your workout. | iStock.com
Think it’s a bad idea to down a cup of coffee before you head to the gym? Think again. Research has shown that people who drink a caffeinated drink before exercising actually
burn more calories than those who don’t indulge. A cup of coffee can also improve your circulation during your workout. Plus, it can reduce muscle pain, and it may even help offset the loss of muscle strength associated with aging. We wouldn’t advise replacing your water bottle with a coffee mug. But a cup of coffee before your workout may give you some pretty great benefits.
7. Coffee doesn’t stain your teeth like tea
Your coffee will keep your teeth brighter than tea would. | iStock.com
A cup of coffee might not leave you with the freshest breath, but it won’t leave you with a mouth full of stained teeth, either. Researchers have determined that tea is more likely than coffee to
darken your teeth. So if you’re whitening your teeth — or hope to whiten them in the future — you may be better off drinking a cup of coffee than reaching for a cup of tea.
6. You can always opt for an Irish coffee
Occasionally, you can indulge in an Irish coffee. | iStock.com
Had a really rough night? You can always opt for an Irish coffee, which includes Irish whiskey and cream. There isn’t a drink quite so delicious for tea lovers. After all, you can mix up a hot toddy, also called a hot whiskey in Ireland. However, most people consider the hot toddy a remedy for a cold or the flu. It may taste good, but it’s just not the same kind of decadent treat as an Irish coffee.
5. Coffee may help stave off depression
Drinking coffee may reduce your risk of depression. | iStock.com
You might not think that a cup of coffee could help you feel less sad. However, researchers have determined that people who drink a lot of coffee are
less likely to be depressed than people who never drink coffee. Just two or three cups of coffee each day may be enough to lift your mood — and not only because of the caffeine high. Researchers attribute coffee’s mood-boosting effects to the antioxidants it contains.