Monday July 5, 2010 | 3 comments
Diving deeper into the tea world, one cannot help but notice a certain animosity that has flared up between coffee and tea drinkers. Opinion pages, editorials, scientific studies, and even poetic works all illustrate the troop movements behind this not-so-silent war. Both sides will tell you how their beverage of choice is better for your health. Both sides will state that their favorite beverage will make you thinner. Both sides will even exclaim that their personal choice of refreshment will make your teeth healthier, treat cancer, and give you a pet pegasus named Morton, with plenty of evidence to back it all up! I understand the potential health benefits from drinking tea, but why does that mean that a person can’t sit down with a good cup of joe in the morning? Where does this partisanship come from? The battle lines have been clearly marked for many – you’re either a tea person or you’re a coffee person.
The health benefits of both coffee and tea are as widely confirmed as they are disputed. Proponents of each are quick to point out the benefits of their own personal choice while ignoring similar benefits derived from the other and highlighting its side-effects. It is purported, for example, that both coffee and tea reduce one’s risk of diabetes and increase overall mental activity, but you’ll only ever hear that coffee gives you the 
jitters, while mateine – which is really just another name for caffeine – supports total mental health and doesn’t deliver the same “crash” associated with its sister chemical. Why the polarity? Where’s the love?
I realize, of course, that personal preference has much to do with the polarization of the two camps and that people naturally tend to defend that which they are passionate about. My concern is that no one seems to give the other side the benefit of the doubt. You’re either for us, or against us. So what’s the deal? I’ve personally found peace between the two beverages and I would dearly love it if you, our readers, could shed a little light on the subject and help us to understand one another a little better.
Zach- I’m a believer in balance. I believe there’s a place for coffee and tea. That said however, when one begins to consume many, many cups of coffee, one risks falling into what the DSM-IV (psychiatric diagnostic manual) calls “caffeine related disorders”. Essentially, consuming an excess amount of caffeine can lead to caffeine-induced anxiety disorders, caffeine-induced sleep disorders and caffeine intoxication. Many staunch coffee drinkers suffer from these ailments. Coffee drinkers typically consume significantly more amounts of caffeine per day than tea drinkers. Yes, it is the caffeine in tea that helped early monks stay awake and alert during their meditations, but for the most part, the amount of caffeine in tea is not enough to cause the above mentioned disorders. Remember, if one is drinking good quality loose leaf tea and re-steeping the leaves 3-4 times throughout the day, the amount of total caffeine in those 4-5 cups of tea is significantly less than 4-5 mugs of coffee.
The health benefits of the two drinks is also substantially different. While coffee does contribute to some health benefits, the amount of polyphenols is again substantially greater in tea. It appears, through scientific research, that tea provides more health benefits for the buck and less troubling side effects.
It reminds me of the issue of wine and health. Yes, there are some great constituents in red wine, specifically resveratrol. Unfortunately alcohol is a highly addictive drug and the optimal amount one would need to consume for optimal health benefits would be too many bottles of wine. Is one glass a day bad for you? I think not. Is a bottle a day not good for you? I would say that’s true. It’s just too easy to develop a dependency on that. Caffeine is also a drug that can be good for you…….and NOT.
Tea can be REALLY good for you, and it’s not just green tea that provides health benefits.
http://www.healthmad.com/Nutrition/Top-10-Reasons-to-Drink-Tea.164521
I also notice there are polarities within the tea drinking circle with people snorting at each other’s tea drinking habits and preferences. Feel that should not be the way at all – tea is such a versatile drink and definitely is able to embrace coffee or milk or sugar or other types of flavourings for that matter.