At Madn77, we are extremely passionate about our teas, but we also canāt live without our daily cup(s) of coffee;)
Almost a billion people drink coffee or tea every day. For generations, these two beverages have been the centerpiece for societies and cultures.
So we dug in a little and decided to do some research to find out .. who is the winner.. And why???
Caffeine
Most of the debate around coffee and tea starts with their caffeine content. The health benefits of caffeine lay largely in its ability to help us stay focused and alert. Caffeine is a go-to pick-me-up for many people when it comes to starting the day off right or powering through a sluggish afternoon.
It's a common fact that coffee has more caffeine than tea. However, tea leaves contain more naturally occurring caffeine that unfiltered coffee beans do. The difference is that coffee is a strongly brewed beverage while tea is an infusion that is generally weaker.
Personally, I (Walter) notice that there are definitely differences in how the caffeine from tea and coffee affects me. Before I started working at Madn77 I never really drank tea and I swore by the caffeine kick of coffee. Not that I was drinking coffee all day, but at least 3 strong cups of coffee a day.
Now that I work for a tea company and am being surrounded by a true tea lover, my consumption of tea has grown along with it :). When it comes to concentration, I notice that when I drink tea I do not suffer from the so-called 'energy dip', while I often experience this when I drink coffee.
Health
Some observational research has found that coffee can be beneficial for people with various health conditions, including Type 2 diabetes and heart health, and can boost metabolism.
Another health benefit of coffee is its high level of antioxidants. A single cup of coffee boasts more antioxidants than one cup of tea (200 to 550 milligrams per cup of coffee versus 150 to 400 milligrams per cup of tea). However, experts acknowledge that most people tend to sip on tea throughout the day, ultimately increasing the overall amount of antioxidants they ingest compared to the average amount of coffee someone would drink in a day.
Coffee also beats out tea in its amount of polyphenols, which are micronutrients packed with antioxidants that can improve digestion and even assist with weight management. Although tea also boasts polyphenols, coffee happens to be one of the most if not the most polyphenol-rich beverages consumed worldwide.
The overall health benefits of tea vary greatly depending on the type youāre consuming. For example, there are some differences between black, green and white teas.
For me, that's one of the great benefits of tea that I've been able to realize. While for coffee you really have only one option, with tea you can decide which tea would be best for that moment.
Although I have also come to appreciate the taste of tea very much and tea is a better option for me in terms of caffeine and health benefits, I don't think tea will really become a replacement for coffee for me. For me, the flavors are too different and I have to admit that I am a bit addicted to coffee anyway and therefore it is hard for me to imagine an ideal morning without a delicious cup of coffee.
But I must also say, (And I swear, Naina did not force me to say thisš) that my afternoon tea has also become a solid habit that I will stick to. Especially when I had to work from home during Covid, I must admit that I definitely missed my afternoon tea moments.