A bit OT - tea vs. coffee - which is better for you?

[Zorro]

I use to drink lots and lots and lots of coffee. . . . not good, I know.  Over the years I have developed a sensitivity to caffeine.  Now, I can only drink one, or at the very most, two cups of coffee a day otherwise I develop nasty headaches.

I tried decaf coffee, but sorry, there is a definate taste difference, and one that I don't like.  So, I decided to switch to tea.  I can drink a lot of tea (not decaf) and it seems that the caffeine never bothers me, even though I brew the tea as strong as possible.  I guess that tea just doesn't have the same amount of caffeine in it as coffee.  I have also heard that green tea is good for you because of the antioxidants.  So green tea is now on my list of good drinks! Then I read that coffee has antioxidants too.

So, which is better for a person?  Is tea more beneficial, or is coffee?  Assuming, of course, that a person doesn't drink too much of either one (as I use to to).

I also crave tea when I have a cold or some other type of upper respiratory infection.  It seems that I can breath a bit better after drinking it.  Therefore, tea has some medicinal properties???

[Gryphon]

Actually, regular Lipton type tea has more caffine per serving than coffee. It also has a number of other chemicals including tanins.

I perfer dandylion root tea. No caffine but lots of calcium and other nutrients.

[danae]

There are many different types of teas, and different brew times, and different leaf types.  And they all yield different amounts of caffeine.

First of all, coffee has about 60-180 mg of caffeine per 6 oz serving.  This is your regular coffee that you would drink everyday.  Black tea, a fully fermented tea, which includes your regular Lipton type teas, has the most caffeine of the teas at about 25-110 mg per 6 oz cup.  

Green tea, an unfermented tea, has about 8-16 mg per 6 oz cup.  Oolong tea, a semi-fermented tea, has about 12-55 mg per 6 oz cup.  White tea, which is a rare tea, has about 5-15 mg per 6 oz cup.  And herbal tea, which is more an infusion than a 'tea' at all, has no caffeine at all because you are simply boiling the herbs.  

Basically, the shorter the brewing time, the less caffeine.  Also, the smaller tea leaves produce more caffeine.  Many teas use "cut leaf" tea or tea dust in their teabags, which gives more of a caffeine kick.  Using comparable amounts and brew teas, a cut leat tea can produce up to twice as much caffeine as a full leaf tea.  

Confused yet?  

Then there's the brew time.  Most black teas need to be brewed for at least 4 minutes to get the full flavor of the tea, which will yield a higher caffeine level.  (You can also brew these same teas for less time, and reduce the caffeine, but you may sacrifice taste.)  Green teas, for example, usually only take about 2 minutes to fully brew, so they will also have less caffeine for this reason.  

There have been many studies about the beneficial effects of tea on the body.  I have a whole book about healing teas.  However, many commercial teas have those nasty chemicals that Gryphon mentioned, so you would want to be careful when choosing a tea provider.  There are many companies that offer organic or otherwise "healthier" teas out there, and you can find them in most supermarkets nowadays.

*steps down off my teabox...*  

[Zenon]

neither is good for me - coffee jolts me, I become addicted to it and so I need it or I get headaches and feel drowsy.  it's the same thing with tea...   I drink caffeine all day, coffee and also yerba mate, which I drink 4 or 5 times a day.  about 2 or 3 liters of it.

but I love coffee when it's good.[/i]

[NachtSorcier]

Too much of anything is bad for you, but both coffee and tea have good points if taken in moderation.  I read somewhere that coffee has certain chemicals in it that are good for the liver, so one cup of coffee per day would be good, whereas 3-5 would be bad.

It's true that green tea is good for you, and I drink it more often than coffee or any other type of tea, but I never have more than two cups a day.

Moderation is key.

[Gryphon]

I get my caffeine fix from chocolate. Not that weenie candy aisle bar stuff either. I get the real uncut dark chocolate. One square and I am set for the day.  

[Lark]

And always read the contents on your herbal teas if you buy the commercial ones.   Some of them also contain regular tea leaves as well as the herbs.

-Lark-

[Ara]

I also crave tea when I have a cold or some other type of upper respiratory infection.  It seems that I can breath a bit better after drinking it.  Therefore, tea has some medicinal properties???

There's a kind of tea that I've found that has worked miracles for my voice.  I don't mean making me a better singer xD  I mean like when I'msick and I have a concert, or a show.  It's caled "Throat Coat."  It's absolutly amazing.  The taste has grown on me so now I can just grab a cup before I go to school and I'm set for all the vocal activity I'm bound to do.  (Ah, the trials of a high school theatre/choir kid.  My voice is dead by the end of the day!)

Always~
Ara

[RedRonin]

Screw it.

I want my coffee, dammit.

No wimpy little teas.  No decaf garbage.

If I'm not shaking by 10 am the day is going to be very bad for everyone.

Some things are not to be trifled with.

[Anonymous]

I have coffee when I'm at work, and yawning like a madman by 10am - though to be honest, I don't even know how strong it is, & I think it works more of a placebo than anything, "I've had my coffee, hup hup, energy, GO!!"

When it comes to tea, maybe it's the Englishness of me, but you can't beat a cuppa and a Hob Nob (the King of biscuits) on a cold day    

~Rowena

[Jennie]

Regular black or green tea (from Camillia sinensis, not other herbs) contains theophyline, a bronchodilator. That is why you breathe more easily after you drink it.

Both coffee and tea are both good sources of antioxidants. DIfferent people respond differently to the many different chemical compounds in each of these complex brews, and the health effects (good or bad) vary with individual genetic profiles. For example, people who are "fast" caffeine processors have a benficial effect on heart and liver health from drinking coffee, while "slow" processors have negative effects on these same organs from coffee. Genetic testing is, unfortunately, the only really accurate way to determine if you are a "fast" processor or a "slow" processor.

So the best advice is probably still to eat and drink a widely varied diet, using everything in moderation.

Bright blessings,
Jennie

[Rowan CedarWolf]

A man after my own heart! I don't function without my coffee! And everyone knows it!

[Lark]

There's a kind of tea that I've found that has worked miracles for my voice.  I don't mean making me a better singer xD  I mean like when I'msick and I have a concert, or a show.  It's caled "Throat Coat."  It's absolutly amazing.  The taste has grown on me so now I can just grab a cup before I go to school and I'm set for all the vocal activity I'm bound to do.  (Ah, the trials of a high school theatre/choir kid.  My voice is dead by the end of the day!)

Always~
Ara

I like that who line of teas.  They're called "Traditional Medicinals" and can be found in many supermarkets.  The Throat Coat is great, and I also like the Gypsy Cold Cure for drying up the sinuses when I have a cold.  Sometimes I put a bag of each in the cup to steep when I have a cold with sore throat.

-Lark-

[Ara]

I've never gone out to buy the tea myself, so I don't know what else they've got!  Mom always keeps me in supply of it.  I'll be sure to try that Gypsy Cold Cure out next time I feel sick.

Thanks Lark!

Always~
Ara

[Rowan CedarWolf]

IF you go to their website (I found it via google) YOu can request a free sample of thier teas.