11 Astounding Reasons Why Coffee is Better than Tea
The coffee vs. tea debate has been going on for quite some time. Both coffee and tea are popular beverages, full of flavor and energy (even decaffeinated) staples in so many people’s morning routines. But coffee remains significantly more popular than tea, especially in the US. So the big question is – why is coffee better than tea?
A boost in energy, various health benefits, endless flavors, and improved athletic performance make coffee an excellent option for your morning drink routine.
Keep reading to learn more about all the reasons that coffee beats tea as the drink of choice for so many people!
Reasons Why Coffee Is Better Than Tea
Many people feel strongly about their coffee and tea preferences. That might be because both drinks are often consumed as a daily habit. Many people that drink coffee like to have a cup right at the start of their morning. It gives them a significant energy boost and works as a vital aspect of their morning routines.
Tea is also prevalent. There are many different benefits to having a cup of tea, especially if it’s one like green tea, which has many antioxidants.
Whether you’re a tea or coffee lover, there are benefits to drinking a cup of joe that you can’t ignore. Not to mention the incredible richness of flavors and that fantastic feeling after taking your first sip of the day.
From a simple cup of joe from the electric coffee maker in your kitchen to the artisan coffee shops boasting delicate latte art, the smell and flavor of that freshly brewed coffee can’t be beaten.
Why Coffee is better than Tea? The reasons to love caffeine are endless, but we’ve narrowed it down to the top 11 reasons why coffee is so many people’s beverage of choice—sorry, tea drinkers.
1. A Brewing Method for Everyone
One of the best things about coffee that differentiate it from tea is the sheer number of options you have. Depending on the amount of time you have to make your morning cup of caffeine or what type of flavors and notes you like, there is a way to craft that perfect coffee to meet all your needs.
A few of the most popular brewing methods are:
- Keurig single-cup: Perfect for anyone who wants one cup for themselves rather than brewing a whole pot.
- French Press: For those who want a high-quality extraction of flavors in just a short amount of time.
- Automatic Drip Coffee: A fantastic user-friendly option where you simply add the grinds, pour in the water, press start, and you’re done!
- Pour-Over Coffee: One of the most popular brewing methods, and perfect for someone cool with taking their time and making a ritual of their daily cup of caffeine.
Tea provides a great variety of choices, too, as you can choose between Assam, Earl Grey, green tea, black tea, and many more. Tea is unlike coffee because it gives the option to use other ingredients. If you want a diverse flavor palate, tea may be best. But given it is so easy to add mint or lemon in tea, this may also count as cheating!
However, it’s hard to find any that has the same variety in flavors and notes as coffee does (and for good reasons). Coffee is better because it is typically more robust and has more taste than tea. Tea may not have as much variety in flavor notes, so you’re limited on which tea you can buy.
2. Keep it Simple, or Make it Fancy
Do you like your coffee black? With cream and sugar? Or rather than a cup of hot coffee, do you prefer espresso drinks?
Have you ever walked down the coffee aisle in the grocery store and marveled at the endless number of flavors and roasts? The different sweeteners and creamers that blend together to emphasize the flavors of your favorite caffeine make it that much more fun to drink.
You can test out new syrups and different creamers anytime you want and have a differently flavored cup of caffeine no matter your mood.
While plenty delicious for some, the flavor of black coffee may be overwhelming or a bit bitter to others. However, with a bit of cream or sugar, coffee drinkers can get all the caffeine intake and other health benefits while also enjoying a smooth and slightly more mellow flavor.
However, with an excellent quality coffee bean brand extracted using a suitable method, a plain black cup of joe can also boast a ton of flavors that many people prefer not to mess with. Coffee beans can have caramel, chocolate, and even fruity notes hidden within that are often best highlighted by a really fresh brewing method like a pour-over.
Coffee can be as straightforward or as complex as you like. Between your brewing method and your favorite add-ins, there is likely a cup of caffeine that you will enjoy.
3. You Can Have Iced or Hot Coffee
Another great thing about coffee is that it can be enjoyed hot or iced. You can do this with tea. However, iced tea is only prevalent in a few regions of the US. In southern states like Texas, iced tea is quite popular and can be found at various restaurants. Still, up north, where it’s often colder, tea drinkers will be hard-pressed to find a good cup of iced tea.
Coffee, however, can be enjoyed with all of its intense flavors, both hot and iced. While we’ve gone through a few popular brewing methods, there are even more, such as cold brew, that extracts flavor without heat.
Like cold brew, iced coffee is also a popular option, especially in the summer months. As opposed to cold brew, iced coffee is actually brewed hot. Then the temperature is brought back down using ice to keep all the flavors you would usually get from a traditional cup of hot coffee.
Cold caffeine drinks, particularly cold brew, have increased the popularity of coffee specifically for younger generations. Coffee was once most prevalent among older working adults who needed a jolt of energy at the beginning of their day. However, millennials and Gen Z have come to be some of the most voracious consumers of drinks like iced coffee and cold brew.
Cold-brew is explicitly a smoother and less acidic type of caffeinated drink than a traditional cup of hot drip coffee.
Cold coffees have all the caffeine content and flavor of a hot coffee. Still, they are often more convenient and quicker to consume than a hot beverage. This is simply another way coffee’s versatility makes it a better option than tea for many people.
4. Coffee Can Boost Your Athletic Performance
Coffee has been proven to have positive impacts on exercise performance and endurance. Caffeine can help the muscles become more efficient at burning fat, creating positive effects on endurance.
From cyclists to runners, caffeine has been shown to improve the amount and time of work an athlete can perform.
While you may experience that jolt of energy from your coffee 20 minutes ago on the way to work, this same amount of energy can be beneficial for exercise purposes. You definitely don’t want to be drinking coffee too much. Still, a cup before a really intense workout or a challenging hike you want to accomplish might be a good idea.
On the other hand, tea is not known to benefit exercise performance. This can be attributed to the caffeine content in tea is lower than the average cup of joe, which can give you that energy boost to keep going.
5. Coffee Could Lower Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
The relationship between coffee and diseases like type 2 diabetes is still being studied.
However, there have been instances where increased caffeine consumption led to a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. In a study published in 2014, researchers from Harvard concluded, “Our data provide novel evidence that increasing coffee consumption over a four-year period is associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.”
Another study, conducted by another group of researchers, concluded that this relationship between caffeine and a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes might be because of 3 significant compounds found in coffee.
The compounds they identified (Caffeine, Caffeic acid, and Chlorogenic acid or CGA) may actually be the parts of coffee responsible for reducing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
New research is always coming out, but the studies that have looked closely at the benefits of coffee seem promising. However, it’s always best to keep the amount of extra sugar you put in your coffee to a minimum.
Like coffee, there are indications that tea can also reduce the risk of developing diabetes. But not all tea.
Certain teas contain compounds that may help optimize diabetic control. Green tea, black tea, and chamomile have all been shown to optimize diabetes levels for people with type 2 diabetes. Simultaneously, cinnamon, turmeric, and lemon balm are helpful for those who suffer from blood sugar fluctuations due to their hypoglycemic tendencies. Although there is evidence that drinking black tea may help protect against type 2 diabetes, more study is necessary to confirm a connection.
One study in Japan found that people who drank six or more cups of green tea a day were 33% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who only had one cup per week.
6. Coffee Could Delay Cognitive Decline or Alzheimer’s Disease
Have you ever woken up feeling a bit dizzy and your mind lagging a bit, but then you have a cup of coffee, and a little while later, you feel alert and energized? This short-term effect of coffee is easy enough to observe. Still, there have also been studies that drinking coffee consistently over time may help ward off dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Keeping your mind sharp and healthy is often at the top of many people’s health goals, especially as they get older.
When drinking a few cups a day at the ages associated with midlife, coffee was positively associated with a decreased risk of cognitive decline or dementia!
Coffee contains plentiful antioxidants, which have been studied extensively to learn more about the potential health benefits of this trendy drink.
Some studies have turned out inconclusive, but new studies are being done on many different groups of people to see how it might benefit specific ailments.
7. Coffee Contains Important Nutrients
When you think of antioxidants, many of us think of fruits like blueberries or other plant-based foods. Fewer people associate their morning cup of coffee with their need for essential nutrients to keep their bodies healthy. They’re often simply trying to get their energy for the day.
But coffee is actually one of the leading sources of antioxidants in many people’s diets. There are essential antioxidants in whole beans that are only emphasized after brewing.
Coffee has quinines and other nutrients like magnesium that play a significant role in fighting off diseases and even positively affecting our blood sugar. Increased blood sugar is a health risk that many Americans face. But coffee may be able to help with that.
Other antioxidants and their possible benefits are:
- Melanoidins: Anti-bacterial properties that can be good for warding off sickness
- Chlorogenic Acid: Contains anti-inflammatory properties which can help with managing pain in the body
- Cafestol: Maybe the source of positive links between coffee and improved brain function and memory
Fun fact: caffeine is actually an antioxidant.
All of these antioxidants found in coffee are often linked to positive health benefits like reducing the risk of certain cancers. The bottom line is that coffee can actually be an excellent way to get some crucial antioxidants into your diet throughout the day.
8. You Can Grab a Coffee Anywhere
The popularity of coffee means that it is effortless to simply walk down the street and come across a coffee shop, diner, or restaurant that serves coffee. Chains like Starbucks are also often pointed to as one of the major players in making coffee more of an experience than simply a morning beverage.
Coffee dates and study sessions at the local coffee shop are more popular than ever, which also speaks to the social culture around coffee. It’s not uncommon for friends to grab a coffee together while they catch up.
You won’t walk down a college campus or city center without coming across a place that serves coffee. Other energy drinks can be popular, especially with younger generations. Still, most late-night study sessions and early morning tests are driven by those never-ending refills of coffee.
There’s also something special about the ritual of grabbing your morning coffee. Or having a memorable afternoon with a good friend, a cup of joe, and a tasty pastry. Many people who drink coffee have their drink of choice, whether it be a latte or plain black drip coffee, and they often brew or buy it almost the same way every time. This makes that daily cup of coffee a source of comfort for so many people.
If you’re into coffee, you won’t ever have to worry about going without. Your next cup is only a few steps away in your kitchen or right down the block at that local spot you probably visit more often than you even realize.
9. Can Lower Risk of Depression and Increase Happiness
We’ve looked at the impact coffee can have on our body and brain, but what about our emotions. Does coffee affect people’s risk of depression?
One study found that it does. This study of over 50,000 women stated, “In this large longitudinal study, we found that depression risk decreases with increasing caffeinated coffee consumption.”
So, what is it about coffee that can help us actually feel better in some cases? The extensive explanation for this is that coffee causes our brain to release dopamine. Dopamine is the chemical in our brains that can make us feel happy or euphoric.
Many people feel tired or grumpy when they wake up in the morning, and they’ll often stay feeling that way until they have their morning coffee.
This has also been observed in the long term. Consistent consumption of coffee over a more extended period has been linked to higher levels of happiness and more positive thinking.
Coffee is often described as an acquired taste. Many people report not actually enjoying the taste of coffee when they first tried it. But the effects of caffeine intake and other antioxidants on their mind and body, getting the clarity of mind and jolt of energy, is often what kept them coming back for more.
And over time, with a bit of sugar or cream or finding the brewing method they liked best, coffee lovers often learned what a great cup of coffee entails for them. But it was often the effect of coffee that they loved.
Caffeine content does have some addictive properties, so it’s always important to listen to your own body and consult your doctor if there’s a problem. But the prevalence of coffee and its role in popular culture, along with the increasing amount of evidence that it provides more health benefits than harm, mean one thing. If you want to enjoy that cup of joe each morning, then there is no need for regret or guilt because as long as you’re enjoying your coffee responsibly-you’ll be doing what’s best for your body!
10. Coffee Has the Best Nicknames
This one might seem a bit quirky, but there’s something so fun about having a myriad of options for what to call your cup of coffee in the morning!
Here are just a few of some of the best nicknames for a cup of coffee:
- Java
- Cup of Joe
- Mud
- Dirt
- Brew
- Cupped Lightning
There are so many different ways to refer to something as simple as a cup of coffee! Some of these nicknames are slang that has become popular throughout recent years. In contrast, others like Java actually have fascinating roots in history spanning all the way back to the 17th century.
Many of us need our cup of joe in the morning. It’s a regular part of our routine that isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. But while the coffee is always going to be there, we can have some fun with a new name for it from time to time.
11. You Can Always Switch to Decaf
Coffee and caffeine are often used interchangeably. A cup of coffee is often used as a daily source of energy for many people. However, some people can have adverse reactions to caffeine.
They can get a bit jittery, have trouble sleeping, or encounter some indigestion. However, just because caffeine is off-limits doesn’t mean coffee has to be.
Decaf coffee often boasts the same flavors and sense of comfort without the adverse reactions sometimes associated with caffeine.
Another plus is that decaf coffee still has many of the same health benefits as regular coffee. As it often still has many of the antioxidants associated with the benefits mentioned earlier in this article.
However, it’s also important to remember that decaf coffee isn’t completely caffeine-free. A standard cup of decaf coffee has an almost insignificant amount of caffeine levels, but it is still there.
If you’re craving an evening cup of coffee but don’t want to sacrifice sleep for it, then choose decaf. Decaffeinated brews can be just as delicious and comforting without the caffeine that would keep you awake at night! Decaf coffee is also a popular palette cleanser to have at the end of a dinner.
Decaf can be a great option if you find that you’ve become too dependent on caffeine and want to try and kick the habit. Many people who start out drinking coffee find that they can become addicted to it and experience withdrawal systems if they don’t have their daily cup.
Too much of anything is never a good thing. However, trying to relax on the amount of coffee you drink can be pretty tough. Decaf might be an excellent option for those who want to simulate that morning cup of joe, keep their routine or maintain the social aspect of grabbing a cup of joe with a friend.
The difference in taste is almost indistinguishable, but decaf can be more mellow and less bitter. Try out a decaf coffee next time you visit your local coffee shop.
Now that we have listed down the 11 reasons why coffee is better than tea, we will answer some of the common questions people may ask.
Why Is Coffee Stronger Than Tea?
Although many people drink coffee daily and are used to how it tastes, first-time caffeine drinkers will often mention how unique and robust the flavor is.
Coffee is also one of the most popular sources of caffeine out there. It’s easy to recognize how easily someone goes from having little to no energy until their first cup of joe kicks in. They become wide-eyed awake, and ready to take on the day.
Between the taste and its energy-boosting effects, caffeine has some robust capabilities. However, one fun fact is that tea leaves such as English breakfast tea or the ever-popular green tea may contain more caffeine in them than coffee beans.
And yet, a cup of coffee will contain more caffeine than a cup of tea.
How can that be? The answer is all in the brewing process. When you compare the water temperature and amount of time spent brewing a cup of coffee and tea, a cup of joe is significantly stronger in both taste and caffeine than tea.
Coffee is traditionally (although not consistently) brewed using hot water. And the difference between tea and coffee means that making a cup of joe generally requires a higher amount of coffee grounds to be used than tea leaves.
Because it is usually prepared with hot water and seeing how much of the grounds you need to brew a cup, coffee comes out significantly stronger than even the most caffeinated and strongest tea types.
Why Is Coffee More Popular Than Tea?
The popularity of coffee in America can be traced back to the revolutionary war. You’re probably familiar with the historically infamous Boston Tea Party, where loads of tea aboard a few ships at the Boston Harbor were thrown overboard into the water. This was in protest of taxation laws recently put in place by Britain while the US was still only a colony.
The resistance against these tax laws led many colonists to boycott popular goods like tea. And the coffee was right there to fill its place. Since the colonists weren’t going to purchase tea and pay the taxes on it they thought were so unfair, the popularity of caffeine as an alternative continued to expand.
There’s much to say about the differences in tea and coffee cultures. Besides the historical events that have most likely impacted the popularity of caffeine in America, some also say that tea has a reputation of being used to slow down the day and relax. If you’ve ever had a traditional tea party or have noticed the popularity of tea as more of a nighttime beverage than the morning, you might agree.
On the other hand, American culture is rooted in going at all times and requiring more energy to always keep up. While hanging at a coffee shop is a popular activity for many (cue the popularity of chains like Starbucks), coffee is often associated as the beverage of choice while on the way to work. Or that mid-afternoon boost of energy you need to have a productive afternoon.
Culture and history interact in many ways and have ultimately led to coffee being a significantly more popular beverage for Americans instead of tea.
Conclusion
Why coffee is better than tea? The coffee and tea debate doesn’t seem to be going anywhere soon. While many people love both tea and coffee, there are a good number of folks with strong opinions about which is better.
Coffee is undeniably more popular than tea, particularly in the US. This may be because the coffee industry constantly develops new trendy recipes and flavors that keep coffee lovers on their toes and are ready to try something new.
There are so many ways to enjoy a cup of coffee, plus the health benefits and its impact on our mood and energy. These are the reasons that coffee is all-around a great beverage.
Suppose you’re already on team coffee congratulations. If you’re not, try visiting your local coffee shop and ask the baristas what you might like. You never know if a new recipe or flavor could turn you into coffee drinkers.
