Pros And Cons
Tea Pros
Helps boost your brain
One of the major benefits of drinking tea is that it boosts your brain activity, which in turn improves your motivation and productivity. This is especially important for people who work long hours or who have overtime hours.
That benefit comes from L-theanine, which is an amino acid present in the tea. The amino acid is absorbed into the gut, then travels through the blood to the brain. That results in a more vibrant and productive you.
The best thing about tea’s stimulating effects is that it does not overstimulate you but gives you energy in a calming way.
Helps in weight loss
Tea helps boost your metabolism to increase the level of breaking down cholesterol. It also contains fewer calories than other drinks, so drinking it in place of soft drinks helps you maintain a healthy weight.
Tea is also rich in antioxidants and magnesium compounds which are effective in maintaining a healthy weight.
Helps in stress reduction
Tea helps you relax by lowering the stress hormone in your body. That is good in helping you deal with depression and anxiety.
Lower cancer risk
Black and green teas have essential micronutrients present in plant-based foods called polyphenols. These micronutrients help regulate the rate of cancer growth cells and survival, lowering your chances of getting cancer by 60%.
Helps boost the immune system
Drinking tea daily helps boost your immune system, lowering your chances of getting diseases like flu, cold, diabetes, and even heart diseases.
Tea Cons
Sleep problems
Theanine found in tea makes it hard for you to fall asleep. Therefore, you should not take tea immediately before you to bed.
Could be addictive
If you are used to taking too much coffee, you might become addicted. That is because of the theanine in the tea. If you stop taking tea, you might encounter some withdrawal symptoms like headaches and mood swings.
Also, as you consume more and more tea, you may need to keep increasing your intake to get the same amount of effects.
Could harm your pregnancy
If you are a tea lover, you need to cut down on your tea consumption during pregnancy or avoid it completely. That is because too much tea could lead to a miscarriage.
May cause kidney damage
Taking too much tea could harm your kidney because of the oxalates found in the tea. Therefore limit your tea intake to 3 cups a day.
May cause heartburn
Taking too much tea could promote the production of excess gastric juice, which in turn causes heartburn. If you have a gastric problem, it is best to avoid taking tea.
Affects nutrients absorption
Taking a lot of coffee changes the ability of your body to absorb certain nutrients. For example, it alters calcium absorption and affects how your body uses vitamin D.
Affects and worsens pre-existing conditions
For some people with disorders like anxiety, depression, iron deficiency, high blood pressure, and anemia, taking too much black tea could worsen those conditions.
Coffee Pros
Healthy brain
Coffee has antioxidant properties that keep your brain cells healthy and also boost the performance of your neurotransmitters. That increases your concentration and productivity throughout the day.
Coffee also helps you to learn and remember new information, especially if you take it with a sugary snack.
Due to those qualities, drinking coffee daily helps in reducing the risk of diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.
Increases physical performance
Whether you want to work out or engage in any other physical activity, taking coffee will boost your performance by 11-12%. That is because caffeine boosts adrenaline levels in your body, which is a hormone that prepares your body for physical exertion.
Helps in weight loss
Coffee is rich in potassium and magnesium, which helps your body utilize insulin. That regulates your blood sugars and reduces your cravings for sugary things. It also assists fat cells in breaking down body fat and utilizes it as fuel when engaging in intense physical activities.
Lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes
Caffeine lowers the body’s sensitivity to insulin and also impairs your glucose tolerance. That keeps you safe from type 2 diabetes.
Boosts your mood
Caffeine helps stimulate the central nervous system and promotes the production of neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and noradrenaline, which help boost your mood. That helps in fighting depression and anxiety.
Coffee Cons
Affects bone structure
Drinking a lot of coffee makes your body lose a lot of calcium because you expel a lot of it through urine. Over time, that makes your bones less dense and more fragile, increasing your risk of conditions like osteoporosis.
Affects sleep patterns and quality
The ability of coffee to increase your brain function could be a disadvantage when you want to sleep. To avoid that, ensure you do not take coffee less than 6 hours before you to bed.
Caffeine addiction
When you take a lot of coffee, your body becomes tolerant to the caffeine, and you need to increase your dose to get the same effects. Whenever you stop taking coffee, you may suffer some withdrawal symptoms like exhaustion, headaches, irritability, and brain fog.
Range Of Options
Whether you are a tea or coffee lover, having some varieties helps in killing the monotony of having the same thing every day.
Tea Options
Black tea
Also called red tea in China, this is the most common type of tea globally and is normally fully oxidized. People pluck the leaves from the tea bush, wither, roll, and ferment, or oxidize them.
They also fry or burn the leaves to give off a strong and full-bodied flavor. The flavor profile of black tea is malty and strong.
Green tea
This is another popular type of tea worldwide. Green tea is not oxidized and contains less caffeine than black tea. When the people pick the tea leaves from the tea bush, they dry and heat-treat them to prevent oxidation.
In China, people pan-fire the leaves, which gives them a dull green color. In Japan, however, the people steam them, which gives them a bright green color. The flavor profile of green tea is grassy or vegetal, bright, and earthy.
White tea
This is the least processed type of tea in the market. People make it by sun-drying the newest growth of a tea bush. When you brew it, it gives a yellow or pale green liquor.
Due to the natural drying, white tea has a naturally sweet, delicate, and well-rounded flavor. Its flavor profile ranges from fruity and floral, and it also contains very little caffeine.
Oolong tea
Also known as wulong, Oolong tea is semi-oxidized, and the leaves used to make it are picked later in the season than those used to make green tea. People normally bruise the leaves by shaking and tossing them in baskets, and that changes the oxidation process.
Depending on the region, people heat-treat the leaves to stop oxidation and create different flavors. The flavor profile of Oolong tea ranges from dark and full-bodies to light and fragrant, depending on the level of oxidation.
Rooibos tea
Also called African Red tea, this is a herbal tea that people make from South Africa Redbush. They pluck the leaves, then bruise and grind them before they ferment and dry them.
Green rooibos tea is not oxidized or fermented, which gives it a lighter flavor. The flavor profile of rooibos tea is sweet, smooth, and earthy.
Herbal tea
This type of tea does not come from tea leaves but dried herbs, flowers, and fruits. You can find herbal tea in a lot of different flavors, and it does not contain caffeine, making it perfect for you if you have diet restrictions.
Some common ingredients used include chamomile, lemongrass, ginger, peppermint, hibiscus, rosehips, and dried fruits.
Coffee Options
Black coffee
This is a common type of coffee and the simplest one to make. You can make it by adding the coffee powder to warm or hot water. You can also add some sugar depending on the type of coffee.
Espresso
Also called a short black, this is around 1 oz. of concentrated coffee.
Double espresso
Also known as doppio, it is a double shot of espresso when you need an extra shot of caffeine.
Latte
This is a shot of espresso with steamed milk and a little foam. You can have it plain or have some flavors added to it, like pumpkin spice or vanilla.
Cappuccino
This is described as a latte with more foam than steamed milk and often has small mounts of cinnamon or cocoa powder sprinkled onto it. You can use cream instead of milk and also add some flavors.
Americano
This has a flavor similar to that of black coffee, but it is a shot of espresso diluted using hot water.
Mocha
This is a chocolate and coffee hybrid, which people make by adding foam and steamed milk in an espresso drink.
Flat white
This is a cappuccino that does not have chocolate sprinkles or foam but has steamed milk.
Macchiato
This is a medium drink between a doppio and cappuccino. It is an espresso with a small amount of foam on top. You could also add flavoring syrup.
Red-eye
This is a cup of black coffee mixed with a shot of espresso.
Irish coffee
People make this from black coffee, sugar, and whiskey, then top it with whipped cream.
Iced coffee
This is simply coffee over ice cubes, and you can choose your preferred type of coffee and flavoring. You can also add either water or milk to your recipe.
