If you survey the hot cups of students at Stern, you will find a university divided into two camps: the coffee drinkers and the tea drinkers. Members of both groups are vehemently opposed to starting their morning off with the competing beverage and are steadfast in their support of either coffee or tea. It is rare to find someone who is open to both. The debate rages on, leaving us to wonder which beverage is the better way to start the day?
If you survey the hot cups of students at Stern, you will find a university divided into two camps: the coffee drinkers and the tea drinkers. Members of both groups are vehemently opposed to starting their morning off with the competing beverage and are steadfast in their support of either coffee or tea. It is rare to find someone who is open to both. The debate rages on, leaving us to wonder which beverage is the better way to start the day?Coffee is most appreciated for its caffeine content, which is often viewed as a magic ingredient that allows tired students to function. Caffeine is known for its ability to increase alertness and reaction time. It enhances performance and endurance in the physically active, and memory in the sleep deprived. Caffeine consumed in moderation has also been linked to a heightened sense of well-being, sociability, and overall happiness. A typical cup of coffee contains sixty milligrams of caffeine, which is definitely a hefty portion of caffeine. However, a cup of tea contains approximately fifty milligrams of caffeine. Therefore, the caffeine boost that is the cornerstone of our “wake-up” process every morning can be induced almost equally by the consumption of tea or coffee.
While caffeine is foremost in the minds of the majority of students each morning, their physical appearance also ranks high on their lists of daily concerns. Tea is famous for its positive effects in regard to skin health and appearance, but the beautifying effects of coffee are largely ignored. Coffee is a vasoconstrictor and has the ability to reduce the appearance of dark circles and puffy eyes. Both coffee and tea have the power to make dull hair shine. New research also suggests that coffee may smooth cellulite, while ancient Indian remedies recommend coffee to tighten and brighten skin.
Vanity aside, both tea and coffee can play an integral role in maintaining one’s health. Tea has a reputation of being packed with antioxidants, but coffee contains twice as many of these same phytochemicals per cup. Antioxidants protect healthy tissue from harmful free radicals, which have been linked to many diseases. It follows that both tea and coffee can play a substantial role in keeping you healthy.
Studies suggest that that regular consumption of tea can protects against a wide range of cancers, heart disease, stroke, gum disease, osteoporosis, Parkinson’s disease, liver damage, and Type I diabetes. Coffee has also been purported to boast a wide range of other healthful effects including protection against Type II Diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, gallstones, colon cancer, skin cancer, endometrial cancer, liver cirrhosis, and even indigestion. Furthermore, for those concerned with overeating, coffee is a known appetite suppressant. However, tea can also help you with your quest to lose weight; it has been proven to increase metabolism rates. Equally important is the role that both tea and coffee play with regard to your mental health. Drinking either one of these super-beverages correlates to lower risks of depression and levels of stress.
While both beverages clearly play a role in increasing overall quality of life, it must be noted that this article does not encourage a trip to Starbucks for a Frappuccino or Duane Reade for Snapple. The milk, cream, sugar, and syrups that are often added to coffee may outweigh the benefits of the coffee bean whose beneficial effects are often already lowered by intense processing. Similarly, the addition of milk has been proven to negate many of the healthful properties of tea and the added sugar also detracts from one’s health. Furthermore, the definition of true tea is limited to offshoots of green, black, and white tea leaves, and thus many herbal and fruit teas cannot boast the aforementioned effects. Still, drinking cups of both tea and coffee in their true form provides equally viable ways to start your morning, maintain an easy beauty regiment, and ensuring improved overall health. There is no need to keep Camp Coffee and Camp Tea separate, and students are encouraged to embrace the two beverages.