2 cups of tea = 1 cup of coffee There are 20mg of caffeine in your average 100g of brewed tea compared to 40mg in the same amount of black filter coffee. But the type of tea, as well as the brewing time makes a difference.
In this battle over health benefits, coffee comes out on top. Coffee drinkers can raise a mug to fiber, microbiome health and lowering risk for cancer and diabetes. But tea drinkers, do not despair. Tea is undoubtedly good for your blood pressure, cholesterol, stress levels, mental health and productivity.
Like for like, a cup of coffee has around double the amount of caffeine compared to black tea, with an average of 95mg per cup. Like tea, a lot of factors can influence the caffeine content of coffee including the type of coffee beans, the roasting process and the type of coffee.
Cimperman said drinking tea has been linked to lower risks of cancer and heart disease, improved weight loss, and a stronger immune system. Meanwhile, studies point to coffee as a potential way to head off not just Parkinson's but type 2 diabetes, liver disease, and heart problems, Cimperman says.
Caffeine Levels Vary a Lot in Coffee and Tea
coffee has between 95 and 200 milligrams of caffeine. black tea has between 14 and 70 milligrams of caffeine. green tea has between 24 and 45 milligrams of caffeine. white tea has between 6 and 60 milligrams of caffeine.
The Benefits of Morning Tea
In short, tea beats any alternative morning drink. Although it may not have the same amounts of caffeine as coffee, nor the same levels of vitamin C as orange juice, tea has a host of other benefits that make the case for tea – hot or cold – being your new choice of drink in the mornings.
Best for Overall Health: Green Tea
When it comes to tea, green tea gets the gold. “Green tea is the champ when it comes to offering health benefits,” says Czerwony. “It's the Swiss Army knife of teas.
Additionally, many types of tea are especially high in beneficial compounds like flavones and catechins, which could aid in weight loss as well. Coupled with a healthy diet and regular exercise, a cup or two of tea each day could help you boost weight loss and prevent harmful belly fat.
What happens when you switch from coffee to tea? Depending on the type of tea, you may experience minor withdrawal effects if you're consuming less caffeine. However, the L-Theanine component of tea should ensure that you no longer experience the jitters and crash associated with coffee.
Moderate tea consumption of under 3 cups of tea a day can convey a myriad of health benefits, but drinking too much tea, which is exceeding 3–4 cups per day, has been linked to a few negative side effects.
Switching from coffee to tea can be a gentle introduction to stepping down your caffeine intake; most teas contain less caffeine than coffee, although the levels depend upon the varietal and brewing practices. If you're ready to omit caffeine altogether, try a cup of herbal tea to replace your morning coffee habit.
In general, black and pu-erh teas have the highest amount of caffeine, followed by oolong teas, green teas, white teas, and purple teas. However, because the caffeine content of a brewed cup of tea depends on many different factors, even teas within the same broad categories may have different caffeine levels.
Most people can drink 3–4 cups (710–950 ml) of tea daily without adverse effects, but some may experience side effects at lower doses. Most of the known side effects associated with drinking tea are related to its caffeine and tannin contents. Some people are more sensitive to these compounds than others.
Even if tea doesn't replace that first cup of coffee in the morning, sipping a cup of high quality tea instead of an expensive coffee drink in the afternoon helps us stay focused, reduces caffeine dependance, and improves sleep.
Both are also associated with a decreased risk of certain diseases. However, people with anxiety, insomnia, and panic disorders should consider choosing green tea over coffee due to its lower caffeine content and because it contains L-theanine — an amino acid that promotes a state of calm alertness ( 53 , 54).
Also coffee is more acidic than tea, so if you have stomach or digestive issues you may tolerate tea better.
Not partaking in caffeine can be good for your blood pressure. Caffeine has been shown to raise blood pressure levels due to the stimulatory effect it has on the nervous system. High intake of caffeine — 3 to 5 cups per day — has also been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
If caffeine is a big part of your daily diet, taking it away can have a host of unpleasant effects in the short term. These include headache, tiredness, sleepiness, down moods, trouble concentrating, and crankiness. You'll start to feel symptoms a day or two after you stop.
White tea is the least processed variety of tea and has the highest fat-burning micronutrients known as polyphenols. White tea helps in breaking down the fat and prevents the new fat cells from forming. White tea can also boost your metabolism by 4-5 per cent, resulting in burning an extra 70-100 more calories per day.
Oolong tea burns fat while you sleep. Researchers at the University of Tsukuba have found that tea and caffeine help you lose weight while you sleep. The experts report that drinking two cups of oolong tea per day triggers the breakdown of fat overnight.
Research has shown that Earl Grey Tea works to improve cholesterol and blood pressure. A study in Preventative Medicine showed that enjoying three cups of Earl Grey a day encourages the production of HDL cholesterol, the good cholesterol, and triglycerides in your body.
Water and tea are both healthy options, but if you struggle to reach the recommended fluid intake by drinking water alone, try adding healthy teas to your diet. Tea may be more beneficial to your health, and unless you're anemic or have a low caffeine tolerance, there isn't much harm.
Earl Grey is one of the most recognized flavored teas in the world. This quintessentially British tea is typically a black tea base flavored with oil from the rind of bergamot orange, a citrus fruit with the appearance and flavor somewhere between an orange and a lemon with a little grapefruit and lime thrown in.
Tea and coffee are acidic in nature and having them on an empty stomach can disrupt the acid-basic balance which can lead to acidity or indigestion. Tea also contains a compound called theophylline which has a dehydrating effect and might cause constipation.