Black Tea > Coffee
Why I ditched coffee for black tea.
My predicament
I really enjoy a good cup of coffee. It tastes great, gives you a lot of energy, and increased alertness. As someone who works in an office, I find that the extra focus, increased stamina, and energy you get from caffeine is crucial. Not consuming it would be a tactical disadvantage, since unlike other drugs, caffeine is a stimulant that has almost no drawbacks. In other words, the advantages massively outweigh the disadvantages.My dillema was, that the coffee, which is generously offered for free in our company (which is by the way not to be taken for granted), isn’t that tasty. I guess, that is - for a variety of reasons - a widespread phenomenon in the corporate world. But as I said, to do without it wasn’t a solution either. So I had to come up with a viable alternative.With this in mind and inspired by the tea consumption of my colleagues, I started experimenting with black tea. In the Albanian cultural, drinking black tea is actually commonplace, especially when people are visiting, it is brewed in boiling hot water and served in small teacups. Therefore, drinking black tea was nothing new to me, but I was only familiar with it in the context of guests visiting at home. The idea of drinking it in a business context came to me relatively late, strangely enough. So I bought a ceramic teapot with a removable stainless steel sieve and tea pliers and started drinking about a litre of black tea a day. The differences to coffee quickly became apparent and were very pleasant.
Ceramic Tea Jug With Stainless Steel Sieve
What benefits have I noticed since then?
Taste
If coffee is not prepared properly and drunk without sugar or milk, most prepared coffees don't taste very good. In general, I prefer to drink coffee with milk, but I can also drink it on its own if it is prepared well. Black tea, on the other hand - especially Darjeeling black tea - has a floral, delicate aroma and flavour, with a subtle hint of wood and tobacco. I can't drink enough of it. The only limiting factor would be too much caffeine. Stimulation
The stimulating effect of black tea is felt around fifteen minutes after the first sip. The stimulating effect starts gently, lasts longer and gradually wears off. The prolonged effect seems to be due to the amino acid 'L-Theanine', which counteracts the negative side effects of caffeine and has a calming effect. Unlike coffee, you don't get this drastic energy boost followed by a crash. Furthermore, you don’t get the hypersensitivity, nervousness, and anxiousness that you get from coffee. My impression is that coffee is more suited for physical activities, whereas black (or green) tea is more conducive for cognitive tasks. Paradoxically, black tea has a calming yet stimulating effect, probably aided by the warmth of the tea. Finally, I think that black tea is less disruptive to sleep, since it contains less caffeine.Digestion
The laxative effect of coffee is well-documented and known, and occurs in a certain percentage of the population. Coffee stimulates intestinal peristalsis, which leads to premature defecation. My layman's impression is that this means that the stool does not stay in the colon long enough and the residual fluid it contains cannot be squeezed out and utilized optimally. I also have the feeling that the more coffee you drink, the more you have to urinate, as the body tries to get rid of the caffeine that is circulation in the bloodstream. These factors would increase the needed volume of water. In comparison, I have only experienced the opposite effect with black tea. Black tea is very hydrating and does not cause premature bowel movements or increased urination. It is also much easier for the stomach to digest as it is not as acidic. I've heard people report heartburn, stomach pain and discomfort after drinking too much coffee. This makes black tea much easier to digest overall than coffee. Finances
Since the coffee in my office was not very pleasant, I often bought cold coffee drinks (usually "Emmi Caffé Latte"), which each costed me between 2 to 3 Swiss Francs (depending on where I bought them, which size and which variant), and I usually tended to buy two of them. That would be up to 6 Swiss Francs a day and 30 Swiss Francs a week. A packet of organic Darjeeling tea, costing around CHF 5, will last me two weeks. Essentially, choosing black tea is 12 times cheaper. This alone saves me around CHF 1,400 in a year. Never underestimate the magnitude of small, repetitive purchases.