Coffee or Tea, What’ll It Be?

Some say caffeine is bad for you, but as a college kid plunging full speed into finals, I keep caffeine very close. So which one, coffee or tea, will offer the best mix of health and happiness?

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With the colder weather and finals week here, you will most likely always see me with a hot cup of caffeine in my hands.

My need for caffeine started early on when I was in high school and has now filtered into college.

While I think people who live without are especially strong people, I am not and probably never will be one of them.

I prefer to live my life with a little kick.

So, I set out to see which drink, coffee or tea, is better for me.

Let’s start with coffee.

Coffee is the beverage king here in the states.

Many a business person has walked into work in the morning clutching their cup of Joe.

Coffee is an antioxidant rich drink.

Antioxidants are phytochemicals that protect healthy tissues in the body from free radicals, which damage cells and cause disease.

Which basically means, coffee has a lot of good stuff in it that fights off cell damaging diseases.

The antioxidants in coffee have been known to reduce the likelihood of liver cancer, colon cancer, Parkinson’s disease, type II diabetes and gout.

Now, don’t be mistaken, that grande Starbucks gingerbread latte in your hand is actually more likely to give you diabetes than cure it.

You have to be careful what you’re putting in your coffee if you want to reap its health benefits.

I tend to overload my coffee with French vanilla creamer in the morning to get rid of the bitter taste of stronger coffee.

Another suggestion I have if black coffee isn’t your favorite, explore different brands of coffee.

There are so many great coffee shops here in St. Louis and they almost all offer their very own blend.

Kaldi’s Coffeehouse is my favorite place to go for a hot beverage and their coffee speaks for itself.

Chauvin coffee and Blueprint coffee are both great roasts to try out as well.

Across the pond, the Brits choose tea as their No. 1 source of antioxidants.

So, what is the difference between the tea leaf and the coffee bean?

You can have two types of tea.

The way leaves are processed determines if they are black or green tea.

These two teas differ in taste subtly, but enough that you will notice.

Black tea tends to be more robust and rich, and can be described as malty, earthy and sometimes even chocolatey.

Green tea is known for being more citrusy.

As far as the health benefits go, tea may reduce cholesterol levels, prevent blood clotting, lower the risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease and even fight inflammation, cancer and seasonal allergies.

The London Tea Room in St. Louis is one of the best places in the U.S. to buy loose leaf tea.

If you’re looking for some great tea in some adorable packaging, you should check out Harney and Sons tea.

In my opinion, coffee and tea will always be on equal terms.

I can’t choose which one I love more except that coffee tends to be easier to grab and go in the morning.

Either way, finals week is upon us and if I were you, I would stop by The Perk to get my fix of one or both.