My brother John generally likes black tea much better than green tea. But, first thing in the morning, he would rather have green tea than black tea. Why?
Does the answer have anything to do with the properties of each tea and/or its effect on John?
Does John have some kind of deal going on that gets him free green tea in the morning?
Is the green tea thought to be more healthful?
Does caffeine content have anything to do with it?
Does it help with bathroom visits?
Is there some ritual he does in the morning that goes with drinking tea?
Is there something different about John in the evenings as opposed to the mornings?
Is black tea not available in the mornings?
Just to get the zebras (and giraffes) out of here, this being a @Biotop puzzle:
Do “green tea” and “black tea” here both refer to a beverage made from steeping leaves of Camilia sinensis in water?
Is the tea hot in all relevant cases? Cold? Some of each?
Is John a human?
Does “having” the tea refer to drinking it?
Does “liking” the tea refer to a preference for drinking it?
Does “first thing in the morning” refer to the time shortly after John wakes up?
Is there any other word or phrase in this puzzle that has other than its expected meaning?
Does John work nights? Does he go to bed in the morning? Does he drink green tea before bedtime because black tea would keep him awake?
reply to dirtball:
Does the answer have anything to do with the properties of each tea and/or its effect on John? No.
Does John have some kind of deal going on that gets him free green tea in the morning?
No
reply to Knowed_Out:
Is the green tea thought to be more healthful? No.
Does caffeine content have anything to do with it? No
Does it help with bathroom visits? No
Is there some ritual he does in the morning that goes with drinking tea? No.
Is there something different about John in the evenings as opposed to the mornings? No
Is black tea not available in the mornings?
No
reply to Chronos:
Just to get the zebras (and giraffes) out of here, this being a @Biotop puzzle: I am SHOCKED, I tell you SHOCKED, to be accused of such shenanigans!
Do “green tea” and “black tea” here both refer to a beverage made from steeping leaves of Camilia sinensis in water? I would say generally that is the case…
Is the tea hot in all relevant cases? Cold? Some of each? I called my brother and asked. He likes hot tea on cold days, and iced tea on hot days.
Is John a human? My brother and I bicker, but yes he is human..
Does “having” the tea refer to drinking it? No.
Does “liking” the tea refer to a preference for drinking it? Yes
Does “first thing in the morning” refer to the time shortly after John wakes up? Yes.
Is there any other word or phrase in this puzzle that has other than its expected meaning? Rather means Dan. Just kidding.
Your winnings, sir.
Hm… Does your brother sell tea?
reply to Peter_Morris:
Does John work nights? No*. Does he go to bed in the morning? No Does he drink green tea before bedtime because black tea would keep him awake? No
* My brother is a math tutor for several kids in Winston Salem, NC. His job is, I suppose, very tangently related to the solution of the puzzle, but probably not helpful to guessing the solution. Once you get the solution you’ll probably see why.
Is there someone else in the house who insists on drinking green tea and will be grouchy if it isn’t there?
Does John use green tea for something other than drinking?
When he’s groggy and first waking up, is he more likely to confuse black tea with some other dark drink? So he opts for green tea until he’s all the way up and around — and no longer needs to fear grabbing a cup, of, like, decaf, heaven forbid — at which point he can reliably pump black tea into his system?
Is it to do with the smell of the tea that someone else is drinking?
No. Private math tutor. No tea-related income.
reply to dirtball:
Is there someone else in the house who insists on drinking green tea and will be grouchy if it isn’t there? No..
Does John use green tea for something other than drinking? Yes.
No. (morning decaf —shudder!)
No.
Does he prepare the green tea as he would if he were going to drink it and then use the liquid for something?
Does he do some kind of other off-label preparation?
Or does he use the “virginal” tea leaves and/or teabags as-is?
Is this to do with time zones? Perhaps the price of green tea is set in an eastern country and the price of black tea in the west and John is some sort of trader or buyer.