# Tea is better than coffee. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 16, 2005, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tea-is-better-than-coffee/312741 "2005-07-16T01:36:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Strinka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strinka/32/512_2.png) [@Strinka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strinka)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tea-is-better-than-coffee/312741/21 "2005-07-16T06:11:52Z")
Well, I like neither. So there! šŸ˜› ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tea-is-better-than-coffee/312741/22 "2005-07-16T06:18:41Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > My third concession is that good decaffeinated tea is pretty much an oxymoron. The decaffeination process seems to destroy the flavor. In fact, Iā€™ve never found anything better than simple decaf Lipton. On the other hand, decaf coffee is nearly as good as regular. Wow, in my experience the opposite is true. I can barely distinguish decaf tea from regular, but decaf coffee is an abortion. Of course, my palate is much more sensitive to coffee than tea, so Iā€™m sure thereā€™s a bigger difference for a regular tea drinker. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tea-is-better-than-coffee/312741/23 "2005-07-16T06:36:59Z")
Coffeee tastes like doodle unless you drop in huge amounts of sugar and milk. Tea tastes merely unpleasant until you add a little bit of milk and sugar. Milk tastes all yummy and wholesome, and quite good heated with sugar. One suspects that until caffeine addiction kicks in, the flavor of the tea and coffee really has little to do with anything and what everyone likes is the milk and sugar. But post that, tea can be more pleasant first and easiest. (Though in the US, they donā€™t ever give you milk/cream with tea WTF?) Warm Milk: Put about a centimeter of brown sugar in a mug Add a good splash of vanilla extract Sprinkle with cinammon powder Fill mug with milk Stir Microwave till hot Stir and drink ---
**Author:** ![stop-1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90db22/32.png) [@stop-1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stop-1)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tea-is-better-than-coffee/312741/24 "2005-07-16T08:05:16Z")
back to politicsā€¦ there will be a day when certain people will call for the banning of such beverages. Perhaps they already have! I like tea. I like coffee. I like tobacco too!..oops! I am a bad man. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tea-is-better-than-coffee/312741/25 "2005-07-16T08:39:36Z")
I prefer tea. Regarding desserts: many wonderful things can be done with matcha ā€“ green tea ice cream is positively heavenly. Just because it hasnā€™t been a widespread ingredient doesnā€™t mean it shouldnā€™t or wonā€™t. Coffee of course has its place, but I think tea is just _better_. Coffee doesnā€™t warm my emotions like Earl Grey does. Itā€™s as much an emotional imbibing as it is a physical ā€“ strictly IMHO, of course. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tea-is-better-than-coffee/312741/26 "2005-07-16T08:40:49Z")
**Moderatorā€™s Note:** I guess itā€™s my job to move the teapot to IMHO before the party gets really going. ---
**Author:** ![Hung\_Mung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hung\_Mung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hung_Mung)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tea-is-better-than-coffee/312741/27 "2005-07-16T09:01:08Z")
I shall respond solely to your thread title. No it isnā€™t. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tea-is-better-than-coffee/312741/28 "2005-07-16T09:06:34Z")
Tea is better than coffee? Well yeah, I can see that. I loves me a cup of tea. Then again, breathing is arguably better than sex too. ---
**Author:** ![Hung\_Mung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hung\_Mung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hung_Mung)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tea-is-better-than-coffee/312741/29 "2005-07-16T09:08:54Z")
Mmmā€¦but is it? ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tea-is-better-than-coffee/312741/30 "2005-07-16T09:10:49Z")
Remove that plastic bag, my man! šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Hung\_Mung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hung\_Mung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hung_Mung)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tea-is-better-than-coffee/312741/31 "2005-07-16T09:12:43Z")
No. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tea-is-better-than-coffee/312741/32 "2005-07-16T13:18:39Z")
> [@Ellis Dee](#): > > One of them is much worse for your teeth. For the life of me, I canā€™t remember which one. Coffee. At least as far as turning them grungy yellow. I speak from experience here. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tea-is-better-than-coffee/312741/33 "2005-07-16T14:23:10Z")
Psh. All you need to make coffee are some coffee beans, which are very easily obtainable at just about any civilized place of commerce (and Iā€™m certain some uncivilized ones), water, something to put water in, and heat. Coffee is far easier to obtain than tea (Example: meetings. You have donuts or cookies and coffee, not _tea_). You donā€™t need to worry about measuring the amount of actual coffee whilst brewing. Just dump a bit more than you think strictly nessecary in, as there is No Such Thing as a cup of coffee that is _too_ strong. Also, thereā€™s no such thing as a ā€œcoffee cozyā€, and you never see coffee in pretty little flowered pots. Coffee is brutal and utilitarian and damn good, unlike the silly frivolities of tea. Coffee accomplishes something, as it has far more caffiene. One would have to drink twice as much tea to get that equivilant. (Disclaimer: I do, in fact, like tea, and occasionally drink (mostly iced) tea. I simply think it in no way can hold a candle to the pure joy that is coffee.) ---
**Author:** ![BlueKangaroo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@BlueKangaroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueKangaroo)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tea-is-better-than-coffee/312741/34 "2005-07-16T14:32:58Z")
**NinjaChick** , youā€™re clearly not going to the right meetings. šŸ˜‰ Most meetings at least have Lipton Black Tea. I love tea. Coffee, however, is vile. It smells nice though. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tea-is-better-than-coffee/312741/35 "2005-07-16T14:59:41Z")
As with every food and beverage, consume what they do best wherever you happen to be. I drink coffee here in the U.S. because most Americans make crappy tea. When I was in Ireland last week, I drank strong black tea every morning, because thatā€™s what they do best there. I take my cafe americano black, no sugar. When Iā€™m in Italy or Spain or France, I take stronger coffee (at breakfast) in a large cup with plenty of milk and sugarā€¦because thatā€™s the way they do it there. I like Martinis. I drink them before dinner in NYC and Chicago and maybe San Francisco. If I go to Florida, I drink rum with fresh fruit juice. Because they donā€™t make good Martinis down there. In Italy Iā€™d have a cool dry vermouth with a lemon twist as an aperitif. In Spain Iā€™d have a chilled _manzanilla_. In France Iā€™d ask for _pastis_ and water. Because thatā€™s the way they do it there. ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tea-is-better-than-coffee/312741/36 "2005-07-16T16:20:39Z")
I prefer coffee, but Iā€™m surprised the OP didnā€™t mention this: Tea really does soothe a sore throat, whereas coffee has no curative properties that Iā€™m aware of (except for relieving that headache I get every morning before Iā€™ve had my coffee). ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tea-is-better-than-coffee/312741/37 "2005-07-16T17:54:45Z")
I love the smell of coffee. I inhale deeply and delightedly in coffee aisles or stores or wherever. Why doesnā€™t coffee taste like it smells? Tea tastes like it smells. Current favorite: Black tea with coconut. Gosh itā€™s good. ---
**Author:** ![Uvula\_Donor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tea-is-better-than-coffee/312741/38 "2005-07-16T18:53:46Z")
I like 'em both. But youā€™re off-base on this point: > [@Aeschines](#): > > Billions canā€™t be wrong: Tea is, on average, a more enjoyable beverage than coffee. Billions of flies eat dogshit, too, but Iā€™m not gonna take a bite. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tea-is-better-than-coffee/312741/39 "2005-07-16T19:13:41Z")
> [@Uvula Donor](#): > > I like 'em both. But youā€™re off-base on this point: > > Billions of flies eat dogshit, too, but Iā€™m not gonna take a bite. šŸ˜ƒ Different species, baby! Have you no loyalty? ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tea-is-better-than-coffee/312741/40 "2005-07-16T19:15:40Z")
> [@VarlosZ](#): > > I prefer coffee, but Iā€™m surprised the OP didnā€™t mention this: Tea really does soothe a sore throat, whereas coffee has no curative properties that Iā€™m aware of (except for relieving that headache I get every morning before Iā€™ve had my coffee). Yes, I would recommend tea for sore throats and general illness. And thatā€™s been a marketing problem for tea in the US, more so in the past than now, perhaps: People thought of tea as medicine. A 50s ad campaign (ā€œTake Tea and Seeā€) tried to overcome this pussy-wussy image but didnā€™t seem to succeed too well. Good point! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tea-is-better-than-coffee/312741.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tea-is-better-than-coffee/312741.md?page=3)