Young Writers Society

I always go back and forth between both.

I've come to the conclusion that coffee is less pleasant-tasting, more addictive, and worse for your health. But it is more energizing.

So I'm like, I'll just stick to tea unless I'm really tired and need energy without the chance to take a nap.

Although @neptune and @SirenCymbaline have made some very good arguments, I fear that tea has not been adequately defended in this onslaught of coffee facts! Perhaps we are merely letting the numbers speak for themselves while we calmly sip our zen leaf juice, confident in our assured win, but I think it is time to rebut some of the wild claims being made:

@alliyah
1) Tea is also delicious, and it is much easier to find delicious tea than delicious coffee, because the most common teas: herbal and black teas, require no additives to be edible, although milk improves the taste of black teas, and some people may like sugar. This is in stark contrast to coffee, where you need milk, cream, sugar, and who knows what else to merely mask the bitterness, let alone get it to taste good.

2) While you may have more additive options, we have more base options. And I quote:

Coffee: Depending on who you ask, there could be a few answers to how many types of coffee there are. Some people will tell you that there’s two. Arabica and Robusta. If you looks at subcategories of these beans, it seems like there’s about 40 different varieties of Arabica. There are much fewer of Robusta. On top of that, there are the flavored coffees, if you want coffee that tastes like cherries or mint or pumpkin, but that doesn’t so much have to do with the bean itself.

Tea: According to the UK Tea Council, there are about 1,500 different varieties of Tea. Yeah, that’s a lot.

Verdict: 1,500 vs 40 or 50 + whatever flavors we concoct. Hmmm….

Source: http://www.coffeeshopofhorrors.com/blog ... d-1-fight/ and http://www.coffeeshopofhorrors.com/blog ... inish-him/ (an interesting and seemingly unbiased, definitive showdown between tea and coffee, hosted by a seller of coffees, in which tea wins narrowly...)
I will also add that any flavouring you want to do to coffee, you can do to chai. Chocolate chai? Fruity chai? Caramel chai? Pumpkin spice chai latte? It exists (and it is delicious!).

3) I admit, coffee has more caffeine than tea, so if all you're looking for is a wake-up shot, coffee is your best bet. However, this means that tea is much more versatile. Can you drink coffee in the evening before bed, or to calm your stomach or heal your bones or help you get over a cold? I doubt it. And yet tea can do this and more, including being a lovely caffeinated drink to get you going in the morning.

@Coffeeism

• I'll admit that Coffee rolls off the tongue more than the word tea, but tea is short and sweet, just like the drink itself, a neat and utilitarian little word with a strong "t" at the beginning to strengthen the tongue, teeth, and soul in preparation for the hardships that tea provides a necessary solace for, and an open and accepting double-vowel at the end, the perfect pairing of two of the most beautiful letters in the english alphabet, a friendship that mirrors the eternal friendship between you, your book, and tea. Tea doesn't need to fit in with the coffe-drinking cliques to be happy, no matter how popular coffee may be, tea will always be there for you when you need it most.
  Also, please observe: - chammmmommmmile - oooolonggg - daaaarrrrrjeeeelinggg
  
• Life is already hard enough without inflicting more needless bitternesses upon ourselves. Our response to "life isn't fair" shouldn't be "so get used to it," but instead "so what can we do to make it better?" The making and drinking of tea teaches us to appreciate the moment, and in making one moment better, it can give you the right mindset to make your whole day better.
  
• Please see point 2) above. Also, may I point out that when buying said beverage, tea is simple and does not require knowing complex terms like "frappuchino" and "half-caf ice-cap mocha triple espresso with soy milk and double sugar" please don't eat me if that's impossible to make, although that would illustrate my point exactly. Tea is hot water and whichever leaf you like the scent of best, and the only way to get it wrong is if the water isn't hot enough when you start.
  
• Be that as it may, I have yet to hear anyone accuse tea of being gross either.
  
• Popularity means very little. For a very long time, the popular belief was that the earth was flat. In the end, the truth will out! Also, while cafes may appear to be all about coffee, have you ever found one that didn't sell tea as well? We are everywhere, infiltrating beneath the masquerade, and all good businesses know that we are necessary.

I think that's all for now. I would like to say that I like coffee as well, but I'm afraid I have yet to come across any that isn't terribly bitter, so all I can say is that I applaud all those who brave the taste, and all who put in the effort to learn all of the cool coffee terms and what they all mean.

I don't actually like either, I've never had coffee, and I dislike tea, soooooo….