Tea and coffee are the main two natural caffeinated beverages consumed in most of the world, and they are often presented side-by-side, as alternate options. This article provides a comparison of tea and coffee in several major categories: caffeine, acidity, health benefits, and other reasons for preferring either tea or coffee to the other.
Caffeine Content of Tea vs Coffee:
Compared to tea, coffee contains much more caffeine: often as much as 2-3 times the amount. Compounding the comparison, however, tea is more widely variable than coffee in terms of how much caffeine is in a typical cup. Coffee tends to contain about 80 to 135 milligrams in a typical 8 ounce cup, whereas tea typically contains between 15 and 75 milligrams per cup. Both coffee and tea will be higher in caffeine if they are brewed more strongly (i.e. longer steeping times, or using more grounds / leaf per unit water). Keep in mind that many people, especially in the United States, drink a lot more than 8 ounces when they have a single serving of tea or coffee.
Too much caffeine is known to cause a variety of health problems, and can contribute to anxiety and insomnia. The Mayo Clinic currently claims, based on their survey of medical research, that 200-300mg of caffeine per day is safe, but 500-600mg daily can cause health problems. For pregnant women, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ official stance is that 200mg daily of caffeine or less is completely safe. Read the rest of this entry »

