By Alina Ferguson
What I am about to say is really a hot take, pun intended. I think, wholeheartedly, that tea is better than coffee.
Tea is relaxing.You sip tea and people watch outside your window, or you simply watch the rain. You can have tea cold, you can have it hot, but never lukewarm. That is simply wrong.
Tea is perfect if you are sick. It is the perfect medicine and can potentially provide positive benefits. Just think about it—there are detoxing teas, but you do not hear about detox coffee, because coffee does not detox and no doctor recommends a cup of coffee when you are sick.
There are teas for stomach issues, for headaches, and a myriad of other issues. Many teas have infusions or essesenses of floral elements that have a variety of benefits, not to mention the lovely scent.
Even caffeinated tea can bring tranquility. I think tea and I think calm, peace, and just relaxation, even with the highly caffeinated ones. Black tea is my chore drink. It’s relaxing enough that I can do chores at a leisurely pace, but caffeinated enough that I will not fall asleep during the laundry folding portion of my chore rotation. Coffee, on the other hand, is usually for those who are on their feet and on the go.
Tea also smells amazing. Some may argue it smells like nothing, but I simply disagree. If a tea says that it has hints or essence of strawberry, then it means that the tea smells like strawberries. Surprisingly, floral teas have a strong smell and often can taste like that flower.
Tea tastes great without anything added into it. You can have hazelnut tea, but it’s not a syrup like with coffee. Coffee drinkers often add syrups, sugars and other things to make it a fun— or even a palatable—drink. Some may argue tea just tastes like nothing. I’ve heard it be called lightly flavored water. Well, I say that tasting nothing still tastes better than tasting just plain bitter coffee.
Yes, tea can be bitter. Very bitter. However, you can sometimes control the bitterness by how long you steep the tea. This gives you more control than coffee, which relies on the bean.
Tea is a gateway drug to mug collection. I have about 25 mugs and counting, and that is just here in Arcata. I have no idea what about collecting a mug gives me tingles and a sense of euphoria, but oh, does it! They do have coffee mugs, but it’s not the same as getting a mug for tea. A tea mug.
And don’t even get me started on tea parties…