Coffee vs Tea: Health Benefits, Flavor, and More

Are you Team Joe or Team Chai? Which cuppa do you need the most to jumpstart (and maybe even survive) your day?

Want a quick pick-me-up? Team Coffee has you covered with its fast and strong caffeine punch. 

Perhaps you’re looking for something more subtle with additional health benefits — Team Tea’s slower and gentler caffeine lift could be your perfect match.

Whatever beverage you’re rooting for, people will always have their favorites.

In this data-driven piece, we’ll see how coffee and tea stack up against each other. We’ll give points to each criterion, and maybe we can finally settle on the ultimate favorite.

But first, here’s a quick rundown of some of the interesting statistics we found on coffee vs tea.

Report Highlights:

• Coffee’s flavor is 1.6 times more intense than tea, but tea has 1.2 times more specific flavors than coffee [42,48].
• Coffee’s caffeine content is 3.2 times and 2 times higher than green and black tea, respectively [3–5].
• Coffee has 1.7 to 2.5 times more antioxidants than tea [11].
• Although not enough to meet the recommended daily fiber intake, coffee has more fiber (0.47 g to 0.75 g of fiber per 100 mL) than tea’s 0 [4,15].
• Tea produces L-theanine naturally, a calming and relaxing amino acid not found in coffee [41].
• Coffee’s polyphenol content is 1.7 times and 2.1 times higher than green and black tea [16].
• Coffee and tea drinkers tend to live longer than those who don’t drink these beverages.
• Bottled water is the US' most consumed beverage. Coffee only comes second, while tea is fifth [10].
• Worldwide, we consume 6.1 times more coffee than tea [45].
• The Netherlands consumes the most coffee, while Brazil consumes the most tea [45–46].

We’ve also created a comparison table of the popular beverages’ flavor profiles as well as their caffeine, fiber, and antioxidant content. This gives you a quick overview of some of their qualities.

Note: matcha has more caffeine, fiber, and antioxidants than other types of teas (and even coffee). One reason for this may be because matcha is the powdered form of the Camellia Sinensis leaves [25]. This means we’re essentially consuming the leaves in their entirety — nutrients, fiber, antioxidants, caffeine, and all. Matcha, among the teas, is considered to be of the highest quality.

With coffee and other teas, we brew or steep them to extract their flavors and compounds. These methods strip away some of their essential components.

1. Flavor Profile

Let’s compare the flavor profiles of coffee and tea, looking at how intense and varied their flavors are. 

Flavor Profile Winner: It’s a tie!

Intensity of Flavors

If we’re talking about the intensity of flavors, then coffee wins this round, hands down. One sip and you immediately taste coffee’s super rich, intense flavors.

This isn’t the case with tea. Tea offers subtler, milder flavors.

Measuring flavor intensity is subjective without the right instruments, so we conducted a little survey at the office. On a scale of 0 to 5 (where 0 = No Flavor, 1 = Very Mild, 2 = Mild, 3 = Moderate, 4 = Strong, and 5 = Very Intense), we found that:

• Coffee is 1.6 times stronger than tea in flavor intensity.
• Coffee has an average flavor intensity of 4.3 (strong), compared to tea’s 2.7 (leaning toward moderate intensity).
• The majority (60%) rated coffee as 4 (strong) on the scale, with flavor intensity ranging between 3 and 5.
• Most (35%) also agreed that tea has a moderate flavor intensity, rating it a 3 on the scale. The flavor intensity of tea ranged from 1 to 4.
• It’s surprising that 10% found coffee and tea to have the same level of flavor intensity, giving both a rating of 4 (strong).

 

Note: This survey is limited by the small sample size, type of coffee and tea, roasting and brewing methods, and other factors that might have influenced the participants’ flavor perception. As such, the results may not represent the general population.

Variety of Flavors

Tea wins this round, giving you more flavors than coffee.

Based on their flavor wheels, tea has 10 Tier 1 general flavors, compared to coffee’s nine. [42,48]. Tea also has 1.2 times more Tier 3 specific descriptors with 86 flavors. Coffee, on the other hand, only has 73 flavors. This round clearly goes to tea.

The flavor wheel was designed to identify the specific flavors of coffee and tea. The taster starts from the center (Tier 1) and identifies the most general or basic taste descriptor. Does it have a vegetative, fruity, or earthy flavor, for example?

From the center, the taster then moves outwards to Tier 2, where the flavors become more detailed. If it’s vegetative, does it taste like vegetables, herbs, or beans?

Tier 3 contains the most specific flavor descriptors. If it tastes like vegetables, does it taste like spinach, green beans, or bean sprouts?

The taster can always go back to Tier 1 and identify more flavors until they feel they have the complete flavor profile.

Coffee and tea offer different flavor experiences, and we will always have a soft spot for one that satisfies our palate.

A cup of brewed coffee will give stronger flavors than tea. Depending on the type of coffee beans, the flavor can get even more intense. Arabica coffee offers sweeter and smoother tastes with fruity and chocolatey notes. Robusta coffee, on the other hand, has earthy and woody flavors with dark chocolate and nutty notes.

Tea offers lighter flavors with grassy, herbal, floral, and fruity notes. Its flavors mostly depend on what type of plant the tea comes from. For example, jasmine tea will give you delicate floral flavors, while lemongrass tea has fresh, citrusy notes. If you want earthy and woody flavors, go for the True Teas like green tea, black tea, or oolong tea.

Simply put, True Teas are the teas that come from the Camellia sinensis tree.

2. Caffeine Content

Coffee, once again, comes out on top here, and for very obvious reasons. Coffee has more caffeine than tea. Using an 8-oz cup for measurement, brewed coffee has, on average, 2.5 times higher caffeine content than tea [3–5].

Caffeine Content Winner: Coffee

Caffeine is one of the major factors that influence our preferences and why we drink either coffee or tea in the first place.

According to a survey, almost 4 in 5 (79%) Americans drink caffeinated coffee versus 1 in 10 (10%) who drink decaf [13]. An older survey of tea drinkers in the US also showed that decaf tea (19%) is less popular than caffeinated tea like green tea (52%), herbal tea (33%), and Earl Gray tea (26%) [49].

That said, we enjoy our beverages caffeinated. Now, let’s explore the caffeine content of coffee and tea.

An 8-oz cup of America’s favorite tea, green tea, gives you about 29.4 mg of caffeine. Black tea contains 1.6 times more caffeine than green tea at 47.4 mg of caffeine [4–5].

Regular brewed coffee of the same cup size has about 94.8 mg of caffeine [3]. This is 3.2 times higher than green tea and 2 times higher than black tea’s caffeine content.

The caffeine in espresso drinks is even higher, with a shot (about 1 fl oz) having around 62.8 mg of caffeine [2].

But these measurements are for arabica coffee. If you’re after a truly potent one, then robusta coffee is your cup!

An arabica bean has an average caffeine content of about 1.09%. Robusta beans have double the caffeine content at 2.09% per bean [55].

Using two tablespoons of coffee (about 10 g) per 8-oz cup as measurement, a cup of arabica coffee gives you around 109 mg of caffeine. But if you’re drinking robusta coffee, then you’ve already consumed more than half of your daily limit of 400 mg of caffeine [43].

Your robusta cup? That one has 209 mg of caffeine.

Related: What's The Difference Between Robusta and Arabica Coffee?

 

The caffeine level gets even higher in Vietnamese coffee! 

Take Cafely’s BanMe, for example. This Vietnamese peaberry robusta contains around 2.7% caffeine compared to regular robusta’s 2.2% to 2.4% caffeine level. BanMe has more than double the caffeine level of arabica’s 1.2%.

Related: Why is Vietnamese Coffee So Strong?

For the caffeine content round, coffee is the clear winner and is the preferred pick-me-up beverage.

Almost 3 in 5 (58%) coffee drinkers say they drink coffee to wake them up, versus 1 in 10 (9%) tea drinkers who do the same [27–28].

 

3. Brewing Techniques & Methods of Preparation

Coffee and tea have similar brewing methods, such as steeping, cold brew, and using bags. These are the most fundamental methods of brewing, where the coffee grounds or tea leaves are immersed in either cold or hot water.

However, there are also brewing methods that are more commonly used for one than the other.

Other popular methods of brewing coffee include:

• Drip method
• French press
• Espresso pot or moka pot
• Espresso machine
• Flash brew
• Percolator 
• Pour-over coffee
• AeroPress

Tea, on the other hand, has the following:

• Infusion
• Chai preparation
• Matcha preparation
• Sun tea method
• Gongfu cha

We’re calling this category a draw. They use different methods to bring out their flavors.

How Brewing Techniques Influence Caffeine Levels

Despite some differences in brewing methods, one thing is clear — the brewing method impacts the caffeine levels of both beverages.

In tea, longer steep times extract more caffeine than shorter steep times.

Take Lipton tea, for example. Steeping Lipton Regular for one minute yielded around 29 mg of caffeine per 8-oz cup. The caffeine content increased by 1.6 times to 47 mg of caffeine after steeping it for three minutes. A steep-time of five minutes yielded a small increase of 4.3% to 49 mg of caffeine [12]. 

Note: caffeine levels vary per brand.

Caffeine level in coffee, on the other hand, is highly influenced by the brewing method, with espresso yielding the most caffeine and pour-over yielding the least.

According to a study, espresso brew method extracted the most caffeine at 126 mg per 30 mL. Cold brew and stovetop espresso followed with 67.2 mg and 65.7 mg of caffeine per 30 mL. French press extracted 22.3 mg of caffeine per 30 mL, while pour-over extracted the least with 20.7 mg of caffeine per 30 mL [47].

4. Varieties of Coffee & Tea Drinks 

When it comes to the different ways of making them, coffee wins this round. Coffee is pretty versatile and offers many ways to enjoy the drink.

Different Types of Coffee Drinks

Here’s a list of what we gathered for the different coffee types.

Basic Coffee Drinks

• Black Coffee: This is your regular daily brew, plain black coffee without any other additive like sugar or cream.
• Espresso: This is a concentrated shot of coffee, with one shot being about 1 oz. Espresso also serves as the base for many other coffee types.
• Doppio: This is a double shot of espresso, which is about 2 oz.
• Triple: This is three shots of espresso, which is about 3 oz.
• Americano: This is simply espresso with hot water.
• Long Black: This is the opposite of an Americano, where you add the hot water first before the espresso to preserve the crema or the reddish-golden, creamy froth produced when you make espresso.
• Ristretto: This is a short shot of an espresso and is highly concentrated.
• Lungo: This is an espresso type but made with more water, so you get a milder flavor.
• Red Eye: This is coffee with one shot of espresso.
• Black Eye: This is coffee with two shots of espresso.
• Dripped Eye: This is coffee with three shots of espresso.
• Decaf: This is coffee with about 97% of its caffeine removed, leaving only around 2 mg of caffeine [22].

Milk-Based Coffee Drinks

• Latte: This is an espresso-based coffee with steamed milk and topped with a layer of milk foam.
• Cappuccino: This is coffee with equal parts of espresso, steamed milk, and milk foam layer.
• Flat White: This is a coffee that’s similar to a latte but has more milk than coffee.
• Macchiato: This is an espresso drink with a very small amount of steamed milk or milk foam on top.
• Latte Macchiato: This is the opposite of Macchiato, which is more steamed milk with a shot of espresso.
• Caffe Breve: This is simply an espresso drink with steamed half-and-half milk (equal ratio of whole milk and cream).
• Cafe Au Lait: This is a regular brewed coffee with steamed milk.
• Mocha: Simply put, this is a coffee drink with espresso, chocolate syrup, and steamed milk.

Cold Coffee Drinks

• Cold Brew: This is coffee brewed over a long period with cold water.
• Nitro Cold Brew: This is a type of cold brew coffee infused with nitrogen, giving it a creamier texture.
• Iced Coffee: This is your regular brewed coffee served with ice.
• Frappuccino: This is a blended iced coffee drink with different flavors, such as vanilla and mocha.
• Vietnamese Ice Coffee: Called Cà Phê Sữa Đá, this is a strong coffee made with robusta beans and sweetened condensed milk, served over ice.
• Dalgona Coffee: This is made using instant coffee and sugar, then whipped until frothy, poured over cold milk, and served with ice.

Unique Regional Coffee Drinks

• Cafe Touba from Africa. This is a spiced coffee with pepper and sometimes cloves.
• Cowboy Coffee from the US: This is a rustic method of brewing coffee by directly adding the grounds into boiling water and allowed to steep before serving.
• Cafe Guillermo from Colombia: This is an espresso shot poured over slices of lemon or lime.
• Cafecito or Cafe Cubano from Cuba: This is a shot of espresso mixed with sugar during brewing, then whipped to create a thick, sweet, and creamy foam called espumita.
• Frappé from Greece: A type of iced coffee drink made with instant coffee, milk, water, and sugar. The mixture is shaken until frothy and served with ice.
• Galao from Portugal: A coffee drink from Portugal, this is similar to a latte but has more milk foam.
• Kapeng Barako from the Philippines: This is a type of coffee made from a rare coffee species called Coffee Liberica.
• Kona Coffee from Hawaii: This coffee is made with arabica coffee grown in Hawaii’s Kona Districts.
• Kopi Luwak (Civet Coffee) and Kopi Tubruk from Indonesia: The former is made from coffee beans eaten and excreted by a civet, while the latter is a traditional Indonesian coffee brewed similarly to Cowboy coffee.
• Mirra from Arabic countries: This is lightly roasted coffee made with spices like cardamom and saffron.
• Turkish Coffee from Turkey: This coffee is made with finely ground coffee beans, water, sugar, and cardamom and brewed in a special pot called cezve.
• Vietnamese Egg Coffee or Cà Phê Trứng from Vietnam. This is a type of Vietnamese coffee with a fluffy egg cream topping.
• Ipoh White Coffee from Malaysia. This is a type of coffee with margarine and condensed milk.
• South Indian Filter Coffee or Madras Kaapi from India: This coffee is made with a special Indian filter and brewed with milk and sugar.

Alcoholic Coffee Drinks:

• Irish Coffee: An alcoholic coffee drink from Ireland that contains Irish whiskey.
• Espresso Martini: Simply put, this is espresso with vodka or coffee liqueur.

The above lists only the common and regional coffee drinks. They don’t include coffee desserts like an Affogato (espresso poured over a scoop of ice cream) or Caffe Gommosa (espresso poured over a marshmallow).

They also don’t include flavored coffees like Pumpkin Spiced Latte, Peppermint Mocha, Caramel Macchiato, or Hazelnut Coffee. 

Different Types of Tea Drinks

As for tea, or at least the True Teas from Camellia Sinensis, we have gathered the varieties below.

Black Tea (fully oxidized tea leaves with strong flavor and high caffeine content):

• Assam Tea from India: This is a popular tea from Assam, India, and is known for its rich and malty flavor.
• Darjeeling Tea, India: A tea from Darjeeling, India, it’s well-loved for its sweet and slightly musky taste with floral notes.
• Earl Grey Tea: This bergamot-flavored black tea came from India but became popular in England,
• Ceylon Tea from Sri Lanka: This citrusy tea originated in Sri Lanka and has a full-bodied taste.
• Lapsang Souchong from China: This tea has a smoky and piney flavor.

Oolong Tea (partially oxidized tea leaves with complex flavors and moderate caffeine content):

• Tie Guan Yin Tea from China: This tea has very delicate, light, and floral flavors.
• Da Hong Pao from China: This dark-roasted oolong tea gives you earthy flavors with a sweet finish.

Green Tea (minimally oxidized tea leaves with light and fresh flavors and moderate caffeine content):

• Sencha Tea from Japan: This tea has a slightly grassy and sweet flavor.
• Matcha Tea from Japan: This is a powdered green tea with a slightly bitter flavor and is used in many Japanese tea ceremonies. 
• Kabusecha Tea from Japan: This is a dark green tea similar to Sencha but has a smoother and milder flavor.
• Longjing Tea from China: Also called Dragon Well, this green tea is pan-roasted and has a sweet, nutty flavor.

White Tea (least processed tea from young leaves, with light and delicate flavors and low caffeine content):

• Bai Mudan Tea from China: Also called White Peony, this white tea offers a mild, floral flavor and aroma.
• Silver Needle Tea from China: Made from young tea buds, this tea also gives you light and delicate floral flavors with hints of honey.

Pu-erh Tea (fermented and aged tea leaves with earthy flavors and variable caffeine content):

• Sheng Pu-erh Tea from China: This tea is made from raw tea leaves that fermented naturally. The long aging period gives it a complex, earthy flavor.
• Shou Pu-erh Tea from China: This tea also has complex, earthy, and woody flavors like Sheng Pu-erh Tea. However it underwent a faster fermentation process using heat and moisture.

Yellow Tea (minimally oxidized tea leaves with delicate floral flavors and moderate caffeine content):

• Junshan Yinzhen Tea from China: This is a rare and expensive tea that offers a delicate, fruity, floral, sweet flavors.
• Meng Ding Huangya Tea from China: This tea offers refreshing floral flavors with a slightly sweet finish.

The above lists only the teas made from Camellia Sinensis, the True Teas. It doesn't include teas made from herbs (like ginger or ginseng), spices (like licorice or clove), seeds (like fennel or fenugreek), fruits (like passion fruit or orange peel), flowers (like jasmine or lavender), and mushroom (like chaga or reishi).

5. Health Benefits

We drink coffee and tea for their various health benefits. Not only are they rich in antioxidants, but several studies have also shown they can help with chronic health problems.

Let’s see how regular coffee consumption affects health and compare it with tea.

Health Benefit Winner: Coffee

Antioxidant Levels

Coffee outshines tea in the antioxidant level category. Coffee has 1.7 to 2.5 times more antioxidant content than tea.

According to a study, coffee (prepared filter and boiled) contains 2.5 mmol of antioxidants per 100 g. Green tea, on the other hand, has 1.5 mmol/100 g. Black tea’s antioxidant content is even lower than green tea, at only one mmol/100 g [11].

 

We see almost the same result in another study, with coffee having 200 mg to 550 mg of antioxidants per cup and tea having only 150 mg to 400 mg of antioxidants per cup [52].

Antioxidants play a big role in maintaining our health. They protect the cells from the damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are normal byproducts of our body, but high levels damage cells and contribute to chronic health problems. Now, antioxidants bind to the free radicals and neutralize them, reducing the risk of cellular injury.

Fiber Content

The fiber content round goes to coffee’s 0.47 g to 0.75 g of fiber per 100 mL versus tea’s none [4,15].

To support a healthy colon, we need to consume at least 25 g to 30 g of fiber daily [30]. Between coffee and tea, drinking coffee takes you nearer the target level than tea.

An 8-oz cup (237 mL) of coffee may contain an average of 1.45 g of fiber (1.1 g to 1.8 g of fiber per 237 mL). It may not seem much, but let’s say you consume the daily limit of about four cups per day [43]. This translates to around 6 g of fiber, bringing you 21% closer to the recommended daily fiber intake.

Relaxation & Stress Relief

Tea takes the lead in this category. Tea drinkers are 1.4 times more likely than coffee drinkers to say they drink tea to relax. At least 2 in 5 (40%) tea drinkers say drinking tea helps them unwind. Among coffee drinkers, only 3 in 10 (29%) say they turn to coffee for relaxation [27–28].

Tea is a gentler, more relaxing beverage. Not only does tea contain less caffeine, but it also has L-theanine. This amino acid helps [1]:

• Relieve stress
• Promote relaxation
• Improve mood
• Boost attention and focus
• Maintain normal sleep

A 200-mL cup of green tea contains around 7.9 mg (4.1 mg to 11.7 mg) of L-theanine, while black tea has thrice the amount at 24.2 mg (18.5 mg to 29.9 mg) [23].

Coffee, on the other hand, has none. L-theanine can’t be found naturally in coffee [41].

Mental Focus, Alertness, & Sleep

This round goes to tea. Both beverages can help maintain alertness and improve mental and physical performance throughout the day. However, tea has one advantage over coffee. It didn’t affect sleep.

A study was conducted to see coffee and tea’s effects on alertness, focus, and sleep [17]. The participants were either given tea, coffee, or water four times a day.

People who drank coffee and tea outperformed those who drank water. They were able to stay more alert with improved psychomotor performance.

However, differences were observed after the first 75-mg caffeine drink. Tea significantly boosted cognitive and psychomotor performance 30 minutes to 1.5 hours after consumption.

After the 2nd 75-mg caffeine drink, coffee significantly enhanced the participants’ reaction time compared to tea.

However, while coffee improves reaction time, it also negatively impacts sleep duration and quality.

Tea drinkers sleep better than coffee drinkers, says the Sleep Foundation. At least 3 in 4 (75%) tea drinkers get seven hours or more of sleep. Among coffee drinkers, only around 3 in 5 (58%) coffee drinkers report the same [33].

Related: How Late is Too Late for Coffee?

Gut Health

Let’s give this round to coffee once again! Coffee has 1.7 times more polyphenols than green tea. It also has double the polyphenol content of black tea.

Polyphenols are naturally occurring compounds found in plants. These are pretty important phytochemicals for gut health. They keep the tummy happy by supporting the growth of beneficial gut bacteria. Polyphenols also have antimicrobial properties and keep the bad ones in check.

Both beverages are good sources of polyphenols. But coffee has more with 200 mg of total polyphenols per 100 mL versus green and black tea’s 115 and 96 mg/100mL of total polyphenols [16].

Coffee even has more polyphenols than tomato/veggie juice (69 mg/100 mL) and cocoa drinks (62 mg/100 mL).

Heart Health

We’re going to give this round to coffee. Three to five cuppas a day lower your cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk by 15% [37]. Stroke risk also decreases by 21% when you consume a moderate amount of coffee a day (three to four cups) [40].

Tea also benefits the heart, reducing the risk of developing coronary heart disease and stroke by 10% to 20% [9].

But if you have severe and uncontrolled hypertension, coffee may not be for you. Compared to those who don’t drink coffee, over-consumption could double your risk of CVD death.

Green tea, on the other hand, isn’t associated with any increase in CVD-related deaths across all blood pressure categories [50].

This round still goes to coffee, as not everyone has hypertension and could benefit from coffee’s heart-friendly effects.

Type 2 Diabetes

Tea wins this round. Both coffee and tea can lower type 2 diabetes risk, but cutting down on your coffee intake after years of high consumption could actually increase your type 2 diabetes risk. This effect isn't seen in tea consumption.

Chlorogenic acid, which is present in both coffee and black tea, helps regulate blood sugar levels and improve lipid metabolism [32,39]. It also enhances our cell’s insulin sensitivity, so insulin can easily transport glucose into the cell for metabolism.

One study says you get to benefit from an 11% decrease in type 2 diabetes risk when you up your coffee intake by more than a cup over a four-year period. Those who made no changes in their coffee intake don’t get the same health benefits [8].

However, decreasing your coffee consumption by about the same amount cancels this benefit. Instead of lowering your type 2 diabetes risk, the change in coffee consumption actually increases your risk by 17% in the subsequent years [8].

Cancer

This round belongs to coffee. Coffee seems to reduce various cancer risks. Tea, on the other hand, appears to be more protective against oral cancer. Some studies also show positive associations between tea and other forms of cancer, but the evidence isn’t convincing enough.

People who regularly drink coffee have a 13% lower cancer occurrence risk than non-coffee drinkers and seldom-coffee drinkers. Increasing coffee consumption by about a cup a day was associated with a 3% reduction in cancer risk [54].

Coffee consumption may help reduce the risk of the following cancers:

• Bladder cancer
• Breast cancer
• Buccal and pharyngeal cancer
• Colorectal cancer
• Endometrial cancer
• Esophageal cancer
• Liver cancer
• Leukemic cancer
• Pancreatic cancer
• Prostate cancer

Tea, on the other hand, showed strongest evidence against oral cancer and suggestive evidence against the following ones [24]:

• Biliary tract cancer
• Breast cancer
• Endometrial cancer
• Liver cancer

Longevity

Caffeine intake, whether it’s from coffee or tea, helps you live longer compared to non-beverage drinkers, but for this category, coffee wins. A study found that consuming a moderate amount of unsweetened coffee (2.5 to 4.5 cups a day) gives you a 29% lower risk of dying from any cause. Even 1.5 cups can already lower your death risk by 21% [29].

On the other hand, drinking two to three cups of tea a day lowers mortality risk by 13%. A cup or less only has a modest 5% reduction in risk [21].

6. Side Effects & Risks

This round goes to tea. Drinking three to four cups of tea a day should be okay and not cause side effects. However, the same amount of coffee in a day might. More than four cups of coffee (> 400 mg of caffeine) could trigger unwanted side effects.

 Overconsumption may result in:

• Headaches and nausea symptoms
• Jitteriness and anxiousness
• Shakiness and trembling of the hands
• Sweaty and clammy skin
• Irritability and mood swings
• Restlessness
• Inability to concentrate and focus
• Increased heart rate and breathing
• Sleep issues
• Caffeine crash and fatigue

Abstaining from coffee also makes you vulnerable to the same symptoms. At least 3 in 10 (31%) coffee drinkers reported they experienced caffeine withdrawal symptoms while abstaining from coffee [13].

Tea can also trigger these side effects. But you’d need to drink a lot in one day to reach the limit of 400 mg of caffeine. That’s about 13.6 cups of green tea or 8.4 cups of black tea in a day!

Related: How to Stop Drinking Coffee

7. Cost per Cup

This round goes to tea if you’re after a less expensive caffeine fix. If you’re one of the 20% of Americans who like simple coffee drinks, then good for you [13]. A cup of Americano and regular coffee in 2024 will cost you an average of around $3.37 and $3.48, respectively. It’s cheaper than regular tea by about $0.14 to $0.25, with tea tagged at around $3.62.

But most Americans prefer their coffee with an additive. At least 68% like sweeteners, and 79% enjoy a creamy cup [13]. If you belong to this group, then you’ll need to shell out a little more cash.

Cappuccino, America’s most popular coffee after regular coffee, costs 1.2 times more than regular tea at around $4.52. A cup of latte costs around $4.87, while mocha is higher at around $5.07.

Even the price of tea can go up with additives, with chai costing you around $4.84.

If you want a cheaper way to get your caffeine fix, choose plain and simple coffee or tea.

Note: the costs-per-cup values were from 2015 and have been adjusted for inflation to reflect 2024 values [36].

8. Origins & History: Coffee vs. Tea

Before we compare coffee and tea, let’s travel back in time and see where our favorite beverages began.

Coffee and tea may have originated from opposite sides of the globe, but both beverages hold significant roles in many cultures.

History of Coffee

Coffee originated in Ethiopia, and we have to thank a goat and its curious herder for that [51].

According to the legend, the herder noticed that his goat became more energetic after eating the berries from a specific tree. Curious, he brought the berries to the local monastery and shared his observation with the abbot.

The abbot, equally curious about the berry’s effects, made a drink from them. To his surprise, the drink kept him awake and fully alert, especially during evening prayers, so he shared it with the other monks.

From that local monastery in Ethiopia, the energizing effects of coffee beans spread to all parts of the world.

History of Tea

Tea, on the other hand, originated in China, and we have to thank a curious emperor who was also a famous herbalist to thank for that [38].

Legend has it that the Chinese Emperor was sitting under the Camellia sinensis tree when a few leaves fell into the boiled drinking water prepared by his servant. The water turned light brown, and as an herbalist, the emperor was naturally curious about the accidental infusion.

He liked the drink and its effects, and pretty soon, tea drinking spread to all parts of China and, after thousands of years, the globe.

9. America’s Favorite Beverage

Neither should have won this round, as it goes to the healthiest beverage of all — water. Water is one beverage we can’t survive without. But for the sake of comparing coffee and tea, this round goes to coffee.

Winner: Coffee

Bottled water is the most consumed beverage in the US, says 2 in 3 (63%) Americans who regularly buy the drink. Coffee comes close at 57%. Tea is the fifth most popular beverage at 48% [10].

World’s Favorite Beverage

Of course, the world’s favorite beverage is the one we can’t live without — water — and we’ve consumed 506 billion kg of bottled water in 2023 [35]. 

Note: this amount is for bottled water only and doesn’t include tap water.

Between coffee and tea, the world consistently consumes more coffee than tea. On average, we’ve consumed 1.6 times more coffee than tea between 2013 and 2023.

In 2023, our coffee consumption was 10.71 billion kg. Global tea consumption, on the other hand, was 40.7% less at 7.09 billion kg [34,44].

That said, here are some interesting tidbits on coffee and tea consumption across 44 selected countries (2023 data) [45,46].

• Globally, the average person consumes 8.2 times more coffee (3.42 kg of coffee) than tea (0.42 kg of tea) annually. Total coffee consumption (148.64 kg per person) worldwide is 6.1 times higher than tea (24.56 kg per person).
• The European region consumes the most coffee, with a total of 116.86 kg sales per person. It’s also the region that consumes the most tea, with a total of 10.56 kg sales per person. A coffee-drinking region, Europe consumes 11.1 times more coffee than tea.
• People living in the Americas buy and consume 4.4 times more coffee (15.79 kg sales per person) than tea (3.60 kg sales per person).
• Asia, the region where tea came from, is surprisingly more of a coffee region than tea (12.15 kg vs 9.72 kg sales per person). Asians drink 1.3 times more coffee than tea.
• We see the same trend in Oceania, with an estimated 3.84 kg of coffee per person versus 0.68 kg of tea per person.
• The Netherlands consumes the most coffee, with each person drinking around 8.11 kg of coffee per year.
• The Netherlands consumes 1.5 times more than Brazil’s 5.36 sales per person, the top coffee-producing country.
• Canadians (5.67 kg per capita) drink 1.6 times more coffee than Americans (3.63 kg per capita). However, both countries drink roughly the same amount of tea: 0.48 kg per person (Canada) vs 0.45 kg per person (United States).
• China, where tea originated, remains a tea-loving country. The country’s tea consumption (1.62 kg per person) is 23.1 times more than its coffee consumption (0.07 kg per person).
• Tea holds a very significant place in Japanese culture, but surprisingly, Japan consumes 2.1 times more coffee (2.01 kg per person) than tea (0.94 kg per person).
• The same trend is also seen in South Korea. While tea ceremonies remain a meaningful part of their culture, South Koreans consume 25.9 times more coffee (1.81 kg per person) than tea (0.07 kg per person).
• Among the 44 selected countries, India drinks the least coffee at only 0.04 kg per person. The country loves Its tea more, with a per-person sales of 0.83 kg.
• It’s surprising that Brazil has the highest tea consumption of 2.52 kg per person among the selected countries. However, Brazil is still a coffee-loving country, consuming 2.1 times more coffee than tea.
• China only comes second to Brazil in tea consumption (1.62 kg sales per person).
• Croatia consumes the least amount of tea, with only 0.02 kg per capita.

The top 10 countries that consume the most coffee are (nine of which are European countries):

• The Netherlands: 8.11 kg per person
• Finland: 7.99 kg per person
• Sweden: 7.09 kg per person
• Denmark: 6.88 kg per person
• Austria: 6.83 kg per person
• Norway: 6.60 kg per person
• Italy: 6.49 kg per person
• Belgium: 5.75 kg per person
• Canada: 5.67 kg per person
• Germany: 5.52 kg per person

The top 10 countries that consume the most tea are (seven of which are Asian countries):

• Brazil: 2.52 kg per person
• China: 1.62 kg per person
• Singapore: 1.25 kg per person
• Hong Kong: 1.21 kg per person
• United Kingdom: 1.19 kg per person
• Thailand: 1.19 kg per person
• Netherlands: 1.10 kg per person
• Malaysia: 1.10 kg per person
• Vietnam: 1.05 kg per person
• Japan: 0.94 kg per person

So, Who Won the Battle of the Brews?

With a total of 6 points, coffee wins the Sip Wars.

Overall Winner: Coffee

It was a standoff in the Flavor profile category, but coffee outperformed tea in the Caffeine, Health Benefits, and Popularity categories. Coffee has higher caffeine (no surprise there!), antioxidants, fiber, and total polyphenol content. It’s the best beverage that supports a healthy gut and heart, and it can positively benefit more cancer types than tea.

But when it comes to relaxation, stress relief, mental focus, alertness, and sleep, then hats off to tea! It does the job just right without affecting your sleep or triggering side effects.

Tea, it seems, may also be excellent for people with diabetes and oral cancer.

But overall, the whole world consumes more coffee than tea.

Whether you're Team Joe or Team Chai, know that regular consumption of these beverages lowers your mortality risk compared to non-beverage drinkers.

And that makes all of you a winner.

FAQs: Coffee vs Tea

We’ve prepared this FAQ for those who want to get to the meat of the coffee vs tea debate. You’ll also learn a thing or two about the topic.

1. Which has more antioxidants, coffee or tea?

Both coffee and tea contain an abundance of antioxidants. But of the two, coffee has 1.7 to 2.5 times more antioxidants than tea.

2. How does the caffeine in coffee compare to that in tea?

Coffee is stronger than tea. On average, coffee has nearly three times more caffeine than green tea and twice as much as black tea.

2. Which has more calories, coffee or tea?

Both plain black coffee and plain tea contain around one calorie. If you're fasting, a cup or two of these beverages won’t break your fast. You still get to enjoy your favorite beverage, whether it’s your fasting window or eating window.

Flavored coffee and tea will, of course, have more calories. The more additives they have, the more the calories pile up. 

Related: How Many Calories in Coffee?

4. Can coffee or tea help with weight loss?

Yes, both beverages could help with weight loss. You could benefit from a 4% reduction in body fat when you drink four cups of coffee a day [15].

Four cups of green tea a day also reduced body weight and body mass index of type 2 diabetes patients by 1.8% each. Waist circumference also decreased by 4.5% [31].

Both beverages help suppress appetite, boost metabolism, and burn more calories. But consuming coffee or tea alone should not be enough. You have to get your muscles moving and your heart pumping to truly enjoy healthy weight loss, then top it off with a good diet, of course!

5. What is the best time to drink coffee or tea?

Coffee is an ideal morning beverage. It’s a stronger stimulant that gives you that extra kick you need to start your day. But for late afternoon beverages, especially when you want to relax, choose tea. It has caffeine, yes, but thanks to L-theanine, tea won't significantly affect the quality of your sleep.

Related: Best Time to Drink Coffee

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