Coffee, tea, and the ingredient introspective of Tim Milhorn

Coffee, tea, and me.

My dad drank instant coffee with “cream,” usually Carnation evaporated milk out of a can, and two heaping teaspoons of sugar. On occasion, he’d let me have a sip of the forbidden brew (It will stunt your growth!). Those sips were heaven to a little kid who wanted to be like dad. Later on, after a trip to Shubert’s in Chico, I discovered coffee ice cream; it tasted almost exactly like my dad’s coffee. I loved it!

However, coffee ice cream was on the “only once in awhile list” because (gasp!) it had coffee in it. I felt lucky to get those occasional scoops on a sugar cone, and I still enjoy coffee ice cream today. But the coffee I used to drink was a far cry from the coffee my dad drank. My taste ran to the fresh-ground French-pressed with no sweetener variety. While I did use real cream when in a coffeehouse, I flavored my brew with almond or oat milk. Sadly, due to health reasons, I eventually gave up coffee and switched to green tea. The reason? Caffeine.

The strong coffee I enjoyed had way too much caffeine, and it triggered tachycardia on occasion. My doctor suggested the switch to green tea, so here we are. People argue over the benefits of coffee and green tea, but just how do they compare? For me, the switch to green tea was easy. It provided caffeine, and I enjoyed the taste. However, were the alleged benefits actually that good? For years, coffee was portrayed as the villain and green tea the healthy option. However, recent studies have shown coffee is beneficial, and, of course, the biggest negative difference is caffeine content. Green tea has about a third of the amount of caffeine per cup as coffee, about 30 milligrams vs 96.

Coffee is actually healthier than you might realize. It is rich in antioxidants that purportedly help protect against Type-2 diabetes, Parkinson’s, heart attack, stroke, and certain cancers. The caffeine content will give you a needed boost and help with concentration. Green tea is loaded with antioxidants that help your body detox, slow aging, and it has L-theanine, an amino acid which boosts dopamine and reduces anxiety.

Caffeine has been the go-to breakfast drink for hundreds of years in America, while tea, both black and green, is associated with the British Isles and Asia. Each country loves its morning cuppa, and it is difficult to get people to change; it’s almost impossible to get them to stop drinking caffeinated beverages altogether. But beware: quitting caffeine abruptly can lead to headaches and other withdrawal symptoms such as fatigue, muscle pain, and even flu-like symptoms.

Do I miss coffee? Heck yeah! But I don’t miss the anxiety of coffee triggering a potential atrial fibrillation event that can cause a trip to the hospital. I’m not here to advocate coffee or tea. I say drink what you like best! Just like anything these days, drink it in moderation.