Is coffee better than tea

neither.. both will make illness in future...

i LIVE off of dunkin donut's coffee

yum

tea is prolly better FOR YOU.
but i like coffee.

You know what I think? I think hot cocoa is better than all of that! It's way more relaxing, and tastes better too. Oh an to what that other guy said, everything causes illness in the future, including breathing.

I drink more tea than coffee.

I prefer tea...but then I was raised on it. no one in my family drank coffee that I recall.

I prefer tea because coffee makes me sick. Coffee is good though I like the taste. I wish I could drink coffee without getting sick.

Tea has been one of the daily necessities in China since time immemorial. Countless numbers of people like to have their aftermeal cup of tea.In summer or warm climate, tea seems to dispel the heat and bring on instant cool together with a feeling of relaxation. For this reason, tea-houses abound in towns and market villages in South China and provide elderly retirees with the locales to meet and chat over a cup of tea.Medically, the tea leaf contains a number of chemicals, of which 20-30% is tannic acid, known for its anti-inflammatory and germicidal properties. It also contains an alkaloid (5%, mainly caffeine), a stimulant for the nerve centre and the process of metabolism. Tea with the aromatics in it may help resolve meat and fat and thus promote digestion. It is, therefore, of special importance to people who live mainly on meat, like many of the ethnic minorities in China. A popular proverb among them says, "Rather go without salt for three days than without tea for a single day."Tea is also rich in various vitamins and, for smokers, it helps to discharge nicotine out of the system. After wining, strong tea may prove to be a sobering pick-me-up.The above, however, does not go to say that the stronger the tea, the more advantages it will yield. Too much tannic acid will affect the secretion of the gastric juice, irritate the membrane of the stomach and cause indigestion or constipation. Strong tea taken just before bedtime will give rise to occasional insomnia. Constant drinking of over-strong tea may induce heart and blood-pressure disorders in some people, and put a brown colour on the teeth of young people. But it is not difficult to ward off these undesirable effects: just don't make your tea too strong.

Tea is the second most popular beverage in the world (the most popular is water). It is made by steeping processed leaves, buds or twigs of the tea bush Camellia sinensis in hot water for a few minutes. The processing can include oxidation (fermentation), heating, drying and the addition of other herbs, flowers, spices and fruits. There are four types of true tea: black tea, oolong tea, green tea, and white tea. Tea is a natural source of caffeine, theophylline, and antioxidants, although it has almost no fat, carbohydrates, or protein. It has a cooling, slightly bitter and astringent taste. Iced Tea has been popular in North America since the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.

The term herbal tea usually refers to infusions of fruit or herbs such as rosehip tea, chamomile tea and Jiaogulan that contain no tea leaves. Alternative terms for herbal tea that avoid the misleading word "tea" are tisane and herbal infusion. This article is concerned exclusively with preparations and uses of the tea plant Camellia sinensis.

SO I LOVE TEA!

In the wild, the tea plant Camellia sinensis may grow from 5 to 15 m, and sometimes even to 30 m.[1] The natural distribution consists of the foothills of the Himalayas, from northeast India to southwest China,[2] areas with subtropical monsoon climates with wet and hot summers and relatively cold and dry winters.[3] Today, it is cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions. In tropical regions, the best conditions are at higher altitudes. Important tea producing regions are mainland China, Taiwan, India, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Japan, Indonesia, Nepal and Bangladesh. (In the tea trade, Sri Lanka and Taiwan are still referred to by their former names of Ceylon and Formosa, respectively.) Recently the Tregothnan Estate in Cornwall, England has started growing tea.[4] Tea has also been cultivated in the United States since 1744. (See Tea production in United States).

Cultivated tea shrubs are usually trimmed to below 2 m (six feet) to stimulate the growth of leaves and to ease plucking. Many insects, including green leafhoppers, mites, caterpillars, and termites, are natural enemies of tea plants.

Several varieties of Camellia sinensis are used for tea making, among them the Assam, China, Hong Kong and Cambodian varieties that differ in flavour, preferred climate and soil, and growing habit (some are shrubs, some trees).

About 3.2 million tonnes of tea were produced worldwide in 2004.[5] India, China, Sri Lanka and Kenya (in descending order) are the most prolific producers of tea leaves. [6]


World tea production by country in 2004, according to Food and Agriculture Organization estimates.[edit]
Processing and classification
The types of tea are distinguished by their processing. Leaves of Camellia sinensis, if not dried quickly after picking, soon begin to wilt and oxidize. This process resembles the malting of barley, in that starch is converted into sugars; the leaves turn progressively darker, as chlorophyll breaks down and tannins are released. The next step in processing is to stop the oxidation process at a predetermined stage by removing the water from the leaves via heating.

The term fermentation was used (probably by wine fanciers) to describe this process, and has stuck, even though no true fermentation happens (i.e. the process is not driven by microbes and produces no ethanol). Without careful moisture and temperature control, however, fungi will grow on tea. The fungi cause real fermentation which will contaminate the tea with toxic and carcinogenic substances, so that the tea must be discarded.

Tea is traditionally classified based on the degree or period of fermentation (oxidation) the leaves have undergone:

White tea
Young leaves (new growth buds) that have undergone no oxidation; the buds may be shielded from sunlight to prevent formation of chlorophyll. White tea is produced in lesser quantities than most of the other styles, and can be correspondingly more expensive than tea from the same plant processed by other methods. It is also less well-known in countries outside of China, though this is changing with the introduction of white tea in bagged form.
Green tea
The oxidation process is stopped after a minimal amount of oxidation by application of heat; either with steam, a traditional Japanese method; or by dry cooking in hot pans, the traditional Chinese method. Tea leaves may be left to dry as separate leaves or rolled into small pellets to make gun-powder tea. The latter process is time-consuming and is typically done only with pekoes of higher quality. The tea is processed within one to two days of harvesting.
Oolong
Oxidation is stopped somewhere between the standards for green tea and black tea. The oxidation process will take two to three days.
Black tea/Red tea
The tea leaves are allowed to completely oxidize. Black tea is the most common form of tea in southern Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan etc) and in the last century many African countries including Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, Malawi and Zimbabwe. The literal translation of the Chinese word is red tea, which may be used by some tea-lovers. The Chinese call it red tea because the actual tea liquid is red. Westerners call it black tea because the tea leaves used to brew it are usually black. However, red tea may also refer to rooibos, an increasingly popular South African tisane. The oxidation process will take around two weeks and up to one month. Black tea is further classified as either orthodox or CTC (Crush, Tear, Curl, a production method developed about 1932). Unblended black teas are also identified by the estate they come from, their year and the flush (first, second or autumn). Orthodox and CTC teas are further graded according to the post-production leaf quality by the Orange Pekoe system.
Pu-erh
(also known as Póu léi (Polee) in Cantonese), Two forms of pu-erh teas are available, "raw" and "cooked". "Raw" or "green" pu-erh may be consumed young or aged to further mature. During the aging process, the tea undergoes a second, microbial fermentation. "Cooked" pu-erh is made from green pu-erh leaf that has been artificially oxidized to approximate the flavour of the natural aging process. This is done through a controlled process similar to composting, where both the moisture and temperature of the tea are carefully monitored. Both types of pu-erh tea are usually compressed into various shapes including bricks, discs, bowls, or mushrooms. Compression occurs to start the second oxidation/fermentation process, as only compressed forms of pu-erh will age. While most teas are consumed within a year of production, pu-erh can be aged for many years to improve its flavour, up to 30 to 50 years for raw pu-erh and 10 to 15 years for cooked pu-erh, although experts and aficionados disagree about what the optimal age is to stop the aging process. Most often, pu-erh is steeped for up to five minutes in boiling water. Additionally, Some Tibetans use pu-erh as a caloric food, boiled with yak butter, sugar and salt to make yak butter tea. Teas that undergo a second oxidation, such as pu-erh and liu bao, are collectively referred to as black tea in Chinese. This is not to be confused with the English term Black tea, which is known in Chinese as "red Tea".
Yellow tea
Either used as a name of high-quality tea served at the Imperial court, or of special tea processed similarly to green tea, but with a slower drying phase.
Kukicha
Also called winter tea, kukicha is made from twigs and old leaves pruned from the tea plant during its dormant season and dry-roasted over a fire. It is popular as a health food in Japan and in macrobiotic diets.
Genmaicha
literally "brown rice tea" in Japanese, a green tea blended with dry-roasted brown rice (sometimes including popped rice), very popular in Japan but also drunk in China.
Flower Tea
Teas processed or brewed with flowers; typically, each flower goes with a specific category of tea, such as green or red tea. The most famous flower tea is jasmine tea ( H­eung Pín in Cantonese, Hua Chá, simply flower tea, in Mandarin), a green or oolong tea scented (or brewed) with jasmine flowers. Rose, lotus, lychee, and chrysanthemum are also popular flowers.

Da Hong Pao tea an Oolong tea

Fuding Bai Hao Yinzhen tea, a white tea

Green Pu-erh tuo cha, a type of compressed raw pu-erh

Huoshan Huangya tea a Yellow tea


Tea is sometimes classified by its health-related properties. For instance, teas good for weight loss include all green teas in the broadest sense, including white and yellow teas, and even pu-erh teas (which can look brown). Different types of teas in China are associated with different balances of yin and yang. Green teas tend to be yin, black and red teas tend to be yang, and Oolong teas tends to be balanced. Brown Pu-erh tea is usually yang, and is sometimes mixed with yin-energy chrysanthemum flowers to balance it. Chinese people will often choose which tea to drink based on the yin-yang nature of a season, or based on a recommendation from a Chinese doctor (TCM).

[edit]
Blending and additives

Tea weighing station north of Batumi, before 1915Main article: Tea blending and additives
Almost all teas in tea-bags and most other teas sold in England are blends. Blending may occur at the level of tea-planting area (e.g., Assam), or teas from many areas may be blended. The aim of blending is a stable taste over different years, and a better price. More expensive, better tasting tea may cover the inferior taste of cheaper tea.

There are various teas which have additives and/or different processing than "pure" varieties. Tea is able to easily receive any aroma, which may cause problems in processing, transportation or storage of tea, but can be also advantageously used to prepare scented teas.Whereas pure tea is known to have cool effects in summer whereas has so

related resource: tropical flowers

i think both are bad... but wld say tea relatively better thn coffee..