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Sometimes, I just need it. Caffeine. Without it, at times, I’m fearfully rendered a cranky monster or a walking zombie; it’s not a pretty picture.
As an add ict in the first phase (I will eagerly admit it)—I’ve put together a guide to tea’s best adrenalin suppliers to de-crank anyone. Caffeine-addicts unite! (I know, I’ve got to work on that slogan…)
First up, the myth and the debate: black tea vs. green tea. Which contains the highest caffeine per serving? As health experts seem to always say, it depends. The variables are not complex in this case, but indeed many, the answer lies in the way the tea is seeped (the more time, the more caffeine) and the type of leaf used (the smaller the bud, the stronger the buzz). In the caffeine calculation, where the tea is grown, the type of leaf cut and the length of the tea’s fermentation (again, the greater the time, the higher the caffeine percentage) also factor into the equation to determine the ultimate caffeine content. This is all to say, it’s variable, but below is a rough outline of the target numbers.
Black tea, usually, contains on average 40 milligrams of caffeine per serving, just five short of a can of Coke. Oolong tea ranks second with 30 milligrams. Green tea falls next with 20 and white tea rounds out the last of the caffeinated teas with 15. Essentially, all teas that come from the Camellia sinensis plant (this excludes herbal infusion teas because they do not actually come from the plant and are not technically tea) contain some traces of caffeine, even if they have been decaffeinated; the process only removes most, not all caffeine (up to .4% may remain). Yet still, it’s important to state that with all the factors to consider, this is not to say that a white tea couldn’t jump a black tea in caffeine content; these are just the averages.
Is there any harm to drinking caffeine? Of course. Too much of anything can be bad, but like most other pleasures in life, moderation is the key. If your caffeine habits are obsessive, but also perfectly normal, research has shown that caffeine consumption poses no connected health risks. And remember, even if you drink several pots of tea a day, black, green or oolong, tea only contains half the caffeine that coffee holds (a serving can range from 40-170 milligrams). So, have no fear caffeine addicts, tea is always here.
If you are looking for a tea that really perks you up, try this one—Yunnan Golden Buds (the multiple small buds give the tea its robust character).
Looking for a way to relieve puffy eyes after a night of little to no sleep?
Luckily, your used tea bags can help sooth and reduce under eye bags and dark circles.
Use a loose leaf tea pouch to brew your tea. After making your tea, take the moist tea bag and let it cool. Once the tea bag becomes cold, let the bag rest on your eyes for ten to fifteen minutes, then discard.
You might look/ feel silly, but the tea bags really do have health properties!
Only caffeinated tea bags work, and they do so because they contain an astringent called tannin. The tannin constricts your blood vessels and encourages extra liquids to flush out of your skin.
Some people prefer warm tea bags for the comfort they provide, but cold tea bags will act faster to reduce swollen under eyes.
So go on, try it! I know some days I need a way to feel a little more refreshed!
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Ask any college student what they drink to stay awake and you’re likely to hear either “favorite energy drink – it wakes me up instantly,” or “coffee - it tastes good and keeps me up,” or sometimes, “any caffeine-loaded drink I can find that will keep me awake long enough to finish this assignment.”
Being a college student, I can understand the need for caffeine, especially when working on a long paper the night before it’s due. Caffeine is an essential for early morning classes or a quick pick-me-up after a long night working on homework that was forgotten until the absolute last minute.
Tea is a cheaper, healthier and better source of caffeine for the body than coffee or energy drinks. For the same price as a Starbucks’ coffee, you can buy 20 tea bags and make tea to your heart’s content. The caffeine in tea compared to energy drinks gives you the same boost, but lets your body down easier.
Need a pick me up after a hard class? Black tea works wonders.
Tired and ready to go to bed, but can’t seem to relax? Or need to stay up a little bit more, but don’t want a lot of caffeine in your system? Green tea will perk you up for a little bit, then ease you down gently. Jasmine green in particular works if you are stressed.
Even if you don’t have a stove, you can still make tea. Just pop a mug of water in your microwave and heat to your desired temperature. I like to heat my tea up for a minute and twenty seconds, making it hot enough to allow the tea bag to soak easily, but not hot enough to make me wait a long time for it to cool down.
If you’re on a tight budget or don’t want to waste tea bags, you can make multiple cups of tea out of one tea bag: just leave the bag in the cup while you drink, pour water over it when done and reheat.
You don’t have to spend a lot of money for your caffeine fix, or hurt your body with powerful jolts of caffeine that make you crash later. Tea is the obvious choice for saving your health and your money.
I recently turned 23, I know, I’m still very young (or at least I hope that’s what you’re thinking). Yet still, no matter the age, birthdays always get me thinking about the past and what I want to happen in the future, before the next tick mark, 24. And as so, I’ve created a system, perhaps stolen from another, 23 things to do before 24.
It’s a list I put heavy thought into, much differently than my usual daily to-do jots. Among this year’s list: learn more about tea, become proficient in Spanish (as I’m moving to Spain next fall), keep studying Chinese, maintain target weight, run a marathon.
Perhaps I’m a goal-oriented nut, I’ll admit it. But as I can see, whether New Year’s resolutions (or birthday), it never hurts to have that extra boost to accomplish them. As I was searching for motivational training programs, I found the perfect one, runner or not.
Hidden within Runner’s World’s online site, an article zinged my attention: Fall Marathon Guide: A Better Buzz. Its tease—a boost without a burn. I clicked without a pause.
The focus was tea and its energy boost, for the runner, a great motivational force. In fact, as they state, caffeine found in tea helps enhance performance—increasing endurance, improving alertness, and simply making running feel easier. Plus, tea, unlike coffee or energy drinks, lacks acid or carbonation, and therefore is easier on the stomach pre-race and always. This, in addition to the many other health benefits tea brings over other caffeine-stimulants; in my case, helping aid me in another bonus resolution, my campaign to maintain target weight.
What else? As Runner’s World states, the way you prepare your tea also helps determines the ultimate benefit of your brew of tea. In terms of antioxidants, loose-leaf fares better than bagged, plain tea over that with milk has more benefits, surprisingly, and hot is better than cold for your health, though all are small and negligible.
However, as Jeffrey Blumberg, Ph.D. a nutrition professor of Tufts University said in the article and seems pertinent here, “The best tea in the world is the tea you like the best because then you’ll drink it often, and the more tea you drink, the better it is for your health.”
So, a toast to resolutions, kept or not—I raise my mug of green tea. And if you’re looking for more, Runner’s World included something beyond, a smoothie recipe with tea. Drink up!
Green Goddess smoothie
Though if you’re going to go that extra mile (perhaps literally), why not choose the best for you, loose-leaf!
2 heaping tsps green tea
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup cold, filtered water
1/2 teaspoon ginger, peeled and grated
Juice of 1/4 grapefruit
1/16 Serrano chili, diced
1/4 medium ripe avocado
1/2 cup simple syrup
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 cup ice
 Midterms are, once again, upon many college students across the nation and while many are grabbing coffee and energy drinks to keep them focused all through the night, I’m personally reaching for tea.
Now some of you may wonder how tea can even COMPARE to a product such as Five-Hour Energy when students are looking for that extra boost. While tea is not filled with the same caffeine that students think they are looking for, it IS filled with many values that energy drinks, soda, and coffee can’t even compare to.
Currently my top teas of choice during these next few stressful and demanding weeks are:
• Herbal Tea: Now, I don’t know about you, but when I am stressed out and not getting a lot of sleep or eating as well as I can (library café food anyone?), I tend to get sick. This tea is a life and sanity saver. I drink this tea twice a day—in the morning and in the evening in addition to taking my vitamins to give myself that extra protection against germs and mental breakdowns. I recommend this tea to be the backbone to any student’s midterm/final week diet to give them an even better chance at success.
• Vanilla Bean Honeybush: I have always been a lover of vanilla—no it is not the boring flavor of ice cream, it is the delicious one! I naturally had to try this tea out based on the fact that it is, well, made from vanilla beans. This all natural and antioxidant rich tea comes from the Cape Region of South Africa where it is said to help you “laugh more” and “you will look at your watch less.” Who could ask for a better remedy for headaches, deadlines, and panic-attacks?
• Rooibos: While many students are wanting to jam as much information into their brains as possible, or pull an all-nighter putting the finishing touches on that paper, it’s SO important to get restful sleep. Sleeping has always been one of my biggest foes and I’m constantly struggling with it—it’s very much a love/hate relationship. During midterms and exam time I reach for this dream saver. With the peaceful and relaxing qualities of rooibos and chamomile, you can’t help but let your eyelids get droopy.
• Silver Needle White Tea: My all-time favorite kind of tea. After completing that exhausting paper or conquering that grueling 200-question exam, I like to treat myself to some of the finest tea in the brew family. Not only is it’s taste smooth, exquisite and appreciated by many tea connoisseurs all over the world, but this tea is also believed to help fight against cancer. I cannot help but feel at peace and comforted while drinking this tea, which is exactly what I need after pushing myself towards that midterm finish line.
 Other universal benefits of drinking tea over caffeinated drinks during tense periods:
- NO sugar: The sugar in energy drinks and soda will cause many of their users to crash.
- Little to NO caffeine: While some people need a little bit of caffeine to help put that pep in their step, there are various types of tea that can still provide that energy boost without the effects of caffeine.
- Hydration: Tea will help to keep you hydrated while energy drinks contain more elements that PREVENT hydration of the body.
- Future health: Tea has been credited with helping fight against cancer...now who can tell me an energy drink or soda that has been credited with that?
Now I hope that my love for tea during midterm and finals season are beneficial for other students, but I must get back to my studies since it is that time of year. ::sigh::
So next time you need that extra OOMPH to finish that assignment, grab some tea over that Five-Hour Energy!
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