What will happen if I switch from tea to coffee?
February 20, 2023 12:24 AM
I've never been a coffee drinker, but I may have to become, as I've noticed a profound impact of caffeine on my productivity. I generally drink a cup of green tea or yerba matte every morning. Please indulge my curiousity: What will happen if I replace this with 1-2 shots of moka-pot espresso in a cup of milk?
I'm just curious about all kinds of consequences this might have. Eg. a small increase in calories from the milk (can't stomach black coffee), potential sleep disruption, increased/decreased health benefits?
I don't drink coffee after 9am, as it messes up my sleep cycle too much (bedtime at 10pm, alarm at 6am). I don't add any sugar to my café au lait. I eat breakfast 0.5-2 hours after drinking the coffee.
I'm just curious about all kinds of consequences this might have. Eg. a small increase in calories from the milk (can't stomach black coffee), potential sleep disruption, increased/decreased health benefits?
I don't drink coffee after 9am, as it messes up my sleep cycle too much (bedtime at 10pm, alarm at 6am). I don't add any sugar to my café au lait. I eat breakfast 0.5-2 hours after drinking the coffee.
Figure you’ll get around 100 mg of caffeine from two ounces of moka pot coffee, whereas eight ounces of green tea is around 28 mg of caffeine and the same volume of yerba mate is around 80 mg of caffeine.
posted by slkinsey at 5:25 AM on February 20, 2023
posted by slkinsey at 5:25 AM on February 20, 2023
My experience becoming a regular coffee drinker around age 30:
* Slight increase in calories from milk and sugar. That wasn't significant when I was 30, but now in my later 40s, it has more impact.
* Increased focus. This was more notable when I was 30 than it is these days, though there may be confounding factors in that.
* At first, some shakiness and racing heart kind of stuff, but that evened out quickly. Unless I'm so foolish as to have it later in the day. (Same thing with caffeinated soda.)
* Changes to digestion.
* I have spent more money on various kinds of coffee and coffee apparatus. Moka pot, then Mr. Coffee, and these days a Chemex. I also drink herbal tea, and the comparison is stark. I could have spent as much money on costly tea and tea apparatus, but I did spend more money on coffee at home and out than I did on tea.
* I developed a modest level of appreciation for different grinds, roasts, etc. This had the dual effect of increasing my interest and pleasure in good coffee... and causing minor irritation at bad or truly bad coffee. Overall a net pleasure
posted by cupcakeninja at 5:32 AM on February 20, 2023
* Slight increase in calories from milk and sugar. That wasn't significant when I was 30, but now in my later 40s, it has more impact.
* Increased focus. This was more notable when I was 30 than it is these days, though there may be confounding factors in that.
* At first, some shakiness and racing heart kind of stuff, but that evened out quickly. Unless I'm so foolish as to have it later in the day. (Same thing with caffeinated soda.)
* Changes to digestion.
* I have spent more money on various kinds of coffee and coffee apparatus. Moka pot, then Mr. Coffee, and these days a Chemex. I also drink herbal tea, and the comparison is stark. I could have spent as much money on costly tea and tea apparatus, but I did spend more money on coffee at home and out than I did on tea.
* I developed a modest level of appreciation for different grinds, roasts, etc. This had the dual effect of increasing my interest and pleasure in good coffee... and causing minor irritation at bad or truly bad coffee. Overall a net pleasure
posted by cupcakeninja at 5:32 AM on February 20, 2023
I made this switch some years ago myself.
- Depending on how much caffeine you're taking in now you might feel "overclocked" or jittery when switching directly to coffee. Feeling really overcaffeinated is not pleasant. Start slowly and ramp up.
- Output of the digestive process might, um, accelerate.
- I have a cup of coffee in the morning and then switch to herbal tea to prolong that "comforting morning hot beverage" feeling.
- I have to be really strict about limiting coffee to 2x a day and never after 3pm. Otherwise, it's basically a coin toss whether I will get a decent amount of sleep that night. Sometimes it's completely fine! And sometimes I could be wide awake at 3am.
- My tastes in coffee have changed over time for reasons that are not clear to me. I preferred drip coffee with a splash of cream for a while, then plain black pour-over, now espresso drinks with foamed (oat) milk.
- I had been pretty interested in tea drinking as a hobby, trying different varieties and brewing methods and such. I developed the same level of interest in coffee and get a lot of enjoyment out of it. Tea accessories are almost always more charming than coffee accessories though.
posted by 4rtemis at 5:57 AM on February 20, 2023
- Depending on how much caffeine you're taking in now you might feel "overclocked" or jittery when switching directly to coffee. Feeling really overcaffeinated is not pleasant. Start slowly and ramp up.
- Output of the digestive process might, um, accelerate.
- I have a cup of coffee in the morning and then switch to herbal tea to prolong that "comforting morning hot beverage" feeling.
- I have to be really strict about limiting coffee to 2x a day and never after 3pm. Otherwise, it's basically a coin toss whether I will get a decent amount of sleep that night. Sometimes it's completely fine! And sometimes I could be wide awake at 3am.
- My tastes in coffee have changed over time for reasons that are not clear to me. I preferred drip coffee with a splash of cream for a while, then plain black pour-over, now espresso drinks with foamed (oat) milk.
- I had been pretty interested in tea drinking as a hobby, trying different varieties and brewing methods and such. I developed the same level of interest in coffee and get a lot of enjoyment out of it. Tea accessories are almost always more charming than coffee accessories though.
posted by 4rtemis at 5:57 AM on February 20, 2023
Coffee has health benefits; there have been a few recent studies that are quite clear; coffee is good for your liver, reduces chances of type 2 diabetes, anti-inflammatory, etc. I would not start with 2 shots; I'd start with 1 and work up to 2. I drink 2 1/2 cups of coffee a day, always stopping by 2.30 pm, so my sleep isn't affected. I have ADD and can't take meds; coffee does a pretty good job of helping my brain manage all the stuff life throws at it. I feel sluggish and foggy before coffee, normal after the 1st cup, better after the 2nd. A few calories from milk are balanced by accelerated energy from caffeine.
I encounter a certain puritanical disapproval of coffee from judgmental people, but the benefits are very well documented.
posted by theora55 at 9:10 AM on February 20, 2023
I encounter a certain puritanical disapproval of coffee from judgmental people, but the benefits are very well documented.
posted by theora55 at 9:10 AM on February 20, 2023
I would suggest going slowly. Try the 1 shot of espresso for a few days, see if it's sufficient AND that it isn't too much, before trying 2. Remember that even thought the effects of a substance can feel immediate, the body may need more time to adapt, for you to really get a holistic sense of what its effect is on you.
Admittedly I'm biased; I for years was OBSESSED over coffee and espresso, and definitely abused the high I would get from it (I live with Bipolar disorder), then finally discovered/admitted I'm way too sensitive to (or likely to abuse) it. I do recall having some positive experiences from taking a small amount of L-Theanine while taking coffee; it seemed to even out the experience, make it a bit less spikey. I'm back on matcha green tea and loving it. Occasionally I fall off the wagon and try an espresso, but it's a great high followed by a longer low. Booooo.
Re: not being able to stomach black coffee. I had this problem too. I found that lighter roasts were harder on my stomach than darker roasts. I remember reading that darker roasts affect the bean chemically such that the extract is much less acidic, hence less stomach irritation. So even if you don't use espresso (a good espresso roast shouldn't bother your stomach at all), you might find a regular coffee roast that's dark enough to not irritate your stomach.
posted by armoir from antproof case at 9:49 AM on February 20, 2023
Admittedly I'm biased; I for years was OBSESSED over coffee and espresso, and definitely abused the high I would get from it (I live with Bipolar disorder), then finally discovered/admitted I'm way too sensitive to (or likely to abuse) it. I do recall having some positive experiences from taking a small amount of L-Theanine while taking coffee; it seemed to even out the experience, make it a bit less spikey. I'm back on matcha green tea and loving it. Occasionally I fall off the wagon and try an espresso, but it's a great high followed by a longer low. Booooo.
Re: not being able to stomach black coffee. I had this problem too. I found that lighter roasts were harder on my stomach than darker roasts. I remember reading that darker roasts affect the bean chemically such that the extract is much less acidic, hence less stomach irritation. So even if you don't use espresso (a good espresso roast shouldn't bother your stomach at all), you might find a regular coffee roast that's dark enough to not irritate your stomach.
posted by armoir from antproof case at 9:49 AM on February 20, 2023
You might experience some relatively short-term benefits from the added caffeine, but you will develop a tolerance. Eventually, the caffeine will just restore you back to your normal baseline, rather than giving you an added boost. And if you don't drink the coffee, you will be operating below baseline. This is all assuming that you drink the coffee every day, or nearly so. If you do it only on occasion, you won't develop the tolerance, or at least not as quickly.
posted by alex1965 at 10:02 AM on February 20, 2023
posted by alex1965 at 10:02 AM on February 20, 2023
I did this switch in reverse — I used to drink 1-2 cups of coffee regularly, and I switched to green tea (sencha with matcha) — so perhaps my experience will be useful to you.
1. Coffee caused me dependency in a way that green tea never has. If I forget to drink my cup of green tea in the morning, I may be slightly less productive that day. But if I ever failed to drink my cup of coffee (for instance, if I was on the road or very busy in the morning), I would have splitting headaches and very foggy brain all day long.
2. With coffee, waking up in the morning was difficult and I definitely had withdrawal symptoms (mild headache, crankiness, brain fog) until I got my first cup in me. I needed the coffee just to get me back to baseline. This has not been the case with tea.
3. In the early days, coffee gave me a stronger boost in the morning and a bigger crash in the afternoon (note that I also stopped drinking coffee after 9am to prevent sleep disruption). Mornings felt more productive and turbo-charged. By about 3pm, I found I was really dragging. However, over time, the morning boost went away (aka I developed tolerance), and the afternoon crash remained. This has not been the case for me with tea.
4. Perhaps related to all of the above, I was obsessed with coffee in a way I haven’t been with tea. I thought a lot about the best way to brew it, how to make sure I had it on hand, the flavor and smell of it, etc. I spent a fair amount on coffee equipment, too.
5. Coffee definitely had effects on my digestion (not necessarily a bad thing, just noticeable).
6. Coffee seemed to make my breath and body odor a bit more pungent.
I’m not here to judge anyone for their coffee — I drank it and loved it for many years. But switching to tea has worked better for my mind and body.
posted by ourobouros at 10:27 AM on February 20, 2023
1. Coffee caused me dependency in a way that green tea never has. If I forget to drink my cup of green tea in the morning, I may be slightly less productive that day. But if I ever failed to drink my cup of coffee (for instance, if I was on the road or very busy in the morning), I would have splitting headaches and very foggy brain all day long.
2. With coffee, waking up in the morning was difficult and I definitely had withdrawal symptoms (mild headache, crankiness, brain fog) until I got my first cup in me. I needed the coffee just to get me back to baseline. This has not been the case with tea.
3. In the early days, coffee gave me a stronger boost in the morning and a bigger crash in the afternoon (note that I also stopped drinking coffee after 9am to prevent sleep disruption). Mornings felt more productive and turbo-charged. By about 3pm, I found I was really dragging. However, over time, the morning boost went away (aka I developed tolerance), and the afternoon crash remained. This has not been the case for me with tea.
4. Perhaps related to all of the above, I was obsessed with coffee in a way I haven’t been with tea. I thought a lot about the best way to brew it, how to make sure I had it on hand, the flavor and smell of it, etc. I spent a fair amount on coffee equipment, too.
5. Coffee definitely had effects on my digestion (not necessarily a bad thing, just noticeable).
6. Coffee seemed to make my breath and body odor a bit more pungent.
I’m not here to judge anyone for their coffee — I drank it and loved it for many years. But switching to tea has worked better for my mind and body.
posted by ourobouros at 10:27 AM on February 20, 2023
Coffee and tea have different types of alkaloid stimulants, and over time I tend to see patients develop a habit based on the feedback they get from either, depending on the 'buzz' they get. It is not a straightforward caffeine effect. For me the most potent effect is using coffee combined with cocoa (ie a mocha) but all you can do is start playing around and see what gives you the most impact for your particular brain chemistry.
posted by docpops at 12:13 PM on February 20, 2023
posted by docpops at 12:13 PM on February 20, 2023
I forgot one thing-- coffee that isn't run through a paper filter has cafestol, which is a substance that acts like cholesterol. It can raise serum cholesterol, but as I understand it, the jury is still out as to whether that's a problem (and how dietary cholesterol and serum cholesterol works in the body is very individual.) If you're drinking an animal milk, you're also getting cholesterol there. But milk can be a fine food for health (protein, calcium, and so on) again depending on your overall diet.
This is one of those dietary choices that you can try out for six months and see what happens-- it will neither make nor mar you in that time so you can see how it agrees with you. If you decide it's too much caffeine, you can always cut it with decaf or switch.
posted by blnkfrnk at 6:05 PM on February 20, 2023
This is one of those dietary choices that you can try out for six months and see what happens-- it will neither make nor mar you in that time so you can see how it agrees with you. If you decide it's too much caffeine, you can always cut it with decaf or switch.
posted by blnkfrnk at 6:05 PM on February 20, 2023
I don't know what 'moka pot espresso' is, and generally for starting out I'd say don't go straight to espresso grind, but that's your call. I am here for a different reason: coffee is somewhat bitter. Please resist the temptation to add a lot of sugar to offset the bitterness. I started drinking coffee as a young programmer because wages were low then and coffee was the cheapest thing to drink in the cafeteria on breaks. I didn't like the taste, so I added a lot of sugar.
Big mistake! My dental health declined significantly from the sugar, and I've paid for that, even though I quit the sugar 7 or 8 years after starting coffee.
posted by TimHare at 8:33 PM on February 20, 2023
Big mistake! My dental health declined significantly from the sugar, and I've paid for that, even though I quit the sugar 7 or 8 years after starting coffee.
posted by TimHare at 8:33 PM on February 20, 2023
This thread is closed to new comments.
Supposedly a cup of drip coffee a day improves mental function in old age. And I've read it may improve liver function. But the research is tenuous enough that it's not really something I'd advise for health benefits.
posted by blnkfrnk at 1:48 AM on February 20, 2023