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Tea or coffee, which do you prefer?

At a hotel’s continental breakfast, I like to have coffee and tea, but that’s when both options are beautifully presented and easily prepared right in front of me.

On a normal day, there’s one clear winner. The brew of choice may not be the most popular in the world, but it certainly is the most studied.

The Washington Post pitted coffee against tea in eight rounds of possible health benefits and determined which concoction came out on top.

While you can sip your cuppa tea knowing that it is good for your blood pressure, cholesterol, stress levels, mental health, and productivity, coffee wins the battle for being a fine source of fibre, boosting your microbiome health, and lowering the risk of cancer and diabetes.

Before we unpack this, just know that we are not talking about a cheap pot of instant coffee but rather mindfully sourced and locally ground coffee that brings quality to your day, right from the first sip in the early hours.

For round one, coffee scores for being a good source of fibre:

One study found that on average, coffee has between 1.1 and 1.8 grams of fiber per cup, depending on whether it’s filtered, espresso or instant.

Although that is more fibre than in a cup of orange juice, you’ll still need to eat plenty of fruit and veg to get your recommended daily fibre dose of 25 grams.

It is just really nice knowing that a few cups of coffee a day can help you get there.

In another round, coffee wins for aiding your gut microbiome health:

Coffee and tea are good sources of polyphenols — plant compounds that are thought to confer many health benefits. Studies suggest that polyphenols can lower your risk of developing chronic diseases, and they are “rocket fuel” for beneficial bacteria that make up your gut microbiome, the communities of trillions of microbes that live inside our guts, said Tim Spector, a professor at King’s College London.

Coffee has way more polyphenols compared to green tea and black tea:

Another round shows that coffee reduces the risk of cancer

Many studies over the years have found that coffee drinkers have lower rates of cancer, including a meta-analysis of 59 studies across 40 cohorts that showed regular coffee drinkers had a 13 percent lower risk of developing cancer compared to seldom or never drinkers.

Regular coffee drinking may offer some protection against colorectal (11% reduced risk), prostate (21% reduced risk), liver (46% reduced risk), endometrial (26% reduced risk), oral (45% reduced risk), and breast cancers (9% reduced risk).

This is likely because coffee contains hundreds of biologically active compounds that have been shown to reduce inflammation, prevent damage to cells, and regulate genes involved in DNA repair.

Coffee can also stem the diabetes tide, producing a short-term spike in blood sugar levels due to caffeine. Some larger studies also show that people who regularly drink coffee are less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes.

Marilyn C. Cornelis, an associate professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University and an expert on coffee, tea and caffeine metabolism, says this could be due to coffee’s large concentration of chlorogenic acid, a polyphenol that’s been shown in some studies to improve insulin sensitivity and blood sugar control.

That’s a clear overall win for coffee.

Health benefits are just part of the reason why Deluxe Coffeeworks loves the grind, bringing premium beans to the people. Their classic House Blend, boasting perfectly roasted beans from Guatemala, Ethiopia, and Brazil, is a treat.

Joining the grind recently are three brand-new coffees from around the globe, including the lively Peru Chanchamayo coffee:

 

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The Honduras Las Nubes coffee has a rich chocolate foundation topped with a natural brown sugar sweetness and hints of caramel.

The full range of beans can be found via the Deluxe Coffeeworks online shop or in selected stores, including on Buitenkant Street, Church Street, and Kloof Street in the Cape Town CBD, as well as in Bo Kaap, Stellenbosch, and Paarden Eiland.

Sit on the bench sipping a Deluxe Coffeeworks brew and rest easy in the knowledge that you’re drinking a winner.

[sources:washingtonpost&healthline]