Today, for the second time recently, I’ve heard someone say “tea has more caffeine than coffee.” Imported tea, on average, has 60mg of caffeine per cup. US brands of tea have even less, averaging 40mg. Drip coffee, on the other hand, has anywhere between 115-175mg per cup. If you don’t believe me, look it up for yourself.
Here’s what I think is behind this crazy rumor. In the US, we’re crazy about our caffeine, especially coffee. Lately, we’ve also been crazy about high-protein, low-carbohydrate fad diets. The worst of those is also the most popular, “Dr. Atkin’s Diet Revolution,” which I will henceforth refer to as “Fatkins.” One thing the late Dr. Atkins advises against is caffeine. I don’t have the source in front of me; I’m a former recovering Fatkins dieter, so I’m not going to touch that book again. So if people want to choose their morning caffeine source, many of them might be tempted to switch to tea.
I think the rumor about coffee having less caffeine than tea was started by the coffee lobby in an effort to win over those victims of Fatkins. It’s the only explanation that makes sense.
And before people bombard me with e-mails and comments asking me if I’ve lost my mind, please check the categories for this post.
