I Quit Coffee for 30 Days and Drank Black Tea Instead
By: Alice White
Tags: Health, Diet, Productivity, Habits, Coffee

Tea can give you a lot of energy

I was surprised to learn that energy-vise tea can be a great substitute for coffee.

Before, when I regularly drank coffee, I could drink tea like water. It had no effect on me. But after my coffee detox, I could feel my energy levels skyrocketing before I even finished my cup of tea.

Tea leaves contain more caffeine (3.5%) than coffee beans (1.1–2.2%). But because of the water temperature used to brew coffee and the number of beans used to make the drink, the average amount of caffeine that ends up in your cup of joe will be higher (96mg). The average amount of caffeine in black tea is 47mg per serving.

But if you like your tea strong, as I do, your cup can contain up to 90mg, which will be almost equal to the average amount in a cup of coffee.

You can enjoy more cups during the day

Because the average amount of caffeine in a cup of tea is two times smaller than in coffee, you can enjoy more cups of the drink during the day.

It is recommended by several resources not to exceed 400mg of caffeine per day. That roughly equals four cups of coffee or eight cups of tea.

It might be quite hard to drink more than eight cups of tea so you can drink it without worrying about the negative effects of too much caffeine on your health. It would be two times harder to exceed the recommended dosage if you choose to drink tea.

But please don’t forget to stay hydrated and drink enough water!

Drinking too much can cause bad symptoms, just like coffee

Though tea has a smaller amount of caffeine, drinking more than 3–4 cups can lead to some negative side effects, such as:

Reduced iron absorption

Increased anxiety and stress

Troubles falling asleep and poor sleep quality

Nausea

Heartburn

Headaches

Caffeine dependence

I learned that I could drink 2–3 cups of tea per day without it having a negative effect on how I feel. But this may vary from person to person since a lot of people are more sensitive to caffeine.

It is crucial to listen to your body and cut down your intake if you experience any bad symptoms.

You can also consult your doctor if you’re unsure about the amount of caffeine you can tolerate.

Tea tastes great

When my taste buds were spoiled with the amount of coffee I used to consume, I was not too fond of the taste of tea.

But when tea became my only option, I grew into loving it. Now I’m as excited about my cup of English breakfast as I would be about my almond milk latte. These days I don’t just use tea as a substitute for coffee, but I also crave it every day and drink it as a treat like I used to do with coffee.

Final thought

During my 30 day experiment, I discovered that tea could become a good replacement for coffee.

If you’re struggling to cut down your caffeine intake, drinking tea can be a great way to do it. You can easily cut the amount of caffeine you consume in half by replacing your cup of coffee with a cup of tea. This helped me reduce the negative symptoms that were connected with my coffee intake.

I still love coffee and consider it a pretty important part of my life. Even my bio says I do. I’m not sure if I’m ready to say goodbye to it forever. For now, my goal is to cut down on coffee as much as I can and drink it as a treat a couple of times a month.

But for now, I have a great new alternative.