Caffeinated beverages

[Humanicide]

I don't have any fancy scientific studies, but it's my intuition coffee probably isn't good for you. Coffee beans were not meant to be drunk. Tea is much more natural.

First, don't fall into the fallacy of natural = good. It doesn't always.

Second, while not nearly as good for you as tea, coffee has some health benefits. As mentioned, its a great cleanser/laxative. It can also improve short term memory, give a boost of temporary energy and reduce the risk of certain diseases (Parkinson's, gout, and Alzheimer's are the ones I remember reading about, there may be more). Coffee has been documented as a drink in the middle east going back to the 1400s, I believe (I may be off on the century, but give or take 100 years). All in moderation of course. Too much coffee and the caffeine can really put a strain on your heart.

Coffee does hurt my stomach when I drink it. Shame, as I really do enjoy it. I find that drinking it without milk makes my stomach hurt less. I tend to prefer tea (with some honey, mmmm).

[KingdomGone]

Many people in Finland are addicted to coffee. Coffee works wonders but max 1-2 cup a day. More is only going to make you more nervous and swetty. It's like with beer... do 2 bottles and your going to feel as relaxed as you can with alcohol.

[Othala]

I can enjoy a cup or two of quality coffee, usually darker roasts to limit caffeine intake, but I don't own a decent brewer, or feel the need to. Tea is much more enjoyable. Mostly green, unless I have time for a cup with minimal distractions. In such a case, black tea poured over some milk and sugar ALREADY in the mug - This is really, really fucking important.

Learn to bake chocolaty coffee cakes(WHOLE beans, man) and women will hop into bed with you.

This man speaks the truth. However, go easy with the cinnamon. Women tend to dislike appropriate (IE, ludicrously overpowering) amounts of cinnamon - or any spice outside of nutmeg, which can easily taste like anal bleach if even slightly overused.

[istaros]

Coffee beans were not meant to be drunk. Tea is much more natural.

Tea leaves weren't meant to be drunk any more than coffee beans were. Incidentally, both of them are meant to be drunk, inasmuch as anything can be meant to have a specific purpose; we selectively breed them to be as drinkable as possible.

However, go easy with the cinnamon. Women tend to dislike appropriate (IE, ludicrously overpowering) amounts of cinnamon - or any spice outside of nutmeg, which can easily taste like anal bleach if even slightly overused.

Weird. I've heard that the smell of pumpkin pie is one of the most sure-fire ways of lighting a fire in the human female's loins. Too much of a good thing, maybe?

[Humanicide]

Yeah I think if you put more cinnamon in that cake than a pumpkin pie, there's a problem.

You know, I actually enjoy putting cinnamon into my coffee sometimes, perhaps with a little cream. Good stuff.

[aquarius]

Coffee beans were not meant to be drunk. Tea is much more natural.

Tea leaves weren't meant to be drunk any more than coffee beans were. Incidentally, both of them are meant to be drunk, inasmuch as anything can be meant to have a specific purpose; we selectively breed them to be as drinkable as possible.

Coffee bean vs instant coffee? In this case even cheap tea would be better.

(a metaphor of life)

[King_Benny]

For me . my body is more tolerant of coffee than tea. But i dont prefer the western style of tasting coffee (starbucks...)... since im an asian i'll go for Madras Filter coffee with fresh cows milk, Bru coffee, Ipoh white coffee ...
if tea i prefer the chinese style of drinking tea...hot water with green tea leaves 

[Perennial_Man]

No one has yet mentioned white tea. I typically drink eight pint glasses a day of the stuff. It has a much lower caffeine content for you sensitives out there and contains a much larger concentration of theanine than other teas. The theanine is what makes white tea really spectacular. After a few glasses it starts to produce a head change that is similar to sativa cannabis. Your thought has more clarity and comes rapidly. Truly great stuff.

I am able to buy a massive 100 tea bag box for about $7 at any whole food market and I have seen it in the average supermarket.

[thrust]

I was about to post the benefits of Yerba Mate, that I have been drinking for years in copious amounts in the traditional manner. But a quick search to support some of the benefits reveals it has been recently discovered to cause cancer more than fight it. Heh, bladder and throat cancer here I come. Guess you should stay away from that one, unless you have colon cancer. 

[Perennial_Man]

Argentina, being most attractive, and most of South America are screwed then. I'm sure chopping away most of our modern conveniences would prove the carcinogens in yerba mate to be negligible; hopefully, anyways because yerba mate rocks. It trumps coffee easily and has about the same caffeine content.

[Christ Died of AIDS]

All in all, caffeine's a shitty drug. It's a quick fix. If I'm tired in the morning, hell, even if I'm hungover beyond conventional repair, a cold shower works every time. Fuck caffeine, I used to consume too much of it until it made my eye twitch constantly.

[Cargést]

I don't have any fancy scientific studies, but it's my intuition coffee probably isn't good for you. Coffee beans were not meant to be drunk. Tea is much more natural.

First, don't fall into the fallacy of natural = good. It doesn't always.

Natural doesn't always mean good, and synthetic doesn't always mean bad.  However, we can do with what is given to us by Nature; why not suffice in this way?

It is not a coincidence* that the most commonly used and most widely available man-made drug - alcohol - empowers the ego and divides the individual from the world, while most natural drugs (e.g. cannabis, mushrooms) do the opposite.

*coincidence doesn't exist

[Humanicide]

I don't have any fancy scientific studies, but it's my intuition coffee probably isn't good for you. Coffee beans were not meant to be drunk. Tea is much more natural.

First, don't fall into the fallacy of natural = good. It doesn't always.

Natural doesn't always mean good, and synthetic doesn't always mean bad.  However, we can do with what is given to us by Nature; why not suffice in this way?

It is not a coincidence* that the most commonly used and most widely available man-made drug - alcohol - empowers the ego and divides the individual from the world, while most natural drugs (e.g. cannabis, mushrooms) do the opposite.

*coincidence doesn't exist

Alcohol occurs in nature. When fruits ferment, they produce alcohol. Granted what humans do with alcohol gets out of control at times; alcohol intrinsically isn't bad, it's just used and abused by people who probably shouldn't be drinking if they can't control themselves. It's also useful as a disinfectant.

I do agree that Nature suffices 99% of the time, but I don't think we should rule out manmade things simply because most are inferior. The ol' find-the-best-screw-the-rest adage applies here.

[Cargést]

Alcohol occurs in nature. When fruits ferment, they produce alcohol. Granted what humans do with alcohol gets out of control at times; alcohol intrinsically isn't bad, it's just used and abused by people who probably shouldn't be drinking if they can't control themselves. It's also useful as a disinfectant.

I do agree that Nature suffices 99% of the time, but I don't think we should rule out manmade things simply because most are inferior. The ol' find-the-best-screw-the-rest adage applies here.

Alcohol arises from a natural process, certainly, but when you look at it that way, you're drinking the product of a variant of the rotting process ; )

[Dinaric Leather]

Alcohol occurs in nature

Alcohol occurs in space
http://io9.com/5911365/how-alcohol-is-formed-naturally-in-space