Quoted By:
Thank you for having me as a witness today, your honours. And my esteemed green colleague and also my blue colleague, thank you. I have prepared a short speech for you today.
Though tea is superior to coffee for myriad reasons, I will focus my testimony on one aspect only - the amino acid L-theanine.
While both coffee and tea contain caffeine, L-theanine is found naturally in green tea and contrarily is absent from coffee. We therefore may use the elusive amino acids’ presence or lack thereof as a point of comparison between our competing beverages.
Caffeine on its own is perhaps most notably associated with its neurostimulating effects, increased alertness and cognitive performance, at the expense of elevated heart rate and blood pressure. You may be content to accept these side effects as a coffee drinker… However, there is another path offered by our favoured beverage of tea.
L-theanine, once again found naturally in tea, antagonises caffeine in such a way to reduce the negative effects while boosting the positive! L-theanine regulates the central nervous system, increasing the release of dopamine, inhibiting glutamate uptake, decreasing norepinephrine and increasing serotonin. That’s right - L-theanine antagonises caffeine, lowering blood pressure, while coffee continues to elevate and elevate again.
Further, L-theanine increases alpha brain wave activity associated with creativity, improved learning and decreased anxiety.
Tea bests coffee in a matter of variety, taste and health, but you need look no further than L-theanine to prove tea’s dominion over coffee.
I rest my case. Thank you.
