There is something about a hot beverage that makes someone stay. The way you can wrap your hands around the hot mug brings a sense of comfort to the soul. They symbolize a gathering place for good company or a time for deep personal reflection. When one imagines this hot beverage, it will more than likely be one of the two: coffee or tea. Which one do you prefer? In a lot of ways it is intriguing to view the differences but see how they in essence always find a way to relate back to each other. They are the two most common beverages in the world and can sometimes be the two most opposite things to bring together two different people.
| Coffee: Fast Paced | Tea: Genteel |
| Caffeine Content: 80-185 mg per 8 ounce cup depending upon the brew and the type of roasted coffee used | 15 – 70 mg per cup |
| Types of Consumption: Drip Coffee, Espresso, Brewed, Instant, Decaf Brewed, Decaf instant, Filter | White Tea, Green Tea, Olong Tea, Black/Red Tea, Post Fermented Tea, Yellow Tea, Kukicha |
| Place of Origin: Ethiopia | Yunnan province, China, the northern region of Myanmar and the state of Assam in India |
| Part of Plant Used: Bean | Leaf |
| Origin Period: 9th century AD | 2737 BC |
There are differences between coffee and tea in their taste, preparation, recipes, and flavor. Just like two people can be completely different in personalities and interest. Yet, both drinks come from a plant and contain caffeine. Similar to how two people can be put at the same place and come from the same class. They both are available in different variations just like how you are never the same person to everyone you might meet. Despite the variety or differences between the two drinks, they symbolically can prove that even the most opposite of things can unite two unrelated people.
The appeal to these drinks become a metaphor for how an extrovert may attract to the energy of coffee while the introvert attracts to the peace of tea. The extrovert and introvert are different like coffee and tea are, but at the end of the day they each serve the same purpose for enjoying the drink : conversation that always leads to community.
