In this article, we look at the advantages of business coffee vs tea in the workplace
Historically we are a nation of tea drinkers, which was largely driven by the production capabilities of our global colonies.
As part of their journey to independence, the US rejected tea and the taxes levied by the British government during the Boston Tea Party protest exactly 246 years ago today. As well as avoiding our taxes they chose coffee due to the close proximity of the coffee producing countries just south of their border.
In the UK we hung onto tea despite the extraordinarily productive output from the early coffee houses. Indeed Lloyds of London insurance started as a coffee house in the late 17th century. By the end of the 19th century most of the coffee houses had disappeared and we were back to tea.
We re-engaged with ‘coffee’ in the early 20th century when instant ‘coffee’ was popularised by the world wars. Our love affair with this coffee imposter persisted and it became a cultural norm in most UK households and was the go-to solution for business coffee. The ‘instant’ requirement was probably influenced by the teabag, where drink preparation was quick and easy.
Times are a changing and real coffee is getting real traction in the UK – probably driven by the convenience of pod-coffee solutions in the home. Whilst few people are comfortable with the environmental impact of this method of preparing coffee it’s certainly kick-started a change in UK attitudes. Along of course with the ubiquitous coffee shop – an imported idea from the US dispensing real coffee on every UK high street. So it seems now that real coffee is taking its rightful seat alongside tea let’s look at the advantages of both
The advantages of business tea over business coffee
- Tea is simpler to prepare and serve in the home and office – it doesn’t necessitate a machine or equipment beyond a kettle
- Tea is cheaper than coffee as a lower-weight of leaves is required for an equivalent prepared serve than ground coffee beans
- Tea has refreshing qualities – it re-hydrates rather than dehydrates like coffee
- Tea has lower levels of caffeine per serve – roughly half.
- Tea drinking is part of our culture; albeit with the finer flavours usually obliterated with milk and sugar in the classic ‘builders tea’ configuration
The advantages of business coffee over business tea
- Coffee is higher in caffeine and provides a beneficial boost of energy and alertness throughout the day for improved productivity
- Coffee has a fuller, richer flavour than tea. Partly because there are more total dissolved solids in a cup of coffee. If you like the flavour it will provide a more satisfying cup
- Coffee has more antioxidants per serve, which means better long-term health for your team
- Coffee has romance and theatre in the serve – it can become an enjoyable ritual
- There are many more options for enjoying coffee with the addition of frothed milk, chocolate and other flavourings
- Coffee is more fashionable – primarily driven by the Italian espresso revolution
- Coffee tends to have a more engaging back story from origin. This is because there is more work involved in taking the cherry through to the roasted bean
Perfect partners
Our belief is that tea and coffee are perfect partners in an office space to meet your team and clients’ preferences. But each should conform to equally high standards. The quality and taste of should be excellent and they should demonstrate the highest ethical and sustainability values.
amamus specialises in the highest quality office coffee
We buy green Speciality beans from all around the world that demonstrate exquisite regional taste and character. We then roast and pack by hand into compostable bags and deliver direct to clients. Our coffee never sits on a shelf going stale and we avoid all single-use plastic. In fact, all our packaging is compostable.
Learn more about how we make our coffee sustainable in our blog post here >>
amamus also distributes top quality office tea
We are authorised distributors for Suki, tea specialists whose approach is aligned with ours. They avoid plastics in all their products including their pyramids. They source the world’s best tea-leaves and ingredients for the full choice of tea types.
Contact amamus to start your business coffee journey
Bespoke coffee is what we do best, and we work with many businesses’ to match their values to the perfect business coffee solution. We make this process simple and fun, if you want to discuss your bespoke coffee requirements, take a look here, and then get in touch. Alternatively, you can order one of our speciality coffee packages, starting from just £39.99, click here to learn more about our packages and speciaility coffee pricing. To order your perfect coffee and tea package please contact us
