On a chilly morning, the promise of a warm drink may be just enough motivation to drag yourself out of bed to get ready for class. A steaming cup of coffee or tea is many people’s drink of choice on a day like this. Or maybe it’s a hot summer afternoon and you’re dying for something to quench your thirst. An iced coffee or tea might just hit the spot. When it comes to the two universal favorites, however, it can be tough to pick just one.

It’s an age-old debate and everyone has an opinion, but as a coffee drinker myself, I encourage you to go for the coffee.

With coffee, you can choose from a huge variety of drinks. The different ways to appreciate coffee are practically endless. From the cappuccino to the mocha and beyond, no two coffee drinks are exactly alike.

One of the main reasons people drink coffee is for the energy boost it offers. If you didn’t get enough sleep or are just feeling mentally exhausted from work or school, coffee can go a long way towards making you feel more alert and focused.

Many believe that drinking coffee will stain your teeth and thus avoid it. A recent study from the Wiley Online Library, however, has determined that tea is much more likely to darken your teeth than coffee is. Coffee may not leave you with the freshest breath, but if you’re looking to whiten your teeth, coffee might be a better alternative to tea.

It may sound gross, but coffee can also help improve the diversity of your gut bacteria which can bring on a myriad of health benefits. Coffee is packed with antioxidants that provide numerous health gains as well such as protection against some forms of skin cancer.

Both coffee and tea admittedly have their benefits. When it comes to choosing between the two, however, the benefits of coffee just can’t be outweighed.

photo courtesy CNN