Surprising Health Benefits of Coffee and Tea

Is coffee good for you? You know we’re a little biased when we say yes, but it’s not just us! Recent studies continue to reveal that coffee and tea drinking are worthwhile habits to cultivate.

It’s no secret that we love coffee with a passion here at Roast 2 Order. We’re dedicated to delivering freshly roasted beans sourced responsibly with care, as conservation is one of our top priorities. Our beans are consistently roasted to perfection in small batches with the highest level of craftsmanship. It’s a testament to the belief of our CEO (that’s Coffee Enthusiast Officer) Mike that a great cup of coffee (and/or tea) can be a highlight of your day.

But coffee really is more than just a delicious pick-me-up. Studies consistently demonstrate the health upsides of your daily coffee habit. And that’s not just one, two, or a few: A John Hopkins Medicine article confirms that “study after study” reveals a link between coffee consumption and benefits beyond the aroma of a freshly brewed pot.

We’re going to take a look at the possible health benefits offered by coffee, as well as tea, and how regularly consuming these beverages might be giving you some surprising health benefits.

Health benefits of drinking coffee
So what, specifically, can coffee do for you? Science suggests a few different ways it can help your body:

• Coffee is rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants are substances that help prevent damage to your body’s cells, and coffee is brimming with them!
• Coffee may reduce your chances of certain cancers. Multiple studies point to coffee consumption as a protective factor against certain types of cancer (most dramatically, against colon cancer).
• Coffee may help you maintain a healthy liver. In addition to studies linking coffee consumption with decreased incidences of liver cancer, it’s also been tied to decreased risk of liver cirrhosis.
• Coffee could help prevent Type 2 diabetes. Repeated studies (and analysis of large groups of studies) have all shown that coffee is associated with lower risk of Type 2 diabetes. This is likely because of substances such as polyphenols contained in coffee, which impact the way our bodies metabolize carbohydrates.

Of course, we aren’t arguing that coffee is a magical elixir. But all the evidence points to encouraging trends that coffee consumption does offer benefits to our healths . . . and that’s beyond the benefits we all feel with a great cup of freshly roasted organic coffee in our hands! 

Are there health drawbacks of drinking coffee?

Of course, too much of even a good thing can backfire. If your coffee habit is leaving you feeling jittery rather than refreshed, it might be time to adjust how much you drink. However, for most people, drinking coffee is a net win.

Ever found yourself experiencing acid reflux or other stomach-related issues from your coffee habit? It’s possible you’ve been the victim of old, stale coffee beans.

We’ve heard from so many customers that when they switched to our high-quality, freshly roasted beans, the old problems they had disappeared. Problems like jitteriness, acid reflux, and stomach problems were no longer a problem for them with moderate consumption of our high-quality coffees. Of course, that’s anecdotal evidence, but we think it’s well worth a try for coffee lovers who want to truly enjoy their coffee.

In an interview with WebMD, Tomas DePaulis, PhD (a research scientist at Vanderbilt University’s Institute for Coffee Studies) told the website that “Overall, the research shows that coffee is far more healthful than it is harmful . . . For most people, very little bad comes from drinking it, but a lot of good.”

How much coffee should I drink for health benefits?
A study by Harvard’s T.H. Chan Institute of Public Health found that “consumption of 3 to 5 standard cups of coffee daily has been consistently associated with a reduced risk of several chronic diseases.”

Of course, you should never drink more coffee than it feels good to. It’s always a good idea to speak with your doctor if you have specific questions about your dietary habits and health concerns, too.

Health benefits of drinking tea

Of course, it’s not just coffee with a reputation for giving drinkers a healthy boost! Tea is renowned all around the world for various benefits, some of which are immediately obvious, and others which scientists have uncovered through long-term studies.

Unlike coffee, which is brewed from coffee beans (the roasted seed of the coffea plant), “tea” encompasses a wide range of beverages made from different blends of tea leaves (from the Camellia sinensis plant), as well as herbs, dried fruit, and more. While black and green teas both harken back to traditional tea leaves, herbal teas have much more variety.

Studies have uncovered benefits to drinking black teas, green teas, herbal teas, and more. 

Benefits of drinking tea include:

• High levels of antioxidants (just like coffee!). Again, these wellness-boosting substances can help protect the cells in your body. Tea specifically contains flavonoids, a certain type of antioxidants linked with reduction in rates of heart disease, as well as certain cancers.
• Reduced risk of conditions including premature death. We think that one’s a pretty big deal! Another Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health review of the relevant studies confirmed what seemed to be a real link between consuming two to three cups of tea daily with reduced risk of premature death, as well as heart disease and stroke.
• Benefits specific to the type of tea you’re drinking. People all around the world have consumed all different sorts of teas to help with problems from upset stomachs to overall feelings of stress. Look into the type of tea you’re thinking about drinking and find out what health benefits it’s been linked to.

Other studies reveal that tea, including chai tea, can not only aid heart health, but may also help with lowering blood sugar, aiding digestion (we suggest drinking it about 20 minutes after a meal), and potentially help support your weight loss diet plan.

In fact, if you’ve found yourself putting tons of sugar and cream into your coffee or tea, swapping to our high-quality, just-roasted beans might help you fall in love with the true flavor of coffee and cut back on those caloric additions.

You don’t have to buy overpriced, over-hyped multi-level marketing-based weight loss products to enjoy the potential health benefits of antioxidant- and flavonoid-rich beverages. Try Roast 2 Order and get all the benefits without significantly overpaying from those programs which are highly touted by “marketing influencers,” paid actors, athletes, and other highly paid spokespeople.  

Again, just as with coffee, we don’t think anyone should assume tea can fix serious health problems all on its own. However, research does seem to suggest that regular tea drinking can be a healthful habit . . . and our own experience suggests it’s a delicious, soothing one at that!

Are there health drawbacks to drinking tea?

While studies do show that regularly drinking extremely hot tea could cause health problems, there’s no credible evidence of health downsides to a regular tea habit unless you go overboard with caffeinated varieties. We put our pinkies up to that!

Where to start building a coffee or tea habit

Thoughtful, consistent, and regular coffee and tea drinking seem most linked to health benefits from the research we’ve seen. It’s also just a delight to establish these little rituals, whether that’s brewing a fresh pot of incredible coffee to savor in the morning, or enjoying a caffeine-free type of tea along with time to unwind in the evening.

So where to start with embracing a healthful habit?

Our coffee and tea subscriptions are an excellent way to make getting high-quality coffee and tea easy. Rather than ordering every time, which inevitably leads to running out only to find yourself bereft of coffee or tea in the morning — never a fun surprise! — subscribing to your favorite Roast 2 Order coffees and teas ensures that you’ve always got a stock of your favorite coffee beans or tea leaves on hand. As your needs change, you can easily adjust the quantity and variety, removing or adding to your order to keep pace with your life. It’s also simple to put an order on hold . . . or even have your beans or leaves follow you by being shipped to your destination during your travels.

We think it’s always a good idea to choose well-crafted food and drink, especially when it’s something you’re consuming regularly. You can read more in our article on why to drink Roast 2 Order coffees instead of lesser-quality brands, but it boils down the fact that our coffees are:

• 100% Fair Trade (good for other people, who are paid fair wages!)
• Rain Forest Alliance certified (good for the planet and future generations!)
• Organically grown (good for you, as well as our planet!)

For tea, a great start is our Healthy Tea Lover Starter Set. It’s designed to get you set up with everything you need to begin a regular habit of drinking tea. It includes an antioxidant rich China Black Tea blend that may help digestion and even aid weight loss. You can also now choose Organic Chai (tea) with spices and herbs which combine to make a delicious Asian experience!  We are also actively looking to expand our tea offerings, of course, we will only source those that meet our stringent quality standards. 

The set also includes a French press for an excellent brew and an airtight stainless steel canister to keep your loose-leaf tea leaves or your coffee beans fresh . . . everything you need to stock your kitchen for regularly drinking tea and coffee.

Cheers to healthy coffee and tea habits

We hope this article has helped inspire you to embrace a thoughtful, healthful habit of drinking coffee and tea regularly. All of our products are handcrafted with care, including our by-the-batch coffees freshly roasted with organic beans by small farmers. We’re also excited to bring more teas to you soon, including a new Chai tea we think you’ll love.