Paul Brian
How much can you tell from a humble cup of tea or mug of coffee?
Quite a bit, actually!
I’m not talking about reading tea leaves, either…
This is about key differences between those who favor tea or coffee.
Let’s take that first steamy sip and see what we find…
1) Tea drinkers are more extroverted
The stereotype of coffee drinkers as gung-ho, active individuals who are social and driven isn’t fully accurate.
It’s actually tea drinkers who tend to be the life of the party.
Although their leafy drink choice is more understated, tea drinkers wake up later in the day and like to go out, talk up a storm, dance and party.
Coffee drinkers, by contrast, are usually more introverted and get their burst of energy earlier in the day.
A 2019 study from OnePoll found that “tea drinkers are more likely to be extroverted, adventurous night owls,” whereas coffee lovers are likely to be a more “creative, introverted morning person.”
2) Tea drinkers have unique musical taste
Tea drinkers tend to march to the beat of their own drum and have highly unique musical taste.
Tea drinkers enjoy cerebral shows like “The Big Bang Theory” and listening to classical music and country, whereas coffee fans are more into “The Office” and like blues, punk and rock.
These are broad patterns which have emerged in polling and it really depends on each individual.
However it’s clear that the tea lover is something of a mysterious man and woman who’s not easily labeled in one category:
Extroverted, classy, a night owl, listening to country and classical, enjoying shows that stimulate his or her brain and working a bit later in the day rather than full-on right away.
3) Tea drinkers are more step-by-step thinkers
Tea drinkers tend to be more pragmatic and a bit less creative than coffee drinkers.
They like to take things step-by-step and approach the day’s tasks one by one.
While tea drinkers tend to be more extroverted and flexible in their schedule, they generally prefer to tackle work bit by bit instead of in a big rush or early on in the day.
Coffee drinkers, by contrast, like to tackle their work right away at full speed and tend to be creative and intense people.
They drink coffee and light up like a scoreboard, full of ideas and inspirations behind their desk or wherever their work takes place.
As the French Writer Honore de Balzac said:
“Coffee falls into the stomach… ideas begin to move, things remembered arrive at full gallop… the shafts of wit start up like sharp-shooters, similes arise, the paper is covered with ink…”
Balzac put his money where his mouth is, too, drinking around 50 cups of coffee per day.
4) Tea drinkers have more self-discipline
The tea drinker tends to have a bit more self-discipline than the coffee drinker, powering up like a steam train rather than right away.
The average coffee drinker has 3.4 cups a tea, while tea fans have an average of 2.7 cups a day, able to resist the need for a big caffeine injection.
Coffee drinkers in the OnePoll noted that they generally stay away from tea because it is “boring” and doesn’t have enough caffeine.
However tea drinkers are fine with that and don’t feel the need for a lot of caffeine in their system or to power up right away in the day.
5) Tea drinkers tend to be cat lovers
The OnePoll also found that tea drinkers lean towards the cat side of the equation.
Whereas coffee lovers tended to prefer dogs, tea drinkers preferred cats.
This is an interesting factoid and perhaps reflects something of the aesthetic style of a tea drinker and the activity of drinking tea, which is often slower and more chill than coffee drinking.
The process of selecting tea, steeping tea and slowly stirring it is very cat-like if you think about it.
This feline sensitivity of a tea drinker later transforms into their extroverted and nighttime energy, a bit in the way that a cat may be placid and tranquil all day and transform in a blur of excited fur playing with a ball or a rat later on.
6) Tea drinkers are more likely to be stable relationship types
Tea drinkers are more likely to be in a long-term relationship than coffee lovers.
Tea drinkers tend to know what they’re looking for in life and be strategic and practical in pursuing that.
Their extroverted personality and ability to work on a step-by-step basis makes the tea drinker a hot commodity on the dating market.
While the coffee drinker is sometimes a more reflective and creative choice, he or she sometimes has a bit more troubling growing roots and finding a partner to link up with for the long-term.
7) Tea lovers are persistent and optimistic
Coffee drinkers tend to be more introverted and prone to depression and fluctuations in their energy.
This is perhaps part of the reason that they seek out the clarity and intense burst of energy from the effect of the coffee.
Tea drinkers, by contrast, never give up and tend to be more extroverted.
They are great at networking and are consistent in their efforts to slowly improve their situation and be optimistic about what’s down the road.
Slow and steady wins the race.
8) Tea drinkers work on their own schedule
Tea drinkers work more steadily and are able to stay by their own schedule without needing a lot of outside pressure.
Coffee drinkers, by contrast, tend to have a much bigger need of pressure and deadlines.
They often shine when the pressure is on.
When there’s no time left, the coffee drinker finishes the project, gets their work done brilliantly or comes through in the way they didn’t even expect.
“Tea drinkers work outside the lines; coffee drinkers work to meet deadlines,” notes Elite Daily.
9) Tea drinkers are usually fairer
Coffee drinkers and tea drinkers come in all types, of course, but in general those who prefer tea tend to be more focused on the concept of fairness.
They want to ensure things are fair and make sense.
They also tend to be less financially successful and not get as many promotions at work as high-powered, creative coffee drinkers.
While tea drinkers are often extroverted and have vibrant social lives, their approach to work tends to be more step-by-step as I noted, leading to less exponential career growth.
“Although tea drinkers, on average, do make less, the same study found that they do at least tend to be more fair.”
10) Types of tea, types of people
Tea lovers don’t just have general differences that show up from coffee drinkers, they also have a lot of internal diversity depending on tea preference.
Here’s a look.
Green tea: this is an energy-booster tea that also helps to lose weight. Green tea drinkers tend to be very determined and self-disciplined.
Black tea: this is a tea for busy folks who also want to stay healthy and get that little blast of extra energy throughout the day.
White tea: this is a stylish, understated tea full of subtle flavors. White tea drinkers tend to be quiet and complex people who like to explore rare and different experiences.
Oolong tea: this is a refined tea with a strong body and many different flavors. It’s for the adventurous, high-energy individual.
Chamomile tea: this is the tea for somebody looking to de-stress and feel less overwhelmed by life and work.
English breakfast: this is the classic “power tea.” It’s all about being a decisive and determined person who has big goals and plans to go out and get them.
Here’s the tea
Each person is an individual and the personality traits above may differ person by person.
Based on polling, however, they hold true as general patterns.
An important thing to keep in mind, however, is that many people don’t have a preference and enjoy tea and coffee equally.
That’s the great thing: you don’t have to choose.
You can enjoy the best aspects of being a coffee drinker and a tea drinker throughout your day.
As Andrew Flocks at Simple Loose Leaf Tea writes:
“We don’t want to go into a never-ending debate – tea or coffee, because it’s actually possible to love both, and incorporate both into your day.
“Many tea drinkers start their day with coffee and drink at least 2-3 cups of tea later throughout the day.”
