Coffee has long been the beverage of choice for countless people with demanding jobs, endless schoolwork and the myriad of challenges faced everyday.
Those demands require energy.
The morning cup of joe has become a cultural phenomenon.
Drive-through windows, coffee-shops and gas-stations all provide many varieties of coffee to the masses.
Coffee, soda, energy drinks.
It's become a part of our daily routine.
Although coffee does have some health benefits that have been touted for the last few years, such as reducing one's chances of Parkinson's disease, colon cancer and maybe even diabetes, there are some unwanted side effects caused by caffeine.
You may experience trouble sleeping, heart palpitations, high blood pressure or cholesterol, and the caffeine "jitters".
Surely there must be a better way.
Enter tea.
Tea is, next to water, the world's most popular beverage.
Only in North America does coffee trump tea.
Here, our experiences with tea mostly revolve around tea bags.
Tea bags are rare in the most of the world, where loose leaf tea is preferred and in many cases, more common.
If you're looking for a big energy boost, try Matcha.
Matcha is a Japanese green tea which is ground into a very fine powder.
It is similarly steeped, but unlike other teas, you ingest the whole leaf, multiplying green tea's nutritional benefits nearly tenfold.
This antioxidant rich brew is also much higher in caffeine.
Another beverage generating a health buzz is Yerba Mate.
Although technically a herbal tea, since it comes from a completely different plant, mate is a nutritional powerhouse.
It is also rich in antioxidants and contains caffeine and theobromine, the feel-good chemical in chocolate.
It is a powerful stimulant and is said to have the same effects of coffee, but longer lasting and without the jittery side effects.
Energy drink fans might want to try this one.
All teas naturally contain caffeine, but in varying degrees.
And all teas, from the traditional British Earl Grey to the more exotic Oolongs and Pu'erh's, have antioxidants, disease-fighting properties and amazing flavour.
To many, imbibing tea is a cerebral experience, a pleasure, and a tasting experience not unlike that of fine wines.