Gateway

Issue date: 2/13/07 Section: People

Media Credit: Michelle Bishop Studies have shown that tea may have health benefits ranging from boosting your metabolism to cancer prevention. [Click to enlarge]

Caffeine often becomes a college student's best friend at some point during their academic career. Whether it's in the form of an all-nighter aid or a morning coffee-shop routine, caffeine seems to find its way into the bloodstream of students across the spectrum.

Because of the caffeine craze, more people are looking for alternatives to coffee as their beverage of choice. This could explain why a handful of tea shops have popped up in Omaha over the past few years.

Nikki Smith is the manager of the Tea Smith on 78th and Dodge streets. She said college students are not only migrating to the Tea Smith for the free wireless Internet that they can enjoy with their favorite blend of tea, but also "the atmosphere is conducive to studying."

Because tea does not leave you feeling jittery, it is the perfect study aid to help you keep alert, but focused.

"Generally, the tea is ingested more to the digestive system," Smith said.

Contrastingly, coffee goes straight to the nervous system. This explains why coffee can cause you to have the jitters, while tea has a more sustained level of caffeine absorption.

Smith explained another benefit of loose-leaf tea is you can get more than one infusion out of the same leaf because the leaf has a larger surface area. Drink prices start at an average of $3 to $5 for 25 cups of tea at the Tea Smith, which is the price many coffee houses charge for one cup o' joe.

Tea has other benefits that affect more than just your wallet. Some studies have shown that tea may have health benefits, ranging from boosting your metabolism to cancer prevention.

A recent study on Japanese men suggests that getting into shape might be as easy as one, two, tea. According to WebMD.com, the catechins found in green tea may reduce body fat when incorporated into a consistent diet.

There are about two calories in one cup of tea, according to calorie-count.com. However, if you order a tall Café Mocha with whipped cream from Starbucks, you are consuming more than 500 calories. That's an entire meal in one Styrofoam cup.

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