Caffeine Redux

Some comics feature both tea and coffee, usually preferring the latter, but this comic from a 1902 issue of “Punch” is notable for its impartiality:


The passenger’s statement (“Look here, Steward, if this is Coffee, I want Tea; but if this is Tea, then I wish for Coffee”) has been (incorrectly) attributed to a number of people (such as Abraham Lincoln), but it remains unclear who said it first, or whether it was merely composed as a fictional anecdote.


Herman is confronted with an alternative solution:


Buni seems to depict the usual attitude of coffee drinkers towards tea.


Ditto Adam@Home:


Horace has made it clear (multiple times) that he definitely prefers coffee:


It’s hard to say which one it easier to prepare (if you care about doing it well):


Sometimes it doesn’t matter, when it’s just for the caffeine:


Each drink has its own particular traditions.


Anyone for a Tea Party?

It’s difficult to say which caffeinated drink is more popular; it depends on who and where you are (in America the answer would probably be “cola”).









I was once offered (hot) tea at a friend’s house (in high school); he dropped a tea bag into a mug of cold water, and put it all into the microwave for a minute or two. Just like Calvin’s attempt, it was a complete failure.



For several years a German brand of hair care products called “Alpecin” advertised its overloaded caffeine content as “doping for the hair“. This caused a fair amount of controversy, especially when the company later started sponsoring a bicycle racing team.