Coffee or tea?  It’s a timeless debate, isn’t it?  Some prefer the soothing, relaxing and healthy benefits of sipping tea in the morning (especially green and white teas which are loaded with cancer fighting antioxidants).  Others need the strong, bold taste of rich coffee and the nice jolt of caffiene it provides.  Coffee too has health benefits.  Studies show that a strong brew can lower your risk of diabetes, Parkinson’s, and even Alzheimer’s.

While the majority of the world my prefer tea, Americans, in large, definitely drink more coffee.  Learning that fact made me wonder how we became such a coffee loving nation.  In short, here is what I found…

“One of the main reasons that tea was then shunned by America is the fact that the early Americans fought to gain their independence from Britain, so it made more sense to prefer coffee to the traditional tea drink that came from their home country. In the early years of America, other nations began to export coffee, with America being the biggest importer. This led to most countries worldwide associating coffee with America the way that they do today, especially since it never has been a culture that was dependent upon tea.” – Hubpages.com

So what do you drink?  Are you a coffee or tea person, or neither (I know a couple people that actually prefer a Diet Coke in the morning)?  Better yet, where do you like to get your morning beverage from?  There are several great coffee shops in Lee’s Summit near Summit Ridge Apartments (and of course they serve tea too).  Here are a few…

Starbucks
1130 NE Douglas St
Lee’s Summit, MO 64086
(816) 246-1381
www.starbucks.com

Poppy’s Ice Cream & Coffee House
307 SE Douglas St
Lees Summit, MO 64063
(816) 246-4141
www.poppysicecream.com‎‎

Whistle Stop Coffee & Mercantile
227 SE Main St
Lees Summit, MO 64063
(816) 525-4545

(Photo Credit: hubpages.com)