Depends on what you're trying to achieve. If its taste you're going for its probably not going to work out for you. But there's an argument for mixing coffee and tea for improved focus/concentration. Tea has an active ingredient called L-theanine in it which is what gives a relaxed feeling. The mechanism is through GABA pathways in the brain which is the 'downer' or relaxation neurotranmitter. Green teas, especially matcha green tea have high concentrations of L-theanine. When mixed with caffeine, L-theanine has a synergistic effect and improves focus/concentration. The effect is that of a calm relaxed state of focus. So why not just tea which has some caffeine in it? Its about getting the ratios of caffeine and L-theanine right. Studies have shown the best ratio is 1:2 caffeine to L-theanine. The standard dose is 50mg:100mg caffeine to L-theanine. You can get close to this by mixing a cup of coffee with a high quality matcha green tea. Alternatives are to have a cup of coffee with a 100mg L-theanine cap. Or you can get "smart caffeine" which are pre-prepared caps. But personally I love my coffee so I opt not to spike it with tea and have the 100mg L-theanine cap for times I need to focus. Hope that helps!
Reference on ratios:
1. Camfield DA, Stough C, Farrimond J, Scholey AB. Acute effects of tea constituents L-theanine, caffeine, and epigallocatechin gallate on cognitive function and mood: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrition Reviews. 2014 Jun 19;72(8):507–22.
2. Foxe JJ, Morie KP, Laud PJ, Rowson MJ, de Bruin EA, Kelly SP. Assessing the effects of caffeine and theanine on the maintenance of vigilance during a sustained attention task. Neuropharmacology. Elsevier Ltd; 2012 Jun 1;62(7):2320–7.
3. Juneja LR, Chu D-C, Okubo T, Nagato Y, Yokogoshi H. L-theanine—a unique amino acid of green tea and its relaxation effect in humans. Trends in Food Science & Technology. Elsevier; 1999;10(6):199–204.
At one point, there was a cafe called Teaism | A Tea House in DC (circa 2004) at one point (not too far from the Spy Museum, down from the Capitol Bldg.) that served a number of these creative concoctions. This was years ago and they may have just been experimenting as it looks like they only serve Tea's now. In either case that is where I originally heard of the concept of mixing Coffee and Tea. Shortly after that I was introduce to the Dirty Chai (#glorious) and my experiments began.
Having tried this on a few occasions at home and the result is quite a unique flavor composition once you strip away all the excess creamer/milk and sugars (you can gradually add this back in as desired but you'll be surprised how much this changes the flavor depending when and how much is added). It takes a few tries to get the balance right (as I was pursuing more flavor versus caffeine concentrations). It was also highly dependent on the teas and coffees' flavor profiles, ratios, brewing methods, water used, end-state desired (hot or cold), etc. Joos brings up a couple great points that I've never really considered in regards to the caffeine being derived from each and the reference articles, which I plan on reading in the very near future will be quite helpful.
Reference on ratios:
1. Camfield DA, Stough C, Farrimond J, Scholey AB. Acute effects of tea constituents L-theanine, caffeine, and epigallocatechin gallate on cognitive function and mood: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrition Reviews. 2014 Jun 19;72(8):507–22.
2. Foxe JJ, Morie KP, Laud PJ, Rowson MJ, de Bruin EA, Kelly SP. Assessing the effects of caffeine and theanine on the maintenance of vigilance during a sustained attention task. Neuropharmacology. Elsevier Ltd; 2012 Jun 1;62(7):2320–7.
3. Juneja LR, Chu D-C, Okubo T, Nagato Y, Yokogoshi H. L-theanine—a unique amino acid of green tea and its relaxation effect in humans. Trends in Food Science & Technology. Elsevier; 1999;10(6):199–204.
At one point, there was a cafe called Teaism | A Tea House in DC (circa 2004) at one point (not too far from the Spy Museum, down from the Capitol Bldg.) that served a number of these creative concoctions. This was years ago and they may have just been experimenting as it looks like they only serve Tea's now. In either case that is where I originally heard of the concept of mixing Coffee and Tea. Shortly after that I was introduce to the Dirty Chai (#glorious) and my experiments began.
Having tried this on a few occasions at home and the result is quite a unique flavor composition once you strip away all the excess creamer/milk and sugars (you can gradually add this back in as desired but you'll be surprised how much this changes the flavor depending when and how much is added). It takes a few tries to get the balance right (as I was pursuing more flavor versus caffeine concentrations). It was also highly dependent on the teas and coffees' flavor profiles, ratios, brewing methods, water used, end-state desired (hot or cold), etc. Joos brings up a couple great points that I've never really considered in regards to the caffeine being derived from each and the reference articles, which I plan on reading in the very near future will be quite helpful.
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