The Daily Valet. - 10/5/22, Wednesday

✔️ Coffee vs. Tea

October 05, 2022

Wednesday, October 5th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

I hope you’re enjoying this newsletter with a cup of coffee. Or tea.

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s Big Story

Coffee vs. Tea

Which beverage will claim the world title for healthiest drink?

You drink it in the morning (and many of us down it in the afternoon too). You can have it steaming in a mug or sip it iced from a straw. Am I talking about coffee or tea? Well, both. Whatever your preference, scientists have found that regularly drinking coffee or tea can provide a variety of health benefits. But which one is the best?

One thing’s clear: We drink a lot of both. Tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world next to water—and in 2019, Americans consumed more than 3.8 billion gallons of black and green tea. But that’s nothing compared to coffee. The U.S. leads the world in coffee consumption. Each day, Americans drink more than 400 million cups. In fact, we actually consume more than three times as much coffee as any other country on Earth.

While some lightweights worry about jitters, it turns out that downing two to three cups a day may protect you from cardiovascular disease and an early death, a new study found. This is added to previous research, which found that your daily Americano habit has been shown to lower the risk of heart disease, as well as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Type 2 diabetes, liver disease and prostate cancer.

As for tea, mounting evidence suggests that drinking several cups of tea per day has numerous (and quantifiable) health benefits, including lowering your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and overall mortality. The latest reserach—a comprehensive review of 19 studies that involved more than one million adults across eight countries—confirmed previous findings and also highlighted the antioxidant boost you get from tea.

So which one’s truly better for your health? The Washington Post pitted all the studies and scientific research against one another in a Beverage Battle Royale to see which drink came out on top. They went a few rounds—examining everything from mental focus to cancer-fighting abilities and overall longevity.

Coffee was the ultimate winner. “Coffee drinkers can raise a mug to fiber, microbiome health and lowering risk for cancer and diabetes. But tea is undoubtedly good for your blood pressure, cholesterol, stress levels, mental health and productivity.” I was surprised. Somehow tea just seems healthier. But as I sip on this third-wave dark roast, it’s nice to know it’s doing my body good.

↦ FYI: According to the latest statistics, black coffee is preferred by just 35% of coffee drinkers.

North Korea Tests the World’s Resolve

South Korea, U.S. fire missiles into the sea to protest the ‘reckless’ North Korea test

North Korea conducted its longest-ever weapons test Tuesday, a nuclear-capable ballistic missile that flew over Japan and could reach the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam and beyond, forcing the Japanese government to issue evacuation alerts and halt trains.

In response, the United States and South Korea launched four missiles off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula on Wednesday morning local time, reports CNN. The White House called the missile test—which violate United Nations Security Council resolutions—“dangerous and reckless” and said the military and its allies will step up displays of force.

President Biden spoke on Tuesday with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The leaders agreed to coordinate on their response, while condemning North Korea's missile test as destabilizing to the region. The incident will likely energize Japan's plans to increase military spending—a policy shift aimed at deterring North Korea and China.

According to Reuters, the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier (which made its first stop in South Korea last month for the first time in years) will now be deployed between Korea and Japan in what the South Korean military called a “highly unusual” move designed to show the allies' resolve to respond to any threats.

↦ Dig Deeper: Just how worried should we be about nuclear escalation from Russia and North Korea? NBC News asks a handful of diplomatic experts.

So, Elon Musk Will Buy Twitter?

After months of waffling, the Tesla CEO agreed to his original agreement

Twitter has agreed—once again—to Elon Musk's proposal to buy the social media platform for $54.20 a share. In a statement, the company confirmed it had received Musk's letter that “the intention of the Company is to close the transaction at $54.20 per share.”

The agreement follows months of legal drama after Musk tried to back out of his original agreement to buy the company for $44 billion this spring. According to Gizmodo, he's been trying to wriggle out of the agreement for months and was set to be deposed on Thursday and Friday in advance of an Oct. 17 trial.

“Buying Twitter is an accelerant to creating X, the everything app,” Musk tweeted late Tuesday. Trading of Twitter stock was briefly halted on Tuesday afternoon, following a major and rapid value spike after Bloomberg first broke the story.

A deal would allow both sides to avoid a messy trial, which could've unleashed all kinds of dirt. And, if Musk's deal instead goes through, it will clearly be a marvel of negotiation. Musk will have spent months sewing chaos and turmoil at Twitter, and posturing about bots, all to simply agree to the initial contract terms.

↦ FYI: Musk has said he intends to take Twitter private, which could eventually bring dramatic changes to Twitter

The Oura Ring Keeps Improving

The brand finally smooths out the flats for fully round smart ring

Though the third generation of Oura's health-tracking ring was a much slicker wearable than its rather bulky first offering, a perfectly circular design has so far eluded the company ... until now, with the launch of the Oura Ring Gen3 Horizon.

Gone is the conspicuous raised plateau—the latest model offers a sleeker, smooth and completely round ring. Like, well, a ring. And now it's not much thicker than a regular ring, so it's easy to wear while sleeping or working out.

They've also added a new color offering, rose gold, to the existing silver, black, “stealth” (matte black) and gold colorways. Function-wise, the Horizon ring boasts the same research-grade sensors that accurately monitor your sleep, blood oxygen, activity levels, temperature, heart rate and more. Additionally, two new features include Activity Goals and Calorie Opt-out (which can be adjusted based on your dietary habits). Of course, the ring connects to overarching wellness apps like Apple Health and Google Fit, so you can keep all your information in one place.

Reviews have been stellar (and now have me considering giving up my Apple Watch). CNET says the new ring takes a more holistic approach to your health and wellness. It's more proactive, for example, and can suggest rest days when you're starting to get sick. Not bad, right? I'm all for an activity tracker that tells me to take a load off.

↦ Too much? Can all this tracking lead to anxiety? One writer stopped wearing a fitness tracker at night after getting obsessed with sleep metrics.

In Other News

↦ Trump Goes to Supreme Court Over Mar-a-Lago Search and Seizure of Documents

↦ NASA Tests Gigantic Slingshot for Hurling Objects Into Space

↦ New York Yankees star Aaron Judge Launches 62nd Home Run, Sets AL’s Single-Season Record

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

Is autumn … bad?

Frozen waffles

Loretta Lynn

Seek Out Awe

It’s often what’s missing in our time-crunched, over-scheduled lives

Time is a scarce commodity for most people today. A recent poll of Americans found that nearly half (47%) feel like they didn't have enough time between the daily demands of their family, job and personal errands.

This time-crunched feeling of having too much to do and not enough time to do it has been linked to some undesirable side effects like trouble sleeping, extreme stress, poor diet decisions and postponing seeing a doctor when ill. Sound familiar?

Thankfully, researchers from Stanford and the University of Minnesota have found just what all of us impatient, over-worked people need—a dose of awe. Their study found that when we experience awe—which they define as that “feeling we get when we come across something so strikingly vast in number, scope or complexity that it alters the way we understand the world”—you focus more on the present moment, which expands your sense of time.

And the best part is that it's not that difficult to get some awe into your life. You don't have to jet off to some exotic locale to revel in a vast, awe-inspiring view. You can accomplish it wherever you are.

↦ Read: How to seek out awe in your day-to-day life.

What We’re Buying

Nanushka reinterprets the traditional silhouette of suede loafers with a padded Italian construction and a heavy-duty Vibram sole. Freak these with a double-breasted suit or some sturdy durable fleece sweats.

↦ Get It: $545 / $162 by Nanushka