I read in The Economist yesterday that it takes gallons and gallons of water to produce a single cup of coffee.

I love my cappuccino (a little more than my filter coffee), so I was taken aback to know my brew cost so much in environmental terms.

The British magazine reports: "According to a new book on the subject, 1,120 litres of water go into producing a single litre of the beverage, once growing the beans, packaging and so on are measured. Only 120 litres go into making the same amount of tea."

Tea drinkers have reason to feel proud: they are, in this book's estimation, less harmful to the environment than coffee drinkers.

But I wonder if these statistics would scare or shame anyone into giving up coffee. Although I drink tea, I don't crave for it like I crave for coffee. Is it the aroma? Good coffee has a mysteriously attractive character. Don't know why, but coffee with friends sounds more stylish and intellectual than beer with friends!

By the way, it takes more water to produce a mug of lager than it does to produce a cup of tea, but beer is still more environment-friendly than coffee.

Read The Economist's story here.