Coffee tea leaves or coffee leaves are the actual leaves from the coffee plant (either coffea robusta or coffea arabica

Coffea arabica

Coffea arabica is a species of Coffea originally indigenous to the mountains of Yemen in the Arabian Peninsula, hence its name, and also from the southwestern highlands of Ethiopia and southeastern Sudan. It is also known as the "coffee shrub of Arabia", "mountain coffee" or "arabica coffee"...

), prepared as a herbal tea. These leaves, after being roasted, can be ground up or crumpled, then brewed or steeped in hot water in a form similar to tea. The effects however are more similar to coffee than they are to tea. They closely resemble the leaves and stalks of Paraguay tea (llex paraguariensis).

The taste is similar though to that of black tea, having a sort of bitter bite. Honey and sugar are often used to nullify the after taste, along occasionally with milk. To take the edge off, it is best to mix with regular brewed black coffee.

Health benefits and origins

The health benefits of coffee leaves are few known, as it is not a widely imbibed substance. However, it has been recorded that "Unlike tea, no nervous disorders arise from its inordinate use." In some areas of the eastern archipelago, especially in the regions of Sumatra and Ethiopia, only the leaves are taken from the coffee plant and the berries left on the bush. The natives of these places and other experimental drinkers find that the concoction stems hunger and tends to energize both the body and mind while actually having more caffeine than the roasted bean brew.