[Digit-Al]

That's funny, I've heard that tea was a potential contributor. The theory goes that the health benefits of drinking tea allowed our British cities to grow larger without disease spreading. This meant more people congregating in one place, which allowed a greater exchange of ideas. Something along those lines.

[BurningFrog]

For both, the fact that you boil the water is a huge health boost.

Though I was thinking of the caffeination of the workforce. And coffee has more of that than tea.