Is drinking tea the same as drinking lots of water?

As a novice bodybuilder I know I have to drink plenty of water but is tea the same as this or is it better for my body drinking normal water?
I find i have to force water down as i dont get very thirsty on a normal day but i seem to go though a fair few cups of tea.

I love a good cuppa, but tea does contain caffeine that can raise blood pressure, cause sleeplessness and raise heart rate.

Any beverage that contains caffeine will cause the body to excrete MORE WATER than it normally would.

To answer your short question, no. Tea is not like water. You'll have to drink lots of tea and water, but be prepared to start pissing like a race horse!

switch to white tea, it has about the 1/3rd the caffiene of black tea, tastes better, and is far far far better for you!

I don't consider things I mix with water (shakes, coffee, etc) as part of my daily water intake. Your body might not discriminate, but your brain does and will only accept pure H2O.

I know this is a BBing website ultimately, but for overall health's sake, pure H2O is as good as it gets.

thanks all