The morning cup of coffee has an exhilaration about it which the cheering influence of the afternoon or evening cup of tea cannot be expected to reproduce.

Holmes contrasts coffee and tea less as beverages than as symbols of daily rhythm and temperament. The “morning cup of coffee” stands for the day’s first jolt—an energizing, almost bracing stimulus associated with beginning work and sharpening attention. Tea, by contrast, is framed as a later, gentler “cheering influence,” suited to afternoon or evening sociability and comfort rather than ignition. The sentence implies that certain experiences are time-bound: what feels invigorating at the start of the day cannot be replicated later by a milder substitute. It’s also a wry observation about expectation—wanting the same exhilaration from a different drink at a different hour misunderstands how mood, habit, and context shape pleasure.