Does Tea Dehydrate You or Hydrate?

There is mixed messaging around the question, “Does Tea dehydrate you?” Look it up on the internet, and you’ll find contradictory articles left, right and centre. It’s time to put your queries to bed once and for all. The following article, every word of which you can believe, will explore, “Is Tea dehydrating or is Tea hydrating?” Please keep reading to find out more information.

Regardless of the conclusion we come to, almost everyone would agree that Loose Leaf Tea, as well as Fresh Coffee, is delicious. We therefore urge you to browse our vast selection after you’ve found your answers. The Kent and Sussex Tea and Coffee Company pack our products fresh to order. This ensures not only quality but also consistency with every cuppa brewed.

Why Hydration is Essential and the Risks of Dehydration

The human body consists of a sizable amount of water. Our heart and brain are 73% water. Our lungs are 83% water. Our skin is 64%, while our muscles and kidneys are 79%. Even our bones are 31% water. It’s fair to say that’s quite a lot of H20. Water carries nutrients to the cells in our body and also the oxygen in our brain. It allows the body to absorb and assimilate vitamins, minerals, amino acids, glucose and more.

Water flushes out toxins and waste. Water regulates body temperature. Water, put simply, is one of the most vital things needed for people to live. The consensus is that we should drink eight 240mg (8-oz) glasses of it daily, totalling just under two litres on top of any other drinks. Our brain detects when we haven’t had enough - i.e. when we’re dehydrated - and, as a result, initiates thirst for stimulating drinking.

When we don’t listen to our body, which in these times is easy enough to do, we start to experience side effects. Even minor dehydration can lead to headaches, lethargy, dark-yellow urine and constipation. And, of course, dehydration to the extreme will, fundamentally, be an impediment to our survival. We need water more than almost anything else. But is drinking Tea good for hydration or not?

Does Tea Dehydrate You or Hydrate?

People the world over have voiced concerns about the potential dehydrating ability of Loose Leaf Tea. They’re not entirely wrong. This is because the Camellia sinensis Tea Plant is one of sixty plants to contain caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulating chemical compound that, when consumed, provides an energy boost. However, it also acts as a diuretic, which promotes the formation of urine.

It stands to reason that by urinating more, we’re losing water. And, perhaps naturally so, when we’re losing water, we’re increasing the risk of becoming dehydrated. It’s worth noting that there are benefits to Diuretic Tea, including reducing blood pressure and supporting those living with kidney issues. But the bottom line remains that Caffeine in Tea and Coffee has a part to play here.

Now we find ourselves at the contradiction. Because, as it turns out, despite the diuretic influence of caffeine, we’d need to be consuming a lot to experience a noticeable difference. We’re talking of an amount greater than 500-mg - or the equivalent of 6-13 cups of regular Black Tea, the most caffeinated type. So, while Tea can make you dehydrated, you’d have to be going overboard to feel its effects.

Is Tea as Hydrating as Water? 

A quick recap: The best answer we can offer to “Does Tea dehydrate you?” is that it depends on how much you drink. Whether you brew a highly-caffeinated variety such as Loose Leaf Black Tea will likewise have a considerable impact. The time has come to move on to “Does Tea hydrate you?” and, if so, “How hydrating is Tea?” Here we bring you excellent news.

Almost all non-alcoholic fluids, including Tea and Fresh Coffee, count as water intake. This is especially the case should you buy Decaf Tea or Decaf Coffee, both of which have had the vast majority of their caffeine content removed.

These particular infusions will be almost as hydrating as water. In reality, even “regular” Tea will contribute to hydration, with its caffeine diminishing its value only minimally.

Conclusion to Does Tea Hydrate or Dehydrate

Drinking Tea does dehydrate you in large quantities - any more than 6-13 cups. The reason is its caffeine content acting as a diuretic, although, for most people, in most instances, its benefits outweigh the risks.

Tea is more likely to hydrate you than dehydrate. Indeed, it is almost as hydrating as water as, really, it is water - with a twist. Be sure to buy from The Kent and Sussex Tea and Coffee Company today.

Author: Richard Smith

Partner at The Kent and Sussex Tea and Coffee Company

Richard Smith is a Tea expert, entrepreneur, and owner of The Kent and Sussex Tea and Coffee Company. Part of a family of renowned Tea planters dating back four generations, he was born in Calcutta (Kolkata), India, where he spent his childhood between Tea Estates in Assam and Darjeeling.

In the late 1970s, having accumulated years of knowledge in the industry, Mr Smith and his mother, Janet Smith, moved to Kent, South East England, to establish a Tea business in the village of Pluckley. Their early days of packing Tea Bags by hand from chests of 10,000 prompted the creation of the company’s flagship infusion known as Pluckley Tea. It remains our most popular product today.

Mr Smith, who studied economics at London Polytechnic, has since specialised in over 1,000 types of Loose Leaf Tea - in addition to around 70 varieties of Roast Coffee - from around the world. These are now available at The Kent and Sussex Tea and Coffee Company, where everything is still packed by hand and fresh to order, not only to honour tradition but to ensure the utmost quality and consistency.