How Much Caffeine in Green Tea

Once, people thought little of how much caffeine in Green Tea . In reality, it has only been relatively recently that people have thought about Caffeine at all! Now, however, science has established both the advantages and disadvantages of continuous Caffeine intake day after day after day.

These new studies have given rise to numerous questions, most notably: does Green Tea contain caffeine? And if so, does it provide more or less caffeine than its counterparts, Black Tea, White Tea and Oolong Tea?

If you’re new to the world of Green Tea Caffeine amounts, then allow The Kent and Sussex Tea and Coffee Company to shine a light on your queries. We have over 30 years experience with Tea, as well as Coffee, and certainly know what we’re talking about. So, let’s jump right in!

Does Green Tea have Caffeine?

Does it contain caffeine? The short answer is yes. The long answer is a little more complex. The bottom line is that all Types of Tea to come from the Camellia sinensis plant, which are Green, Black, White and Oolong Teas, contain Caffeine.

Nevertheless, brewed Green Tea Caffeine has only a meagre amount when one compares it to both brewed Black Tea and brewed Oolong Tea. Only brewed White Tea has less Caffeine than Green.

Green Tea Caffeine while Brewing

Why “brewed”, specifically, you may be asking? Because most Teas contain a similar amount of Caffeine until the hot water reaches the leaf. Yes, that means Green Tea; that means Black Tea; that means both White Tea and Oolong Tea. And even more astoundingly, there is more Caffeine found in Tea than Coffee when in its dry form. However, as a result of getting more cups of Tea from a unit quantity of Tea than from an equal quantity of ground Coffee when brewing, the quantity per cup of Tea is less than that of an equal cup of Coffee.

Determining how much Caffeine is in a cup of tea depends on a multitude of factors, with how much caffeine in Green Tea quantity does depend of the type (e.g. Matcha contains more Caffeine than, say, Sencha) and the age of the leaves. With more mature leaves tending to have more Caffeine than younger leaves. Another factor to account for is whether one chooses Tea Bags of Loose Leaf Tea, the former allegedly containing slightly more Caffeine than the latter when brewed.

Furthermore, and unsurprisingly so, portions have a crucial part to play in the amount of Green Tea Caffeine one ingests. But for the most, the average cup of pure Green Tea Caffeine levels usually contains around 30 milligrams of Caffeine per 8-ounce serving. See what we mean about being a little more complex?

Green Tea vs Black Tea Caffeine

The average cup of Green Tea contains approximately ½ less Caffeine than Black Tea. And this can go further still depending on the brewing times applied. In fact, contrary to popular belief, brewing times have, perhaps, the most prominent part to play in the imparting of Caffeine to cup, which goes against the more common and traditional belief that it depends on the type of tea.

According to the latest science, “type” plays a minuscule role when compared to brewing, as supported by a study conducted at the University of Florida, USA. The results were published in the October 2008 issue of the “Journal of Analytical Toxicology”.

They found that one-minute brew times yielded at least 14 milligrams of Caffeine for Black Tea and 12 milligrams for Green Teas. Three-minute brew times, meanwhile, yielded a minimum of 27 milligrams for Black Tea and 22 milligrams for Green Tea. Finally, brewing for five minutes (which, honestly, is not recommended with Green Tea anyway!) resulted in a maximum of 61 milligrams for Black Tea and 41 milligrams for Green Tea. So, there you have it!

The bottom line, however, is that, for the most, brewed Black Tea tends to contain more Caffeine than Green Tea. In fact, the average cup of Black Tea brewed for an average 3-5 minutes contains approximately 40 milligrams of Caffeine.

Oolong Tea vs Green Tea Caffeine

The same principles of Caffeine content apply to Oolong Tea, which is a semi-fermented Tea (sort of) lying between Green Tea and Black Tea. Many people choose Oolong Tea because, when brewed, it most commonly contains less caffeine than Black Tea (approximately 35-37 milligrams). Meanwhile, many people choose this because, well, when brewed, it most commonly contains less caffeine than Oolong Tea!

Again, it’s a common misconception that processing has anything to do with the Caffeine content in Oolong Tea. Until recently, we were all under the impression that processing was the main reason for differing Caffeine levels; however, it simply isn’t the case. Oolong Tea, like Green Tea, like Black Tea, like White Tea, contains extraordinarily similar Caffeine levels until brewed.

Where to Buy Decaffeinated Green Tea

There is, of course, another option when it comes to Green Tea: choosing Decaf. A Decaffeinated Green Tea is one that has literally had its Caffeine content reduced significantly through careful and efficient processing techniques. However, the process of Decaffeination, whether it be for Tea or Coffee, does not extract the entirety of the caffeine content, just the vast majority. A Decaffeinated Tea, for example, will likely have, on average, 95-98% of Caffeine removed.

Nevertheless, choosing a Decaf beverage is great for those who, in particular, may be Caffeine-sensitive, pregnant and want to drink Green Tea, or just looking to cut down their caffeine intake dramatically. The process of Decaffeination affects the taste of the Tea very little, meaning one can enjoy all the same flavour notes of “regular” Green Tea without the risks of jitteriness of sleeplessness, which are two potential side effects of Caffeine overconsumption.

It’s also worth noting that The Kent and Sussex Tea and Coffee only use the CO2 processing method for each one of our Decaffeinated Teas, which is the safest and more effective method of Decaffeination. With this method, we apply pressurised liquid Carbon Dioxide to the tea leaf to extract the small Caffeine molecules. Meanwhile, since the flavour molecules are larger, they remain intact.

When it comes to Decaff Green Teas, we currently have three: Decaffeinated Green Tea, Decaffeinated Earl Grey Green Tea and Strawberry Sencha Decaffeinated Green Tea. Each Decaf Green Tea we stock is as delicious as the last, so why not try all of them?

With our Decaffeinated Green Tea, one can choose Loose Leaf or Decaffeinated Green Tea Bags. Whichever form one chooses, the result is inevitably the same: a Sencha Green Tea that boasts enticingly grassy flavours and mesmerising aromas.

Then there is our Decaffeinated Earl Grey Green Tea, which is a Flavoured Tea like no other. Like all Earl Grey Tea, this beverage offers unique citrusy flavours brought out from the addition of bergamot oil. Unlike many other Earl Grey Teas, however, this brew is, surprise-surprise, Decaffeinated! Furthermore, traditionally “Earl Grey” flavours are more closely associated with Black Tea, making our Decaffeinated Earl Grey Green Tea all the more unique, as if that was possible!

Last but not least, we have our Strawberry Sencha Decaffeinated Green Tea which, as the name suggests, is a wonderfully fruity infusion from start to finish. This particular beverage uses only the finest quality Chinese Green Tea leaves despite being flavoured, resulting in a brew of magnificently floral aromas and, naturally so, fruity tastes. Ultimately, our Strawberry Sencha Decaffeinated Tea suits a variety of palates while also being a popular choice among more experimental Tea Connoisseurs.

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