The amount of caffeine in tea will vary depending on what type or variety you may be steeping. On this page you will learn what tea types have the most, and what offer the least, explore the zero caffeine herbal tea “rooibos”, and even learn on how to naturally reduce the amount of caffeine in your beverage before drinking.
There are four main types of tea, white, green, oolong, and black.
All tea contains some amount of caffeine by nature, but did you know that black tea (which has the most caffeine of the four types), only has around half the amount than a cup of regular coffee?
A 5 ounce cup of black tea has an average of 40 milligrams of caffeine, oolong has around 30 milligrams, caffeine in green tea per 5 ounce cup has 20, and finally the least oxidized of all tea, white tea has only 15.
A cup of coffee contains 80 milligrams of caffeine.
So Why Is There Caffeine In Tea?
All tea comes from the same plant, and is processed into their types by several methods. One of the last methods called fermentation (or oxidation), is what finally determines what "color type" a tea will be. I say color since even oolong tea is also know as "brown tea".
It is this step that influences the amount of caffeine that will be present in any type or variety of tea. Also, other factors such as growing conditions and even location can cause a certain tea to have more or less caffeine then others.
Caffeine is a natural stimulant found in many plants, and not just in tea. The cocoa bean for instance has caffeine, as well as the common coffee plant. This chemical also acts as a natural pesticide for plants.
Now, while drinking caffeine doesn't normally pose as a health risk, some folks who are sensitive to this stimulant should take care in the amount they consume. It is important you consult your physician before consuming any beverage that contains this substance!
Caffeine is sometimes welcome in the morning when folks are in need of that extra boost to get the sleepiness out of their heads; although this isn't the case for everyone. On the flip side, we have the ordeal of enjoying a hot beverage right before calling it a night, and of course caffeine can prevent some from falling asleep.
For this, there are two good choices...
First, you can naturally reduce the amount of caffeine in tea by draining the tea after 30 seconds of steeping. And even though caffeine in green tea, for example, has little to begin with, this trick allows it to contain even less.
Another alternative is to brew some zero caffeine herbal teas like rooibos. Rooibos, which is also know as "Red Bush" and "red tea", is a beverage that rivals tea in the areas of health aspects, and contains none of this substance. In fact, this beverage can help aid you to sleep.
Olive leaf tea is another great tasting herbal tea that contains no caffeine. Olive tea has also shown to contain more free radical destroyers in it than green tea.
