How Much Caffeine In A Cup Of Green Tea?

Green tea is a popular drink in the world, especially in Asian countries for its many benefits. While most will drink it for its refreshing taste without a thought, there are some who will stop to ask these questions. Is there caffeine in green tea? How many milligrams of caffeine in green tea? In this post, let’s find out the answers to these questions.

Does green tea have caffeine in it?

Yes. Green tea does have caffeine in it. However, green tea is lower in caffeine than black tea or coffee. The amount of caffeine in green tea varies with the type of tea.

How Much Caffeine In A Cup Of Green Tea?

Drinking green tea has become a healthy habit for most people because of its low caffeine level. On average, a cup of green tea contains 35 milligrams of caffeine. This is lesser than all other caffeinated beverages.

Factors affecting green tea caffeine content

Temperature and steeping duration

Do you enjoy your green tea hot or cold? You may be surprised to hear that one of them has more caffeine content than the other. 

A study on PubMed shows the effects of different steeping methods on green tea bags. Caffeine in green tea bags steeped in cold water is found to be remarkably lower than in hot water. Researchers tested four types of tea. They steeped the bags in varying temperatures of hot water. They soaked the tea bags eight times repeatedly to see the effects. For the steeping method, the researchers followed the ancient Chinese tradition of tea steeping.

The results revealed that higher temperatures release more caffeine, but the level decreases over time. Steeping for a longer time reduces the level of caffeine in green tea. Tea bags soaked in 4 degrees Celsius cold water showed no significant change in caffeine levels.

Tea type and age

Caffeine in green tea also varies with the type of tea plant. The age of the plant also affects its caffeine level. Older leaves have lesser caffeine than younger leaves. I suggest reading the package label when buying green tea leaves.

Why do anyone care how many mg of caffeine is in green tea?

Green tea is a healthier choice than coffee and black tea. Besides its lower caffeine content, it also has L-theanine, which balances the effects of caffeine in your body. Several test tube studies provide evidence of the potential benefits of green tea in preventing diseases. Healthline talks about them in an article about green tea. Some potential benefits include:

• Cancer – Green tea contains polyphenol that curbs the growth of cancer cells.
• Alzheimer’s Disease – EGCG in green tea help reduce the development of amyloid plaques that cause Alzheimer’s disease.
• Anti-Fatigue – A study on mice revealed that drinking green tea helps fight fatigue.
• Liver Protection – Another study on mice showed that green tea reduces the development of a fatty liver.
• Anti-microbial – Green tea contains antioxidants that fight viruses and bacteria.
• Calming – Polyphenols in green tea also promote a relaxing effect on your body.

Drinking green tea is an age-old tradition. Although these are only test-tube and animal studies, modern science continues to work on providing evidence of the benefits of this healthy beverage. I cannot deny the relaxing effect of drinking green tea.

Daily Limits and Healthy Measures

You’d be happy to know that 200 milligrams of caffeine only makes four cups of green tea. If you drink coffee every morning for breakfast, you can still enjoy afternoon tea. Another 2 cups would still be within limits.

The recommended daily dose of caffeine for adults is 400 milligrams. But this also depends on your weight and health condition. Pregnant and nursing mothers should minimize their caffeine intake as it could affect the baby in the womb.

Children should also limit their caffeine intake. Too much caffeine can cause calcium deficiency resulting in brittle bones. Better yet, don’t serve coffee and tea to those little ones. It can bring them health problems in their later years.

Does green tea or coffee has more caffeine?

Brewed coffee has more caffeine compared to green tea. In fact, coffee has 4 times the caffeine amount in green tea.

Caffeine in green tea bag vs loose leaves

Tea bags also tend to have more caffeine than loose tea leaves. Crushing the tea leaves releases more caffeine. It gets infused into the beverage when you drink it. That is why green tea matcha may have higher caffeine content than loose green tea leaves.

Caffeine amount in green tea vs black tea and more…

Here’s a quick comparison of caffeine content in every 230-ml serving of popular beverages:

• Green tea: 30–50 mg
• Instant coffee: 27–173 mg
• Plain, brewed coffee: 102–200 mg
• Espresso: 240–720 mg
• Black tea: 25–110 mg
• Yerba mate: 65–130 mg
• Soft drinks: 23–37 mg
• Energy drinks: 72–80 mg

Why Is Green Tea Better?

Green tea is more than just caffeine. It also has antioxidants that help prevent diseases and illness. It is a healthy beverage that contains a safe amount of caffeine.

Drinking green tea is a healthy habit. It is a safer caffeine alternative for coffee and other energy drinks. A warm cup of green tea can keep you stay focused and alert.

People have been using green tea for medicine since ancient times. Modern scientists continue their research to give evidence on the health benefits of green tea. The calming effect of green tea is undeniable.

Wrapping up: Do green teas contains caffeine?

Caffeine is a natural ingredient in coffee beans and the tea plant. How much caffeine is in green tea varies with the type of plant and a few other factors. The age of the tea leaves also affects their caffeine content. The process of making green tea also influences the caffeine level. Steeping tea bags in hot water for a longer time produces more caffeine. Loose tea leaves are healthier because they have lesser caffeine content than tea bags. A good cup of green tea has about 35 milligrams of caffeine. You can enjoy an afternoon tea even if you’ve had a cup of coffee for breakfast. Those two caffeine cups give you just the right amount of caffeine in a day.