Understanding Our Caffeine Ratings
Caffeine in tea is not as straightforward as people often think.
We tend to say that tea has less caffeine than coffee, and in the brewed cup, that is usually true. But there is a twist: by dry weight, tea leaves can contain more caffeine than coffee beans. The reason coffee usually ends up with more caffeine per cup is that coffee is brewed differently. Most cups of coffee use more ground coffee than a cup of tea uses tea leaves, and ground coffee extracts very efficiently.
So while tea usually gives you a gentler cup, caffeine is still more complicated than “green tea is low” or “black tea is high.”
Can You Decaffeinate Tea by Rinsing It?
You may have heard that you can naturally decaffeinate tea by steeping it briefly, throwing out that first steep, and then brewing the leaves again.
Unfortunately, it is not that simple.
A quick rinse may remove a little caffeine, but it does not remove most of it. Tea leaves continue releasing caffeine as they steep, and the amount that ends up in your cup depends on time, water temperature, leaf size, and how much tea you use.
If you steep long enough to remove a meaningful amount of caffeine, you are also changing the flavor of the tea. You may lose some of the delicate floral notes, aroma, body, and balance that made the tea enjoyable in the first place. At that point, the tea may be less caffeinated, but it may also be flat, bitter, or dull.
If you need truly caffeine-free tea, we recommend choosing an herbal tea, rooibos, honeybush, or fruit blend that does not contain tea, mate, guayusa, cacao, or other naturally caffeinated ingredients.
Why Don’t We Put an Exact Number on Every Cup?
Some people want us to say exactly how much caffeine is in a cup of each tea. We understand why that would be helpful, especially for anyone who is sensitive to caffeine.
Unless we brewed that exact cup using a set method and sent it out for testing, an exact number would not feel honest to us. And testing every tea, every harvest, and every possible brewing style would add costs without giving you a number that applies perfectly to your cup at home. We would rather keep our teas affordable and give you clear, practical caffeine categories you can actually use.
Caffeine in tea can vary based on:
Tea is a plant, and plants vary.
Think about strawberries. You would not expect every strawberry, from every farm, in every season, to have the exact same amount of sugar. A sunny, balanced growing season might give you sweeter, juicier berries. A colder, wetter, or drier season may produce something different.
Tea works the same way. Even leaves from the same plant, harvested in the same place, can vary from year to year because growing conditions affect the finished tea.
Water Temperature and Steep Time Matter
Hotter water pulls more from the leaves faster. That can include caffeine, flavor, tannins, body, aroma, and bitterness.
Sometimes hotter water is exactly what you want. Other times, even with black tea, a slightly cooler water temperature can make the cup smoother and more enjoyable.
A longer steep can also pull more caffeine from the leaves, but it changes the flavor too. Some people love a long, strong steep. Others find that same cup too intense or bitter. Neither preference is wrong; they simply create different cups.
How Much Tea You Use Matters Too
There are many kinds of tea drinkers.
Some prefer a lighter, more delicate cup. They may use a smaller amount of tea or a shorter steep. Others want big flavor and a stronger brew, so they use more leaf, more time, or both.
Our brewing suggestions are usually written for a balanced, approachable cup. If you like a bold cup, you can always add more tea or steep a little longer. If you prefer something lighter, you can use less tea or shorten the steep.
Those different brewing styles can create very different caffeine levels, even when two people are drinking the exact same tea.
Why We Use Caffeine Categories
Our caffeine scale is a compromise.
We do not want to pretend we can give you a perfect number for every possible cup. But we do want to give you useful guidance, especially if you are choosing between caffeine-free, low-caffeine, moderate-caffeine, and higher-caffeine options.
Our caffeine ratings are broad, practical categories based on a typical 8 oz serving.
|
Label Level |
Approximate Caffeine per 8 oz Cup |
Common Examples |
|
Caffeine Free |
0 mg |
Herbal teas with no true tea, rooibos, honeybush, fruit blends |
|
Trace Caffeine |
1–10 mg |
Decaf tea, blends with a very small amount of tea, mate, guayusa, or cacao |
|
Low Caffeine |
10–30 mg |
Many white teas, some green teas, lightly steeped teas |
|
Moderate Caffeine |
30–60 mg |
Many green teas, oolongs, and black teas |
|
High Caffeine |
60–90+ mg |
Strong black teas, breakfast blends, matcha, yerba mate, guayusa |
How Tea Compares to Coffee
Most brewed tea contains less caffeine than brewed coffee, but serving size matters.
|
Drink |
Typical Caffeine per 8 oz |
|
Decaf coffee |
about 2–15 mg |
|
Brewed green tea |
about 20–40 mg |
|
Brewed black tea |
about 40–70 mg |
|
Regular brewed coffee |
about 80–120 mg |
|
Strong coffee or larger café serving |
often 150–250+ mg |
These numbers are general guides, not guarantees. The actual amount in your cup depends on the tea, the coffee, the serving size, and how it is prepared.
The Bottom Line
Caffeine in tea is not one-size-fits-all.
Our ratings are meant to help you compare teas, not to promise an exact lab-tested number. If you are highly sensitive to caffeine, shopping for evening teas, or choosing something for a child, we recommend starting with caffeine-free blends or trace-caffeine options.
And if you love a strong, bold cup, remember that using extra tea or steeping longer can move your cup higher on the caffeine scale, even if the tea itself is usually considered low or moderate caffeine.
