Why caffeine levels differ

Caffeine is present in the tea plant itself. Several factors influence how much ends up in your cup:

• Tea type
• Leaf size and age
• Processing method
• Water temperature
• Steeping time

Younger buds often contain more caffeine than mature leaves. Finer broken leaves extract more quickly than whole leaves.

General Comparison

These are broad patterns, not exact numbers.

White Tea
Usually lower to moderate.

Green Tea
Moderate.

Oolong Tea
Moderate, depending on style.

Black Tea
Generally higher than green or white tea.

Pu’er and Dark Teas
Varies by age and processing.

Matcha
Higher than most loose leaf teas, because you consume the entire leaf.

How Brewing Affects Caffeine

Hotter water extracts caffeine more quickly.

Longer steeping increases extraction.

Using more leaf also increases caffeine in the cup.

Adjusting temperature and time can slightly influence strength, but tea will always contain some caffeine.

How it feels

Caffeine in tea is often described as steady rather than abrupt.

This is partly due to other natural compounds in the leaf that interact with caffeine.

A note

If you prefer to avoid caffeine entirely, herbal teas are naturally caffeine free.

Our caffeine free herbals

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