Does Green Tea Have Caffeine? 7 Facts to Know!

As you enjoy a sip of your favorite green tea, have you ever wondered, ‘does green tea have caffeine in it?’ Well, shocking, isn’t it? Caffeine in green tea, I am sure most of you find it unbelievable!

Most of you would be kick-starting your day with a cup of hot beverage, with many opting to drink green tea as a brightening mover.

Tea and coffee are considered to be two of the most consumed beverages all over the world. Tea was invented in 2737BC in China, whereas coffee was first produced in Arabia near the Red Sea in 674BC.

Tea and coffee are said to be caffeinated drinks that help energize our bodies. Tea and coffee both have numerous variants all around the world.

Some of the common choices for tea drinkers are black tea, herbal tea, and green tea, while coffee drinkers usually go for black coffee, espresso, cappuccino, and Americano.

The debate over tea and coffee has been going on for ages and going into the details like brands, brewing methods, hot vs. cold is better left unsaid.

So What Exactly Is Green Tea?

Tea is made from the Camellia Sinensis1 bush’s leaves and is the second most consumed beverage in the world after water.

The tea plant has two varieties. One is grown in China and is used for green and white tea. The other type is produced in India and is used for oolong and black tea.

Its extract is made from the unoxidized leaves of this bush. Green tea, compared to others, is said to be the least of the processed types of tea leaves2 and hence is rich in catechin content.

horizontal photo, of the glass teapot flow green tea in cup on brown background, tea ceremony
Source: Depositphotos

Green tea has the most flavonoids of all the four types of tea, and these are said to be plant-based antioxidant chemicals. This is the reason why green tea contains the most amount of antioxidants and beneficial polyphenols.3

All the types of tea except herbal are brewed from the dried leaves of Camellia Sinensis, but the kind of green tea is determined by the level of oxidation of the leaves.

Benefits Of Drinking Green Tea

The possible health benefits of green tea have been hailed by people for centuries. Of course, no food can protect you from any disease completely. This is because your health is also dependent on your lifestyle and your genes.

If you are pondering whether green tea has caffeine, you should substitute one soda with 1-2 cups of green tea. You can save up to over 50,000 calories!

Some of the potential health benefits of drinking green tea are:

1. Increasing Metabolism

Increasing the speed of your metabolism is the best way to feel better, and when your body system is working at top-notch, then it is a bonus to your overall health.

Athletic woman standing near glass molecule chain. Good metabolism concept.
Source: Depositphotos

Green tea increases the fat-burning properties so that your blood flow is better. Due to this, your heart gets pumping along at the rate it should, along with the right balance in your digestive system.

2. Help to Fight Cancer

Of late, we often hear of someone or the other affected by cancer. So if you are thinking does green tea has caffeine, then it helps fight certain cancers, including the kidney, pancreas, stomach, mouth, and others.

3. Helps in Weight Loss

Slim young woman measuring her thin waist with a tape measure, close up
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Many of us have weight issues and often get accumulated around the middle. In studies conducted on overweight people, drinking green tea helped lose weight and the waist circumference.

4. Can Prevent Heart Diseases

One of the highest causes of death is cardiovascular disease and Type2 diabetes4. Green tea can help control cholesterol levels, reduce high blood pressure, and reduce insulin sensitivity and blood sugar levels. Green tea lowers the LDL (bad) cholesterol in the blood, thus preventing heart disease.

5. Improves Functions Of the Brain

Green tea contains caffeine that acts as a central nervous system stimulant, due to which we feel more energetic after drinking a cup of green tea.

Young Woman Drinking Green Tea Outdoors. Summer Background. Shallow Depth of Field.
Source: Depositphotos

It is known to improve the brain’s functions along with mood, productivity, and reaction time.

6. Fights Inflammation

Inflammation in the body can be fought with the help of the flavonoids in green tea. The epigallocatechin gallate component in green tea has anti-inflammatory effects. It is also said to have antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral properties as well that help to fight inflammation.

Now that you have read through the benefits of green tea, you must be wondering what this question was – does green tea have caffeine in it? Well, let us explore this as well.

Does Green Tea Have Caffeine?

Tea and coffee are said to contain some amount of caffeine in them. It is surprising as most of us felt that these were caffeine-free drinks, and we were always wondering whether green tea has caffeine.

A woman drinking green tea which is beneficial to ones health in many ways
Source: Depositphotos

Just like regular tea, green tea is also said to contain caffeine. It can cause concern for most of you who do not want to intake too much caffeine.

Caffeine Present in Tea Is Dependent on Their Variant

Caffeine in green tea occurs naturally from the tea plants, and how much does green tea caffeine is depended basically on the variant of the tea plant, the way it is processed and brewed, and the conditions in which it is grown.

Caffeine Is a Natural Stimulant

Caffeine is a natural stimulant that helps you keep awake and stay alert. Intake of Caffeine helps many health benefits such as improved brain function5.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqLcOEnN6sM

Quantity Present in a Cup

The average quantity of caffeine present in 230ml (eight-ounce cup) of green tea can be around 35mg, but this may vary. The actual amount can be about 30-50 mg per 230ml serving.

Younger Leaves have More Caffeine than Older Ones

It is found that the tea made from younger leaves usually has more caffeine when compared to the tea made with older tea leaves.

Bagged Tea Has More Caffeine

Generally, it is found that bagged tea is more caffeinated than loose leaf tea. The reason could be that the tea leaves are crushed up in the tea bags, and thus more caffeine is extracted and infused into the drink.

Matcha Green Tea Has High Level of Caffeine

Matcha green tea, a variety of powdered green tea, is marketed as having high health benefits. It is said to have a higher caffeine content than both bagged and loose green tea.

Caffeine Content is Somewhat similar for Powdered Green Tea And Bagged Tea

However, the portion tends to be somewhat the same for powdered green teas and bagged tea. The caffeine content can be similar for both is one gram of bagged tea or half a teaspoon of matcha green tea per serving.

Green tea has a Noticeable amount of Caffeine

For non-matcha green tea, it is best to assume that it will contain only a noticeable amount of caffeine unless the green tea is roasted like Hojicha, mixed with herbal ingredients, or cold brewed.

Lastly, other factors that decide whether green tea has caffeine are hot water, brewing time, and the number of tea leaves that determine the caffeine content in your drink.

How To Avoid Caffeine In Green Tea?

Predicting how much caffeine green tea may have is quite tricky. Very few companies give away the caffeine levels in their teas, and it cannot be accurately tested without proper lab equipment.

green tea with jasmine in cup and teapot on wooden table on green background
Source: Depositphotos

Nevertheless, if you want to avoid the caffeine in green tea, then you can try out these techniques to reduce caffeine in your green tea:

  • Coffee shop green teas tend to have a higher caffeine content than other green teas. So skip having green teas from coffee shops.
  • Decaf green tea may not be free from caffeine, but it contains less than other green teas.
  • Green tea blends typically contain about half of the caffeine than their unblended counterparts. Go for a 50-50 blend of lemongrass and green tea or mint and green tea.
  • Do not brew green tea for more than 3-4 minutes or use boiling water to brew green tea. This will increase the caffeine level. Instead, brew for 30 secs or 1 minute, or use simmering water to enjoy a healthy cup of green tea.
  • Green Tea bags usually contain more caffeine than loose tea. So drink whole leaf green tea or popular twig teas like Kukicha and Houjicha that are naturally low in caffeine.
  • Drinking spring harvest teas like Shincha often contain higher caffeine than late harvest teas like Bancha. This is because tea buds or the tips generally have higher caffeine than older mature leaves.
  • Shade-grown teas like Matcha and Gyokuro are naturally high in caffeine. Shade-grown teas lack sunlight, so they react by increasing their levels of chlorophyll and other chemical compounds, including caffeine making them have a high content.

Finally, do not try to decaffeinate at home because home tea decaffeination is a myth.

Green Tea Vs Other Caffeinated Beverages

If you are eager to find out whether or not green tea has caffeine, then read ahead!

Woman sit on stairs at home, smell her green tea and feels great. Green tree on background and copy space fot text
Source: Depositphotos

The amount of caffeine present in each beverage is different. Factors like brewing and processing always affect the content of caffeine in a beverage.

Caffeine is present in nearly most of the drinks that are consumed, including soft drinks. Listed below are the details of caffeine content in some of the drinks:

  1. Brewed coffee – 237ml – 96mg
  2. Expresso – 30ml – 64mg
  3. Instant coffee – 237ml – 62mg
  4. Brewed black tea – 237 ml – 47mg
  5. Brewed green tea – 237ml – 28mg
  6. Sodas (Citrus) – 237ml – 0mg
  7. Cola – 237ml – 22mg
  8. Energy drinks – 237ml – 22mg
  9. Energy shot – 30ml – 215mg

Up to 400 mg of caffeine per day is considered safe for healthy adults, while pregnant women should not have more than 200 mg of caffeine per day. However, the sensitivity to the caffeine of each person varies.

Don’t go for the general guidelines or on the thought does green tea have caffeine. Rather, the amount of caffeine you consume in a day should depend on your body’s metabolism rate and tolerance.

Just in case you have any other queries or concerns about does green tea have caffeine, it is better to consult a physician to find out more about its medicinal properties.

Final Words

Choosing green tea over other beverages is a better choice for those looking for a drink with a low dose of caffeine. Does green tea have caffeine – Yes, but it has a lot of health benefits too.

But the caffeine tolerance in each person varies, and caffeine found varies in each popular drink. So, the ideal caffeine drink will not be the same for each individual.

Close-up of mature woman drinking herbal tea
Source: Depositphotos

No doubt, consuming caffeine provides a boost of energy, but it should not solely be dependent on caffeine to keep you moving throughout the day.

I hope after reading this article, you would have found out the answer to – does green tea have caffeine. Enjoy your drink as the caffeine is in the green zone!

FAQs

1. Green tea or coffee contains more caffeine?

But compared to green tea, coffee has more than three times as much caffeine. Coffee has 96 mg of caffeine in an 8-ounce (240 mL) cup, compared to 29 mg in the same amount of green tea (5, 6). Adults are thought to be safe with daily caffeine doses of 400 mg, per studies.

2. Is green tea entirely caffeine-free?

Camellia sinensis is the only plant from which genuine tea is produced. This plant produces the tea kinds known as Green, Oolong, Black, and White, all of which contain caffeine.

3. Is green tea okay to drink at night?

Numerous health advantages of green tea may include improved sleep. However, consuming it at night, particularly in the two hours before bed, may make it more difficult to go to sleep. Additionally, it can result in greater overnight urination, which could worsen the quality of your sleep.

  1. Namita, Parmar, Rawat Mukesh, and Kumar J. Vijay. “Camellia sinensis (green tea): a review.” Global journal of pharmacology 6.2 (2012): 52-59. ↩︎
  2. Amaresh, Nirmala, A. R. Mullaicharam, and Mohanned Abdueghafour El-Khider. “Chemistry and pharmacology of caffeine in different types of tea leaves.” International Journal of Nutrition, Pharmacology, Neurological Diseases 1.2 (2011): 110-115. ↩︎
  3. Quiñones, Mar, Marta Miguel, and Amaya Aleixandre. “Beneficial effects of polyphenols on cardiovascular disease.” Pharmacological research 68.1 (2013): 125-131. ↩︎
  4. Chatterjee, Sudesna, Kamlesh Khunti, and Melanie J. Davies. “Type 2 diabetes.” The lancet 389.10085 (2017): 2239-2251. ↩︎
  5. Als, Heidelise, et al. “NIDCAP improves brain function and structure in preterm infants with severe intrauterine growth restriction.” Journal of Perinatology 32.10 (2012): 797-803. ↩︎

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Suchitra Rajan

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