Different Types of Tea and Caffeine Content

Posted on 10/30/2016 by Garfield Medical Center

Tea has many health benefits such as reducing your risk of heart disease, protecting your bones, weight
loss, and a high amounts of antioxidants. There are studies, however, suggesting that tea leaves contain
more caffeine than coffee beans. Caffeine is not really that bad in small doses, but it can still cause
anxiety and insomnia for some.

To make sure that you are getting just the right amount of caffeine in your system, let’s look at the
different types of tea and their caffeine content. This can also be a good source for people who are
looking for a reason to completely turn their backs on java.

Black Tea

Black tea generally has about 40 to 70 milligrams of caffeine per eight ounce serving while coffee has
about 95 to 200 milligrams. If you drink your black tea in a larger cup, you can account for a similar
amount of caffeine every morning.

Green Tea

The caffeine content in green tea falls mid-range with 35 to 45 milligrams per eight ounce serving. While
it is definitely less than black tea, it is still higher than other types of tea, such as white tea. Green tea is a
gentler source of stimulant. If you want to significantly reduce your caffeine intake but don’t want to
eliminate it completely, green tea is a good choice for you.

White Tea

This type of tea has the least amount of caffeine out of all teas with only 15 to 30 milligrams per eight
ounce serving. White tea is known to be one of the most delicate tea varieties because it is the least
processed.

Oolong Tea

Oolong tea is a traditional Chinese tea that offers a more diverse flavor, body, and complexity than any
popular tea variants in the U.S. Its caffeine content is in between the amount in black tea and green tea
with 37 to 55 milligrams per eight ounce serving.

Herbal Tea

Herbal teas such as, chamomile, ginger and peppermint contain no caffeine at all. This is because these
types of teas are not made from the camellia sinensis plant as most teas. They are made instead from
dried flowers, leaves, seeds, or roots that are generally caffeine-free. If you are looking for a tea to drink
at night, herbal tea is a good choice.

Tea definitely offers more choices in terms of the amount of caffeine while still enjoying its many health
benefits. You can easily increase or decrease your caffeine intake depending on your tea variant. So go
ahead, pour yourself a cup or two and enjoy!