Is there more caffeine in tea or coffee

Table of Contents

  • Is there more caffeine in tea or coffee
    Author: Melissa Collins

  • Updated: October 19, 2022

Coffee's caffeine vs. tea's caffeine

Have you ever wondered about the guy at the office who won’t get anywhere near the coffee machine and spends his coffee breaks sipping proudly from his novelty tea mug? 

How does he do it? How does he manage to keep his eyes open, let alone function properly without any sort of coffee? What’s his secret?

How is the caffeine in tea different from that in coffee?

The secret is caffeine. It does sound weird, but there’s caffeine in tea, not as much as in a regular cup of black coffee, but enough to keep one going.

Is it the same caffeine as in coffee? Yes, indeed, there’s only one substance going by the name of caffeine, no matter where it is to be found.

However, it is a bit different, as it acts slower and gives you a gentler energy boost.

The caffeine in tea binds with an amino acid called L-theanine and this makes it act in a more controlled way. When you down an espresso, the caffeine gets in your blood within minutes and you feel a surge or energy, while the caffeine in tea is released slowly over time, giving you a prolonged energy boost.

This bond is what makes tea caffeine act in a slower, more controlled way. Instead of an intense burst of energy, you get a prolonged, slow-release form of energy.

What tea has more caffeine than coffee?

Just to make one thing clear – we’re not talking about herbal teas here, although they are great, we’re talking about real tea, a plant native to East Asia. In fact, most of the world’s tea supply comes from China, India and Nepal.

All the different sorts of tea you’ve heard about come from this single plant. The most popular is green tea, but white tea is stronger and has the highest caffeine content of them all.

White tea is prepared from very young tea leaves, leaf buds, and plant spears.

Green tea is made with tea leaves that are a bit older, but not yet fully mature, and these have a lower caffeine content.

Dark tea is usually prepared from mature tea leaves.

The weird thing is white tea has a very delicate taste and you wouldn’t believe it has more caffeine than a bitter dark tea.

Caffeine level in tea varies with the time the leaves are steeped in hot water. Also, a higher ratio of tea leaves to water will result in a stronger tea.

How much caffeine is there in a cup of tea?

It’s hard to give an exact answer as not all the coffees are the same, just as no two cups of tea are the same.

Speaking in broad terms, an 8 fl oz cup of regular coffee can have anywhere between 96 to 165 mg of caffeine, depending on the type of coffee that was used. Meanwhile, a similar cup filled with tea offers you 25-50 mg of caffeine.

The funny thing is, if you walk around all day with a tea mug in your hand, nobody will warn you that you’re exaggerating and too much tea is bad for you, as most people are unaware there’s caffeine in tea.

Quick recap

The caffeine in tea is basically the same as the caffeine in a normal cup of coffee. However, there’s way less caffeine in tea and it is released slowly, giving you a prolonged energy boost. If you want a strong tea, try white tea!

FAQ

How much caffeine is in green tea vs coffee?

An 8-ounce serving of green tea contains 29mg of caffeine compared to 96mg of caffeine found in the same volume of black coffee. With coffee having roughly 3 times the amount of caffeine as green tea, it is possible to consume three times as much green tea as coffee on a daily basis and stay within the recommended 400mg of caffeine per day for adults.

How much caffeine is in black tea vs coffee?

If you were to drink an 8-ounce cup of black tea, you would ingest 47mg of caffeine compared with 96mg of caffeine from the same volume of coffee. It is important to remember that adults should not consume more than 400mg of caffeine per day and that for teenagers, this amount is 100mg per day.

How much caffeine is in black tea bag vs coffee?

Depending on the type and brand of tea, the amount of caffeine can range from 14mg (contained in a Darjeeling tea) to 59mg found in Awake black tea. The average cup of black coffee contains around 96mg of coffee per cup, meaning that it has almost double the amount of caffeine of the strongest black tea bag out there!

How much caffeine is in matcha tea vs coffee?

Matcha is a powdered type of Japanese green tea that has more caffeine than brewed green tea but not quite as much caffeine as coffee. On average, an 8-ounce cup of matcha contains about 70mg of caffeine compared with 96mg found in a cup of coffee of the same size. The concentration of the cup of matcha tea prepared will affect the amount of caffeine present, but coffee still reigns supreme when it comes to caffeine!

How much caffeine is in Earl Grey tea vs coffee?

Earl grey tea is a type of black tea and the amount of caffeine present in a cup of tea depends on the steep time allowed. A cup of Earl Grey can have caffeine ranging from 24mg for a steep time of 1 minute to 47mg for a steep time of 5 minutes. A cup of coffee of the same volume will usually contain 96mg of caffeine which is about double the amount of caffeine present in a strongly brewed cup of Earl Grey.

Share This Article

Sources

How much caffeine is in a cup of tea vs coffee?

Yet black tea contains, on average, around 55 mg of caffeine per 8 ounces, while brewed coffee contains 100 mg. Interestingly, green tea also contains the amino acid L-theanine, which has been shown to work synergistically with caffeine.

How many cups of tea equal a cup of coffee?

2 cups of tea = 1 cup of coffee There are 20mg of caffeine in your average 100g of brewed tea compared to 40mg in the same amount of black filter coffee. But the type of tea, as well as the brewing time makes a difference.

What drink has most caffeine?

Here Are the Top 5 Drinks With the Most Caffeine Per Ounce:.