# Caffeine in Tea: How Much There Really Is

A cup of tea (200 ml) contains roughly 30–70 mg of caffeine — versus 80–120 mg in a cup of coffee. The exact figure depends less on the class of tea than on the raw material, water temperature, steeping time, and amount of leaf.

Tea caffeine is surrounded by myths: that white tea is "nearly caffeine-free," that a rinse removes most of it, that green tea is always lighter than red. Let's look at what the measurements say.

## How much caffeine in each class

Average values per 200 ml cup: green tea — 25–45 mg, white — 30–55 mg, oolongs — 30–50 mg, red — 40–70 mg, sheng and shu pu-erh — 40–70 mg. The ranges are wide and overlap: a particular all-bud Baihao Yinzhen can turn out stronger than a particular red tea made from mature leaf — buds hold the most caffeine of all.

## What the content depends on

There is more caffeine in buds and young leaves; tea from small-leaf bushes has less than the large-leaf Yunnan material used for pu-erhs and Dian Hong. Extraction rises with temperature and time: five minutes in boiling water pulls out nearly all the caffeine, while a short ten-second infusion extracts only a fraction. So gongfu cha doses caffeine sip by sip, while a mug with a teabag delivers it all at once.

## The rinse-decaffeination myth

The popular advice "rinse the tea for 30 seconds and up to 80% of the caffeine leaves" is not supported by measurements: about 10–20% of the caffeine extracts in 30 seconds — along with a noticeable share of the aroma. A rinse is there to wash off dust and open the leaf; as a way to remove caffeine, it doesn't work. If you're caffeine-sensitive, simply drink less and earlier in the day.

## L-theanine: why tea energizes differently

Besides caffeine, tea contains the amino acid L-theanine (20–50 mg per cup), which smooths caffeine stimulation: alertness arrives gently, without the jitters typical of coffee. It is this caffeine-plus-theanine pairing that produces the state of calm focus prized in green teas and in shaded, Gyokuro-like cultivars — and that the Chinese tradition describes as part of cha qi.

## Tea versus coffee

Espresso delivers its caffeine in one hit; tea releases it gradually — tannins slow absorption and theanine softens the peak. The practical takeaway: a morning cup of red Jin Jun Mei energizes comparably to a mild coffee but without the sharp crash an hour later. In the evening, prefer teas from mature leaf — aged Lao Shou Mei, late-harvest oolongs — or shorten the steeping time.

## GABA tea: a special case

GABA oolong is fermented in an oxygen-free environment, causing gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) to accumulate in the leaf — up to 150–400 mg per 100 g. The caffeine remains, but the effect profile shifts toward relaxation: many choose GABA oolong as an evening tea. Scientific data on GABA from tea are still modest, but the tea itself — soft, bready-fruity — deserves a try regardless of effects.


## Tips

- Want less caffeine? Choose teas from mature leaf (Shou Mei, Liu Bao), brew shorter and cooler — don't rely on a rinse.
- Don't drink strong tea on an empty stomach: caffeine plus tannins on an empty stomach cause nausea — what is called being "tea-drunk".
- Go by your own sensitivity: up to 300–400 mg of caffeine a day is considered a safe norm — that's 5–8 cups of tea.

Source: https://www.dao-cha.info/en/guide/caffeine