In 1827, tea was discovered to have a caffeine of its own called "theine". It was soon realized that theine and the caffeine found in coffee were identical. Yet, tea drinkers and coffee drinkers experience stark differences in the effects of caffeine on the body and mind, and questions have surrounded the topic ever since. So, what really influences the disparities between tea and coffee?
What Makes Tea Different From Coffee?
The first honorable mention is L-theanine. L-theanine is an amino acid found almost exclusively in tea. Unlike caffeine, it has a calming effect on the nervous system, and when the two work together, the result is a focused, alert state without the jitteriness or sharp crash associated with caffeine alone.
Next are theobromine and theophylline. Found in tea at up to 4.4mg per cup, these are considered stimulants but don't affect the central nervous system. They have almost identical properties.
The stimulants widen blood vessels, relax the bronchi muscles in the lungs, and lower blood pressure.
Coffee has hardly any theobromine and theophylline.
Caffeine In Tea Vs Coffee
The biggest myth about the caffeine content in tea is that a cup of brewed tea contains more milligrams of caffeine than brewed coffee.
The largest topic of discussion - Caffeine. Yes, it is true that in its raw form, tea leaves contain more caffeine than coffee beans. The myth gains clarity when we look at modern-day brewing methods. It usually takes significantly more coffee than tea, by dry weight, to brew the same volume of water. This difference in brewing ratios means that, even though dry tea leaves contain more caffeine by weight than coffee beans, a cup of brewed tea typically contains considerably less caffeine than a cup of brewed coffee. Even tea bags, which use finely broken leaf particles (dust and fannings) that extract caffeine more readily and completely than whole loose leaves, yield roughly half the caffeine of a comparable cup of coffee.
In conclusion, though tea technically contains more caffeine than coffee, our methods of consumption methods mean we always get more caffeine from a cup of coffee than from a cup of tea. And of course, for those concerned with any amounts of caffeine intake, there is always herbal tea!
Caffeine Levels In The Six Types of Tea
A common misconception is that black tea has the highest caffeine level of all teas. The truth is that black tea's caffeine levels vary and are often lower than those of green and white teas.
The biggest factors that affect caffeine content are the part of the tea plant harvested, the cultivar, and the brewing method. Read more here.
If the buds of a tea plant are harvested on a given day, part of it goes for green tea processing, while the other for oxidation and black tea processing, the final teas will have the same caffeine content.
Can I Decaffeinate My Own Tea?
Another popular myth is that by rinsing our tea leaves, we wash away most, if not all, the caffeine. This is not true.
Decaffeinating tea at home is a persistent myth. A brief rinse removes only a small fraction of the caffeine, along with all the flavor and aroma, while leaving the rest fully intact. Achieving any meaningful reduction in caffeine requires specialized industrial equipment. Read more about the science behind tea decaffeination. Not recommended.
To learn more about what affects caffeine in tea, read our comprehensive guide to caffeine in tea.
