As more and more people seek to detox and for a decaffeinated green tea, one common question we get asked is - 'Does green tea contain caffeine?'
Firstly, what is caffeine?
Caffeine is found naturally in leaves and seeds such as tea, coffee and even chocolate! It acts as a stimulant in humans and is a natural pesticide in plants.
That is probably why our good old tea plant loves it so much; it kills all those pesky bugs that are trying to eat its lush leaves!
The source of caffeine- be it the coffee bean, tea plant, kola nut or yerba mate plant- is what's responsible for causing the different effects the caffeine has on your body.
Does green tea contain caffeine?
So, does green tea contain caffeine? Yes, green tea contains caffeine (just like all other teas), as all tea starts its life as a leaf from the same plant: the Camellia Sinensis. The type of tea those leaves eventually end up as (black, green, white etc.) is influenced by which part of the plant they are picked from, the age of the leaf and also what treatment the leaves have been through once they are picked (roasted, shaded, sun-dried etc). This also influences the caffeine content.
But does green tea have less caffeine though?
The average 8 oz. cup contains around 25mg of caffeine. The amount of caffeine which actually ends up in your body is a wide varying scale with many influencing factors such as age of leaf, water temperature, steeping time and many others. The caffeine in green tea is also released slowly- producing a calming, conscious and focused energy.
Our teas are blends, so naturally less caffeine in them than regular green. Check out delicious blends such as One in a Melon, MojiTEA & loads more! Green and white tea is usually steeped in a lower temperature (if it tastes bitter, then you've burnt the tea) and for a shorter time, which also gives the caffeine less chance to dissolve into the water. This doesn't mean the original tea had less caffeine, just that less of it was released into the water.
Are there any caffeine free teas?
If you want to avoid caffeine completely you want a fruit, herbal or rooibos tea- these are all naturally caffeine free (as they don't actually contain any tea leaves). Check out our caffeine free blog post for beginners and our vast range of caffeine free tea here!
