Why do you drink tea? Do you drink it for the taste or to get a morning boost of energy? But how much energy are you getting? If you are wondering why certain teas does a better job at waking you up over others, it’s probably due to it’s caffeine levels.
Overall, compared to coffee, tea contains less caffeine. A cup of coffee can have anywhere from 95 to 200mg of caffeine, while black tea can have anywhere from 60-90mg. Even though the amount of caffeine are nearly double, you can still have a productive tea by drinking tea. To see how much caffeine you are getting in your cup, we broke down different tea types and their caffeine contents below:
Caffeine Scale
(From Highest to Lowest & Per 8oz Cup)
- Black Tea 60-90mg
- Oolong Tea 50-70mg
- Green Tea 35-70mg
- White Tea 25-60mg
- Herbal Tea No Caffeine
Oxidation of Tea
Caffeine levels in tea also depends on the process of how the tea is prepared. Caffeine comes from oxidizing the plant. Therefore, the more oxidized the tea, the higher the caffeine content.
Black Tea: Highest oxidized, highest caffeine. Withered, rolled, oxidized, dried.
Oolong Tea: Semi-oxidized, rolled or bruised.
Green Tea: Made from leaves that are withered, fixed (halts oxidation) and dried.
White Tea: Naturally dried (very minimal oxidation) and dried.
Herbal Tea: Technically a “tisane,” not made with the tea plant, but a mix of fruit and/or herbs. Contains no caffeine.
To get through the day, don’t think that you have to trade in your cup of tea for a cup of joe. The highest caffeinated tea (black tea) does the job at waking you up without the extra added caffeine that coffee has. To explore our wide selection of black teas, see here: https://premiumsteap.com/collections/black-teas. Or if you prefer no caffeine in your tea, our herbal teas are perfect! Enjoy tea for its taste and benefits.
