Hello visitors, welcome to the Holsome Teas blog.
Tea Chat: the most frequent questions asked about tea.
Our first topic: the caffeine content in tea.
You might be surprised that on dry base, tea has as much as caffeine as coffee! However a standard cup of tea uses 4-5 grams of leaves while the same cup of coffee uses 20 grams or more beans. So a cup of tea has only 20-30% of caffeine in a cup of coffee.
If you are very sensitive to caffeine you can reduce the caffeine by rinsing the leaves briefly with hot water then discard the wash before you brew. This technique is based on the high solubility of caffeine in water. There is a slight trade off in the tea taste and aroma. The old decaffeination process employed this water extraction method. The modern process employs liquid CO2 extraction which preserves the flavor much better.
Actually drinking tea does not cause jittery feeling in most people. L-theanine, an amino acid in the tea leave has a wonderful calming effect which cancels out the stimulative effect of caffeine and contributes a productive energy boost for mental focus.
The caffeine content in the young tip leaves is higher than the older leaves but it also have higher L-theanine! Match is made from the young leaves exclusively and is consumed totally in the pulverize form. Many matcha lovers can attest the lift they experienced is a very good quality one without the over stimulation from caffeine.
Does black tea have higher caffeine content that green and white teas? Actually not, they all have similar caffeine content. The higher caffeine per serving in black tea is due to the longer brewing time at a higher brewing temperature which extract more caffeine from the tea leaves.
At Holsome, we provide L-theanine in capsule form as a supplement if one desires peaceful, calming mind. It is a good one!
