Tea Basics

Tea and Caffeine

On average, a cup of tea contains one-third to one-half as much caffeine as a cup of coffee. Several variables contribute to the caffeine content in tea including the variety of tea leaf, where the tea is grown, the cut of the tea leaf and the method and length of brewing or steeping.

Decaffeinated tea requires a decaffeinating process to extract caffeine - it is therefore not "caffeine free." It still contains up to 0.4 percent by dry weight caffeine content. Herbal teas, however, contain simply herbs and therefore no caffeine. Some basic rules for caffeinated tea are:

• The longer the tea leaves have fermented, the greater their caffeine content
• The smaller the tea leaf, the stronger the extraction of caffeine
• The longer you brew and the higher the water temperatures the more caffeine you will have in the cup

To browse two leaves and a bud teas by amount of caffeine, simply browse our tea by caffeine section and find the tea with the caffeine content that's right for you!

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