Steaming tea cup.

There is no simple way of determining whether one tea type has more or less caffeine than another.


It is a falsehood to state that white tea is low in caffeine, whereas black tea is high in caffeine. In fact a Silver Needles white tea, picked in early spring, will have considerably more caffeine than a late picked, low grade China black tea.

 
Here are some key factors that impact the level of caffeine in tea:


  1. Picking season: spring teas are typically higher in caffeine.
  2. Picking grade: tippy teas with a high proportion of buds in them will be higher in caffeine.
  3. Large leaf varietals (Camellia var. Assamica rather than the Chinese Camellia var. Sinensis) typically have higher levels of caffeine.
  4. Longer brewing times tend to release more caffeine than shorter brewing times, as caffeine is water soluble.
  5. A coarse, leaf only, summer tea will be lower in caffeine than an early spring picked silver or golden needle tea.

White tea is a good example of the extreme caffeine variations possible within one tea type. For example, a Yin Zhen Silver Needle white tea will be significantly higher in caffeine than a summer picked Shou Mei white tea.


Organic and wild teas tend to have lower caffeine levels for a number of reasons, including non-use of nitrogen fertilisers and better biodiversity. 

HealthNew to teaTea preparation

Editors Choice

  1. Chinese Gaiwan
  2. Wan Ling in the tea fields of Fuding, Fujian. One of the key growing regions for Chinese white tea.
  3. Puerh teacakes
  4. Wet piled puerh tea. Main step in Shu Puerh production.

Tea Articles Update

We have recently updated our website and are in the process of re-writting all of our old articles to bring them upto date.

If you are looking for an article that was on our old site for any reason, please contact us.

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