Caffeine in Drinks

Green Tea

Tea (Green)
Caffeine
18 mg
per 8 fl oz
LOW
This drink contains low levels of caffeine.
What's your limit? Calculate now →
Energy
0
Calories
Sugar
0
grams

The amount of caffeine in green tea varies between blends, but is typically between 11-25 mg in a cup (assuming around 2 grams of tea brewed).

Like other drinks from cultivated plants (tea, coffee), there are numerous variables that can alter caffeine content.

The length of brewing time is a major factor - the longer the brew - the higher the caffeine. The Journal of Food Science evaluated different brands of green tea and had extremely varied results using the same amount of tea leaves brewed for 3 minutes.

This table shows the amount of caffeine in an 8 fl oz cup of tea (using 2 grams of tea leaves).

Green Tea Brand Caffeine
Stash Tea (Exotica Dragonwell) 47.8 mg
Peets Coffee 33.4 mg
Stash Tea (Premium) 30.2 mg
Stash Tea (Organic) 27 mg
Herb Enterprise 20.2 mg
Midori Tea & Ginseng Co. 17.6 mg
Lipton 16.4 mg
Ten Ren Tea 16.4 mg
Zen Green & Herbal Fusion 15.6 mg
Celestial Seasonings 12 mg
YamaMOTOYama 11.2 mg
Stash Tea (decaffeinated) 7.6 mg

As you can see from the above data, green tea caffeine can vary greatly among brands and the type of green tea used. Another study compared the content of dry matter from tea leaves and found Green Tea had 10-20 mg per 1 gram dried matter. Research in 2020 found that green tea caffeine was in the range of 11.3–24.67 mg/g.

Black Tea had 22-28 mg per 1 gram dried matter. So as a general rule, Green Tea has less caffeine than Black Tea but can vary depending on which brand/type chosen.

Click here to find out how much green tea it would take to overdose from the caffeine.

Yet another study (here) showed that Green Tea (in Japan) has 30 mg caffeine per 200ml cup. The figure we have included in our caffeine database is an average amount.

Note:

Tea makers Lipton list a figure of 28-38 mg caffeine for their 100% Green Tea (an 8 fl oz cup). However this doesn't match up to the research

Green tea is also high in the amino acid L-theanine. This has a calming effect and aids with concentration. There's a myth that green tea has more caffeine than coffee, but this isn't true. L-theanine is most likely responsible for this. People will have a different level of alertness when drinking green tea which people mistake for the caffeine's effect when it is really the effect of L-theanine.

Matcha green tea can have more caffeine because of the unique way it is made. You can find the caffeine content of Matcha here.

Caffeine in Other Green Tea Based Products

Product Size (fl oz) Caffeine
Zest Green Tea 8 140 mg
Lipton Brisk green Tea 12 6 mg
Nestea Peach Green Tea 20 42 mg
Oi Ocha Green Tea 16.9 60 mg
SoBe Green Tea 20 35 mg
Caribou Green Tea Smoothie 12 44 mg
Mega-T Green Tea Supplement 1 capsule 50 mg
Xingtea Flavored Green Tea 23.5 35 mg
Arizona Green Teas 23.5 22 mg
Bazza Green Tea 16.9 150 mg
Snapple Green Tea 16 15 mg
Green Tea Ginger Ale 12 9 mg
Starbuck's Tazo Green Tea Latte 12 55 mg

Where to buy

Imozai Organic Green Tea Bags 100 Count Individually Wrapped
Amazon.com price $9.29 ($0.09 / Count)
(as of 17:11 EST More InfoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
365 by Whole Foods Market, Tea Green Organic, 70 Count
Amazon.com price $6.99 ($0.10 / Count)
(as of 17:11 EST More InfoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Bigelow Premium 100-Percent Organic Green Tea 150-Count Box, Individually Wrapped
Amazon.com price $19.44 ($0.13 / Count)
(as of 17:11 EST More InfoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

Ingredients in Tea (Green)

Leaves From The camelia Sinensis Plant

Is Green Tea high in caffeine?

Green Tea contains 18 mg of caffeine in a 8 fl oz cup.

This equates to 2.25 mg of caffeine for every fl oz and 7.61 mg for every 100 ml.

18 mg
Tea (Green)
160 mg
Monster energy
80 mg
Red bull
60 mg
Instant Coffee
35 mg
Coca-cola

Sources

Khokhar S, Magnusdottir SG. Total phenol, catechin, and caffeine contents of teas commonly consumed in the United kingdom. J Agric Food Chem. 2002 Jan 30;50(3):565-70. Caffeine in Lipton drinks (link). Kochman, Joanna & Jakubczyk, Karolina & Antoniewicz, Justyna & Mruk, Honorata & Janda, Katarzyna. (2020). molecules Health Benefits and Chemical Composition of Matcha Green Tea: A Review. Molecules. 26. 10.3390/molecules26010085. See other references.

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