A morning cup of tea invigorates no less than coffee. Why does it help to wake up, gives a boost of energy? It's simple: the effect of caffeine. It excites the nervous system, relieves fatigue, prevents lethargy, drowsiness. Many people doubt it, but there is definitely caffeine in green tea.

There is a common misconception: the stronger the drink, the more alkaloid. It's not like that at all. Its content depends on the characteristics of growth, composition, location of the tea plantation, climatic conditions.

The colder the air, the slower the leaf grows, absorbs more of this substance.  Its amount also increases in direct sunlight.

The brewing method also affects. The longer it brews, the more it will be.

The process should not take more than 6 minutes, otherwise lipids and oils will begin to oxidize, giving bitterness.

How much alkaloid does one cup have? Young leaves contain about 5% of this substance, and mature leaves - up to 1.5%. But, combined with tannin, it has a milder effect on the body.

How does it work?

Alkoloid has the following properties:

• gives a charge of vivacity;
• removes fats;
• helps with a hangover;
• prevents intoxication of the body;
• has a diuretic effect;
• normalizes blood circulation and pressure.

Green tea extract contains a large amount of caffeine, so it is used for the production of cosmetics: it tones the skin, maintains its youth.

This substance is a psychomotor stimulant:  enhances mental activity, gives a boost of strength, vigor. In small doses, it tones the body, but its excessive use can cause health problems. It dilates blood vessels, increases the number of heart contractions. It also stimulates thermogenesis, burns calories. Due to the increased breakdown of glycogen, subcutaneous fat is destroyed.

Doctors assure: for a healthy person, the alkaloid is safe if consumed in moderation. How much caffeine is in green tea? What dose is considered acceptable? It is 1000 ml per day: you can drink a maximum of 12 cups.

How to brew?

To "Caffeine" drink, you need to fill the leaves for one minute with hot water, then drain it, and pour boiling water over them again. After a few minutes you can brew. Such a measure will highlight the main dose of the alkaloid - its content will decrease by about 80%.

Who is the leader?

Does green or black tea have more caffeine?

Studies have proven that the first one contains a large dose of alkaloid. At the same time, its quantity per cup was taken into account, recalculation was carried out for 1 sachet. In black, the dose was not more than 71 mg per sachet.

"Leaders" - varieties without the addition of flavorings. In such green tea, the caffeine content is high - about 80 mg. These data are based on a cup, not on dry sheets. At the same time, the weight of the bag was taken into account: they can be 2 grams and 1.5 grams. According to studies, the largest dose of HERITAGE tea is 85 mg. But the “loser” was the DILMAH trademark - about 60 mg.

People who want to reduce their alkaloid intake should not choose chopped leaves in sachets. As a rule, there is more of it, but the aroma is much poorer than that of the leaf.

In addition, leaves can be brewed two to three times before being discarded.

Who is contraindicated in?

Why is it important to know if there is caffeine in green tea, in what quantity? There is a category of people to whom the alkaloid is contraindicated.

It increases acidity, so it can not be consumed by those who suffer from gastric ulcers, gastritis. It is not recommended for people with high blood pressure, vascular diseases, atherosclerosis.

It is not advisable to drink tea if tachycardia, insomnia, and irritability are observed.

It is necessary to abstain from it for pregnant women, during breastfeeding, before childbirth and during menstruation.

What do you need to know?

Many mothers mistakenly believe that such tea is less strong, so they offer it to young children. But it is worth remembering that doctors recommend giving it to babies after 2 years.

Caffeine in green and black tea and coffee is different. The first has a significant advantage over the "coffee" - it is not addictive, it is excreted from the body after 6 hours.

In order for the tea itself to benefit, you must drink it correctly.  You can not use it on an empty stomach, since it will irritate the gastric mucosa. But it is good to drink after meals to improve digestion.

When dry, caffeine in tea is really more than coffee. But in the cooked form - on the contrary. When prepared in a cup of tea, ~ 3 times less caffeine than in coffee, since it takes 3 times more coffee beans to prepare!

Factors that affect the amount of caffeine in a cup of tea

• Grade of tea. For example, in 100 grams of black tea - 20 mg of caffeine. As a rule, the better and more expensive tea - the more caffeine in it. Most caffeine in young tea leaves (kidneys), which are present in any tea. 1 leaf of a flush contains ~ 4-5% caffeine, a second leaf is ~ 3-4%, a third is ~ 2-2.5%, and the rest is ~ 0.5-1.5%.
• Amount of infusion in a cup. If you like very strong tea, then the caffeine content and vigor effect from such tea will be no worse than from coffee.
• How were tea leaves / coffee beans grown?
• How did you roast coffee or cut tea leaves?
• Climate and soil features where tea or coffee was grown?
• Tea leaf fermentation rate. The lower the fermentation of tea, the more caffeine is contained in tea.
• At what temperature was the drink brewed?The higher the temperature of the water, the less caffeine in tea leaves or tea beans. The Chinese never make tea with boiling water!
• The brewing time of the drink. The longer you brew tea or coffee, the more caffeine will be.

What is the difference between caffeine in tea and coffee?

Caffeine, which is contained in tea, has a milder effect on the nervous system and heart than caffeine in coffee. Tea caffeine is not contained in its pure form, but with tannin, which forms thein substance, which is slowly absorbed into the bloodstream and quickly excreted from the body.

It is impossible to get poisoned with thein! For those who believe that if you drink 10 or more cups of strong tea and they can be poisoned, this is a myth.

Caffeine in tea: benefit or harm?

Good and properly prepared tea is a benefit to the body! Caffeine, which is contained in tea - does not harm your health. Another thing is if you are preparing tea infusion, the content of which contains few useful substances and only hot water.

Green tea is considered a healing drink with a number of beneficial properties. However, few people thought that it contains caffeine. Being a natural stimulator of the nervous system, it eliminates drowsiness and increases energy. However, the amount of caffeine in each organism is perceived differently.

Features

Caffeine is an alkaloid, different concentrations of which affect the body in different ways. In green tea, it occurs naturally. Its concentration is associated with a number of factors:

• the location of the tea valley;
• climatic background of the region where the bushes grow;
• soil composition;
• nuances of growth.

The air temperature also matters. For example, if the tea plantation is high, the temperature will be cool. Such leaves will grow more slowly, absorbing more caffeine. The rays of the sun contribute to this.

In addition, the amount of caffeine in green tea depends on the brewing time. The longer the tea is infused, the more caffeine will be in it. However, if the brewing time is exceeded (6 min), the essential oils and lipids will begin to oxidize, the drink will become bitter. The beneficial properties of theanine are also nullified.

Due to the amino acid theanine, the effect of caffeine in green tea is milder. Therefore, he does not have the kind of dependence that coffee connoisseurs have. It blocks the effect of the neurotransmitter, so a person does not feel tired. In addition, caffeine improves the functioning of the brain, helps to improve mood. The percentage of caffeine in dry, not yet brewed tea is greater, but without the right dosage, a fine drink will turn into poison.

Benefit and harm

In the medical literature, caffeine is called the classic stimulant of psychomotor reactions. For example, it promotes weight loss by destroying subcutaneous fat. However, this does not mean that physical exercise is not necessary for weight loss. Caffeine provokes an explosion of energy that can last more than 2 hours. It also provokes the growth of fatty acids.

During all this time, muscle performance increases and calorie burning occurs, which is especially effective when enhanced by exercise. Due to fatty acids, the body warms up and the body temperature rises. It is caffeine that heats the blood, not the green tea itself.

It also helps to improve the condition of the teeth, killing bacteria in the oral cavity. Therefore, when drinking green tea, you can get rid of bad breath.

With the right choice, you can buy a variety, the use of which will be an excellent prevention of heart disease. If you carefully approach the issue of choice, you can reduce the content of "bad" cholesterol. In addition, green tea is an effective tool to help with hangover and intoxication. It is a good diuretic.

However, it is caffeine that drives away sleep. Therefore, it is better to drink green tea in the morning, since the component will not let a person fall asleep for several hours. Due to the expansion of the vessels of the brain and muscles, any signals will affect the cells of the body to a greater extent. This will increase the number of heart contractions, increasing blood pressure. Therefore, hypertensive green tea is contraindicated.

Despite the benefits of caffeine, its excessive amount can negatively affect the well-being of even a healthy person. For example, if you drink a lot of cups of tea, not only insomnia will appear, but also anxiety and even irritability. At the same time, you need to know that not only the time of day matters, but also the amount of sugar added to tea.

How much does it contain?

Caffeine is found in many drinks. To understand if there is a lot of it in green tea or a little, you should refer to the table with a comparative description of other drinks. It should be borne in mind that the values \u200b\u200bdepend on the variety, and in the case of brewing and time.   In other words, even the maximum percentage of caffeine can be increased if the tea is not brewed properly.

Knowing the average concentration in one cup, you can control the amount of alkaloid, which is especially important for hypertensive patients. A healthy person and adolescents from 19 years old can drink caffeine no more than 300-400 mg per day. But this does not mean that this norm will be harmless if you drink a drink every day several times a day.   In this case, a single dose should not exceed 150-200 mg. Drinking several cups of such a drink at once is undesirable.

It is effective for healing the body and can reduce the risk of developing diseases of the cardiovascular system, type 2 diabetes mellitus, as well as cancer. However, excessive consumption is dangerous: in the end, excess concentration can lead to anxiety and arrhythmias.

Which to choose?

Since tea is impossible without tea at all, hypertensive patients are interested in the question of the minimum amount of caffeine and ways to reduce it. Even a single variety may have a different amount of alkaloid depending on the treatment. For example, there is a lot of caffeine in expensive, elite varieties of green tea. Therefore, for those who are healthy and want to increase their activity, it is worth taking a closer look at the expensive leafy look.

If preference is given to a packaged product, you should choose the option without flavoring.  For example, a cup of Heritage leaf tea will contain 85 mg of caffeine, while a packaged product of the same brand will have 76 mg. The concentration of the Greenfield leaf composition per cup will be 80 mg; tea bags will have about 73 mg of caffeine in one cup.

Choosing a brand, you can go to the manufacturer's website in advance and find out how tea was collected. In addition, you can ask about different varieties, consult with a specialist online.

As a rule, managers of tea companies are competent enough and will help to choose the composition for each specific case. However, it is worth considering that the benefits are more in sheet form.

How to reduce concentration?

Caffeine is found in any variety of green tea, so to solve the problem, you need to start with the choice of variety. Several recommendations may help here:

• The best grade is one that has not been obscured. There is less caffeine in it, so the Matcha and Gyokuro varieties should not be considered for purchase.
• It is worth choosing tea, which contains particles of stems and branches of tea tree. For example, good varieties are Houjicha and Kukicha: the percentage of caffeine in them is small.
• Do not buy powdered drinks. In fact, these are suspensions with a large amount of alkaloid.
• A lot of caffeine in the upper leaves and buds. However, it is difficult for an ordinary buyer to understand the difference, so you should focus on seasonality. There is more caffeine in the spring harvest, so the Shincha variety is not suitable, while the Buncha is a good solution.

• Teas labeled “decaffeinated natural” are chemically treated with ethyl acetate. It is better to remove the percentage of caffeine by boiling, if you have already selected a variety where there is a lot of caffeine.
• To reduce the alkaloid concentration, it is worth mixing the leaves, for example, with mint or lemongrass.

People with tachycardia, insomnia, irritability and chronic diseases should drink green tea carefully. In this case, it is not the concentration and the brewing time that is especially important, but its correctness.

How to brew and drink?

Since healthy tea is one that is brewed correctly, it is necessary to briefly note the main nuances of its preparation. To obtain the most useful qualities, it is better not to bring the water to full boil: boiling water can destroy flavonoids. 30 seconds is enough to enjoy the drink without harm to health.

Brewing a drink by all the rules differs from how a modern person is used to doing it. Meanwhile, this is what will reduce the amount of alkaloid. The first portion needs to be poured, since only the second is suitable for consumption. It is this nuance that will allow you to remove more than half of caffeine from green tea, reducing it to an acceptable value in each case.

At the same time, you can stand it for more than 30 seconds for the first time to remove as much caffeine from tea as possible. Of course, the taste will decrease, but tea will be safe for hypertensive patients and those who have diseases of the cardiovascular system. It is important to consider that after buying a new tea for the first time you need to drink no more than half a cup.Starting to drink it little by little, it is easier to control your sensations, it is easier to monitor the body's reaction. If there is a positive trend, tea is suitable and you can slightly increase its amount per day.

However, this brewing method is not suitable for tea bags. It is a mistake to assume that it is less dangerous in terms of caffeine content, and it will not work to remove it in a similar way. It is easier to brew leaves, having the ability to vary their number when needed, for example, weak tea leaves. In addition, there is another interesting nuance: the amount of caffeine is directly related to the temperature of the brewed tea.

In addition to theanine, which is responsible for freshness and sweetness, green tea contains catechins, which limit the activity of caffeine. When mixing the constituents in hot water, it is they who make the effect of caffeine on the body sparing. But as soon as the tea starts to cool, caffeine will again gain its strength. Therefore, you need to drink green tea hot.

Many people drink tea constantly and in considerable quantities. For most, a cup of strong tea in the morning is sacred. Being interested in whether there is caffeine in tea, you first need to pay attention to the action of this drink. A cup of aromatic and strong tea gives vigor, nourishes with energy and increases efficiency.

Does green and black tea have caffeine?

Caffeine is an alkaloid produced by many representatives of the plant world to protect against pests. This substance has the ability to excite the nervous and accelerate the work of the cardiovascular system.

In the body, this is manifested as follows:

• heartbeat accelerates;
• blood pressure rises;
• cerebral circulation improves;
• stimulation of gastric juice is stimulated;
• vessels are narrowed;
• breathing quickens;
• urination increases;
• mood improves;
• drowsiness passes;
• working capacity increases.

For a healthy body, this effect is not dangerous. But for excitable individuals and people with heart disease, it is better to abandon the use of caffeinated drinks.

So, is there caffeine in tea? The answer is yes. At the same time, the amount of caffeine in green tea is often about the same as in heavily brewed black. Previously, thein was discovered in tea leaves as a substance with a similar effect. Then the researchers concluded that these components are absolutely identical, so now they are used as synonyms. But still, thein is slightly different from its counterpart: it does not accumulate in the internal organs and does not cause a caffeine overdose.

It must be remembered that the maximum permissible dose of caffeine is 1000 mg, a single dose is 2.5 times less.

Exceeding these parameters negatively affects the functioning of the heart and can even lead to death. The maximum content of a substance in the blood is observed 40-60 minutes after ingestion, the main part is excreted within 6-12 hours.

Where more caffeine in tea or coffee

Discussed drinks may well compete with each other in the content of this component. In dried raw materials for tea production, the concentration of thein is higher than in coffee beans, but this ratio changes during the brewing process. For example, in a cup of instant coffee drink it is exactly as much as in the same amount of green tea, which was brewed for at least 5 minutes.

Brewing time is also an important parameter. There will be much more thein in a cup of well-brewed tea than in the same amount of weak coffee with milk.

Table: how much caffeine in tea

Many are interested in specific figures, how much caffeine is in black tea and in its other forms. Interestingly, this depends on the specific varieties, as well as on the brewing time of the drink - the longer it brews, the more thein will be extracted from the leaves.

Also, much depends on the time of leaf collection, production technology and the quality of the final product. For example, the earlier the raw material is collected, the less thein is in it. In small leaves, the concentration of this substance is much higher.

As a rule, the maximum concentration of thein is found in strong black or green tea, the minimum - in milk oolongs. The variety also plays an important role. Delicious and light white tea “Bai Hao Yin Zhen” contains a higher percentage of thein than the dark and rich “Show Mei”.

In which tea there is no alkaloid at all

The maximum concentration of thein in the upper leaves. Large leaves on the lower branches contain less than 1 - 2%. Elite varieties are prepared from the upper leaves, and the cheapest ones from the lower ones.

Therefore, the cheaper the tea, the less thein in it.

From non-caffeinated drinks, teas from other plants can be distinguished - ivan-tea, chamomile, hibiscus, linden, mint, lemon balm, thyme, and other herbal preparations. You can reduce the amount of thein in tea like this: add some of the other components to it - a slice of lemon, some berries, 1 tsp. chamomile or thyme.

Decaffeinated Caffeine

Decaffeinated tea is indicated by the letter "D". But this does not mean that in products with a similar labeling this substance does not exist at all. A small amount remains of the initial volume - 3%, but caffeine is still present in such drinks. Of course, this amount is so insignificant that it can hardly do any harm, but you should pay attention to the methods of decaffeination - not all of them are considered safe for human health.

Contrary to popular belief, caffeine is not derived from the word coffee and is found in many other drinks. Most people are interested in the question - is there caffeine in tea? Oddly enough, the answer will be yes. Moreover, the caffeine content in tea is often even greater than in coffee drinks.

Where does this component come from in tea

In fact, tea contains a variety of this substance - thein. They are similar to each other in the effect they produce, however, thein affects the body much more gently. Moreover, it contains several times more in green tea than in black varieties. However, caffeine in tea is never completely estradiated, therefore, to reduce the negative effects, you can use only the second tea leaves.

Thein is formed due to the decay of caffeine and tannin, so the amount of alkaloids in it is much less. This substance is absorbed into the blood more slowly, and excreted faster. This allows you to drink the drink on a regular basis and in large quantities, the more caffeine in tea is absorbed by the body easier.

Not all teas are caffeinated. There are special caffeine-free varieties that preserve the saturation of the tea leaves, aroma and taste, but do not excite the nervous system. This component is absent in hibiscus and in all herbal infusions.

Which grade to choose

The amount of caffeine in a drink depends on several factors:

• variety;
• place of harvest;
• the degree of fermentation of the sheet;
• exposure time infusion.

The more expensive the variety, the higher thein content in it, because for elite species only young leaves and buds of the plant are taken. So, the first leaves contain 4-5% of the substance, the second - about 3%, the third - 2.5, and the rest - up to 1.5%.

The amount of thein also depends on the place of growth. On alpine plantations, the crop ripens more slowly, which allows you to keep the leaves green for a long time with the original chemical composition.

The lower the degree of fermentation, the more caffeine it contains.

Therefore, the most caffeinated varieties are green, oolong and white. But here, the method of welding has a great influence. They are poured with warm, but not hot water, due to which the leaves do not give many tein compounds to the drink.

The brewing time also matters in deciding which tea contains more caffeine. Ideally, it is infused for 5 minutes. Prolonged infusion of tea leaves leads to the oxidation of phenol and essential oils, which gives the bitterness and astringent taste.

To understand where there is more caffeine - in tea or coffee, you need to analyze the percentage of the required amount of tea leaves per 100 grams. There is a special table for caffeine in tea and coffee.

Green

After answering the question whether there is caffeine in green tea, it is interesting to know its quantity. In one cup is from 13 to 30 mg, while 100 grams of black coffee contains 60-65 mg. The composition of instant coffee is slightly different from natural and the amount of thein in it is reduced - from 30 to 40 mg per 100 ml.

In green tea, caffeine is mixed with tannin and has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system and contribute to the gradual release of energy. Caffeine in green tea fights well with a hangover by blocking the absorption of alcohol into the blood. Having learned how much caffeine is in green tea, you can deduce the maximum daily dose of the drink.

In a glass of green tea, theine is 5-8 times less than in coffee. Indeed, for its preparation requires only 0.4 g of tea leaves, which is similar to 0.012 g of caffeine. Whereas in a glass of coffee its content is from 0.05 to 0.1 g. The difference is obvious! Although green tea has properties similar to coffee, it perfectly stimulates performance.

Black grade

There is an established myth that the black variety leads in alkaloids. However, we managed to find out that a strong degree of fermentation releases this substance from its composition.

How much caffeine in black tea varieties? In one cup is 70 mg of this substance. Compared to other drinks, this is not much. For example, a cup of coffee can contain up to 100 mg of thein, and its content in green tea is 10 mg more than in black. Even in a glass of Coca-Cola, its value reaches 40 mg.

Where is he not

This alkaloid can be dangerous to the health of the heart and blood vessels, especially if you use it in large doses and constantly. Therefore, it is better for people to whom it is contraindicated to give preference to decoctions and infusions, free from it. Herbal preparations are the best substitute for traditional drinks. For example, chamomile, lime and jasmine. They perfectly relax, soothe and are completely harmless. They are good to drink before bedtime. Doctors advise pregnant women to completely switch to them.

There are no psychostimulants in fruit decoctions that children love so much, so parents can not worry and give it at any time. Rosehip broth is especially useful.

When choosing an invigorating drink, it is better to choose tea products. It has a milder effect on the body and has fewer contraindications. Note that the maximum daily dose of alkaloids is 1 gram. To see if your drink contains an acceptable dose, check the table above. Try not to abuse strong drink and more often replace it with herbal and flower infusions.