Coffee and tea are both great drinks, but…
…which has more caffeine coffee or tea?
Both coffee and tea contain caffeine, but they also differ in other ways.
For example, coffee contains more potassium and less sugar than tea.
Does that make it clear which has more caffeine coffee or tea?
The amount varies depending on the type of beverage.
It’s also better for you to have a deeper understanding of the effects of caffeine…
…before you pick another drink in your favorite coffee shop.
Because Sandra has a story to tell.
I was having insomnia and couldn’t sleep well.
I went to the doctor and…
…he suggested I lay off the coffee for several weeks.
It was awkward for me not to have any hot drinks in the morning.
I switched to earl grey, hoping it was the best choice.
It turns out I still have trouble sleeping.
When I consulted my doctor, he asked about what type of tea I consumed.
He then told me my earl grey was black tea-based…
…I still consume quite an amount of caffeine after all.
Think about that for a minute.
Sometimes we’re still a little negligent about what we put into our bodies.
This is time for us to learn more about the beverages that we consume daily.
Sources of Caffeine
A bit of caffeine can help your mood.
Dr. Seema Sarin M.D.
Caffeine can be present in coffee, cacao, and guarana plants’ fruit, leaves, and beans.
It’s also found in drinks and supplements.
Because caffeinated beverages like soda energy drinks are cold…
…and simple to digest in large quantities, there is a risk of consuming too much of them.
Coffee
The caffeine content in 1 cup or 8 ounces of brewed roasted coffee is approximately 95 mg.
The caffeine content of the same amount of instant coffee is around 60 mg.
The caffeine content in decaffeinated coffee is around 4 mg.
In shots of Espresso, the caffeine content is around 65 mg per shot or 1.5 ounces.
Tea
Caffeine is included in roughly 47 milligrams per cup of black tea.
Green tea has a caffeine content of around 28 mg.
There is 2 mg of caffeine in decaffeinated tea and none in herbal tea.
If you’re wondering how much caffeine your earl grey tea has…
…it depends on the base of the tea.
Is it black tea-based, or is it green tea-based?
The amount of caffeine would follow the type of tea base.
Soda & Soft Drinks
The caffeine content in a 12-ounce can of regular or diet dark cola is around 40 mg.
Mountain Dew has 55 mg of caffeine in the same amount.
Chocolate (Cacao)
Dark chocolate has roughly 24 mg of caffeine per ounce.
While milk chocolate has about a fourth of that.
Guarana
This is a seed from a South American plant used in cuisines…
…energy drinks, and supplements as an extract.
Caffeine levels in guarana seeds are around four times higher than in coffee beans.
Some drinks made with these seeds’ extracts…
…might contain up to 125 mg of caffeine per serving.
Energy Drinks
An energy drink includes roughly 85 mg of caffeine per cup (8 ounces).
However, a common energy drink serving is 16 ounces…
…containing 170 mg of caffeine.
Energy shots are far more potent than energy drinks…
…with roughly 200 mg of caffeine in a single 2-ounce shot.
Supplements
Caffeine supplements typically contain 200 mg of caffeine each tablet.
The amount is equivalent to two cups of brewed coffee.
Coffee vs Tea: Coffee Has More Caffeine?
The overall evidence has been pretty convincing that coffee has been more healthful than harmful in terms of health outcomes
Frank Hu, Harvard Department of Nutrition
So let’s get down to business.
When comparing the caffeine amount of coffee beans to tea leaves…
…the former has higher caffeine content…
…while a cup of coffee normally has more caffeine than a cup of tea.
This is because the amount of caffeine in each drink is determined by…
…the brewing methods as well as the brewing time.
Because we normally use fewer than five grams of tea leaves per cup…
….compared to the ten or more grams of coffee grounds required for a cup of joe…
…a cup of coffee is more concentrated than a cup of tea.
The temperature at which a drink is brewed also affects its caffeine level.
Coffee has more caffeine than tea because it is brewed…
…at a higher temperature (about 195 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit).
Let’s take a deeper look at the caffeine content of your favorite coffees…
…so you’ll know which one to reach for on a Monday morning when you’re feeling sleepy.
The amount of caffeine in your cup is affected by both the brewing time and…
…the technique of preparation.
This is why the caffeine content of various coffee beverages varies.
On average, an eight-ounce cup of brewed coffee contains 85 milligrams of caffeine…
…whereas a single shot of espresso contains roughly 60 mg.
Most coffee shops consider a double shot to be a regular serving…
…which means that most beverages contain 120 grams of caffeine per cup.
The caffeine content in instant coffee is roughly 60 mg.
Even a cup of decaf coffee has roughly two milligrams of caffeine in it.
A cup of cold-brew coffee…
…which differs from iced coffee in that it is brewed at room temperature…
…and steeped for eight to 12 hours can contain anywhere from 150 to 230 mg of caffeine.
A few sips of this cold coffee beverage will unquestionably boost your energy levels!
Even though black, white, and green tea are all made from the same plant’s leaves…
…the harvesting time and oxidation process distinguish them.
The steeping period, too, has an impact on the amount of caffeine in each drink.
When it comes to caffeine in tea, black tea contains the most caffeine…
…around 45 to 60 milligrams per cup, which is comparable to a single shot of espresso…
…because it is brewed with boiling water and steeped for the longest time.
Matcha tea, which contains 35 milligrams of caffeine per one-gram serving…
…and Yerba mate, which is typically drunk in South America…
…and contains up to 85 milligrams of caffeine per cup…
…are two more highly caffeinated teas.
That’s about the same as a cup of freshly brewed coffee.
Green tea has about 20 to 45 milligrams of caffeine per cup…
…whereas white tea has from six to sixty mg.
Both of these teas are brewed for a shorter period of time (just three minutes) with cooler water.
Health Benefits of Caffeine
In the past, I think a lot of people thought, ‘Oh, coffee’s so delicious, there must be something bad about coffee,’ So I think the good news is that [for] most people, coffee actually confers some health benefits.
Frank Hu, Harvard Department of Nutrition.
Here’s the truth:
While caffeine has a poor reputation…
…we’d be negligent if we didn’t mention its nutritional benefits.
Most people only know that caffeine helps us boost energy levels…
…but it can also help you in your weight loss journey…
…improve your physical performance, and improve your mood.
For all of you coffee lovers…
we’ll tell you about the health benefits of coffee: it’s high in vitamins B2 and B5 antioxidants. Is coffee good for diabetics type 2? Coffee’s found to be reducing risk of type 2 diabetes.
A Harvard research even found that women who…
…drink four cups of coffee each day have a 20% decreased risk of depression.
We’ve been saying it for years, but now science backs it up:
drinking coffee regularly makes you happier.
Tea has a lot of health benefits as well.
There is a lot of studies that show the impressive health benefits of a cup of tea…
…as it contains antioxidants, lowers the risk of stroke and heart attack…
…and has been related to weight loss, among other things.
As much as we adore coffee, we have to give credit where credit is due:
tea’s numerous positive effects make it a fantastic drink without a doubt!
How High’s the Limit?
Adults in the United States use on average 135 milligrams of caffeine per day…
…which is equivalent to 1.5 cups of coffee (1 cup = 8 ounces).
The US Food and Drug Administration considers 400 milligrams of caffeine or…
…about 4 cups of brewed coffee to be a safe daily dose for healthy persons.
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists…
…pregnant women should limit their caffeine intake to 200 milligrams of caffeine per day (about 2 cups of brewed coffee).
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics…
…children under the age of 12 should avoid caffeine-containing foods and beverages.
Caffeine intake should be limited to…
…no more than 100 mg per day for teenagers aged 12 and up.
This is the amount of cola soda in two or three 12-ounce cans.
Signs of Toxicity
I think that caffeine is so common and so ingrained in our culture, and daily habits, that we often don’t think about it as a potential source of problems
Mary M. Sweeney, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Here’s an interesting fact:
Caffeine toxicity has been reported with single doses of 1.2 grams or higher.
It is thought that consuming 10-14 grams at once is lethal.
Convulsions and vomiting have been reported after consuming up to 10 grams of caffeine…
…but recovery takes about 6 hours.
Restlessness, irritability, nervousness, vomiting…
…high heart rate, and tremors are all common side effects at 1-gram doses.
Toxicity is rarely noticed when drinking caffeinated beverages since…
…a huge volume would have to be consumed in a short period of time to…
…reach a toxic level (10 gm of caffeine is equal to about 100 cups of brewed coffee).
Overuse of caffeine pills or tablets is more likely to result in dangerous blood levels.
Bottom Line
Which has more caffeine coffee or tea?
Coffee has more caffeine, but it doesn’t mean drinking tea would be the same as…
…not consuming any caffeine either.
Tea has almost half the total amount of caffeine that your cup of coffee has.
If it’s still bothering you, we suggest you switch your question into:
That’s another alternative for you to consider!
Conclusion
That’s it!
We hope this article helps you to learn more about…
….what’s in your morning cup of hot drinks.
Feel free to drop a comment and ask us anything!
We’ll be more than glad to connect with you.
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Hi there! I’m a food enthusiast and journalist, and I have a real passion for food that goes beyond the kitchen. I love my dream job and I’m lucky enough to be able to share my knowledge with readers of several large media outlets. My specialty is writing engaging food-related content, and I take pride in being able to connect with my audience. I’m known for my creativity in the kitchen, and I’m confident that I can be the perfect guide for anyone looking to take their culinary journey to the next level.
