Caffeine Nation: Tea and Our Favorite Drug

We the people are infused with caffeine. In the US, 90% of adults reportedly consume some form of caffeine on a daily basis, making it the most socially accepted drug on the market. But as with many things, moderation is key. If you are serving or selling tea to your customers, here are a couple pointers to boost your caffeine IQ and keep your customers within their socially accepted limits.

What is it?
Wikipedia says caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid and psychoactive stimulant. Caffeine is found in varying quantities in the seeds, leaves, and fruit of some plants, where it acts as a natural pesticide that paralyzes and kills certain insects feeding on the plants. Caffeine is the Portuguese Man-of-War of botany.

Camellia sinensis is one such plant. Originally, caffeine in tea was called "theine" until it was discovered that the two were actually identical and the name was dropped. In sweeping generalizations, it is said that black tea contains about half as much caffeine per cup as coffee, green tea, half of that, and white tea, even less. Though as with most generalizations, there’s more to it than that.

As alluded to above, caffeine is a naturally occurring defense mechanism for tea, and the young delicate leaves that are plucked and dried for tea are packed full of it. They are also packed full of other beneficial and protective botanical compounds, antioxidants and amino acids namely, that impact our experience when drinking tea. Studies show that most tea leaves contain about the same caffeine content, but other factors such as leaf size, amount and freshness of leaf, steeping time, and water temperature, all blur the exactness of quantifying milligrams.

Some numbers:
According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, an 8oz drip coffee may have 100-200mg caffeine, while a Starbucks Grande coffee has 320mg per 16oz, and a 2oz double espresso is in the 150mg range. The Mayo Clinic recommends keeping consumption below 500 to 600 milligrams of caffeine per day, especially if you experience headaches, restlessness, or anxiety. Pummeling your empty stomach in the morning with acidic coffee laced with caloric sugar and cream may have other implications as well.

Tea, on the other hand, might have as much as 40-120mg caffeine per cup, depending on variables mentioned above. Green tea usually weighs in at about 25-30mg per cup, white tea, less. Although, the same exact leaves steeped for 5 minutes in boiling hot water will extract more caffeine than if steeped at a lower temperature for only 3 minutes. A fresh, high quality whole leaf tea may also more effectively counterbalance the caffeine jolt by supplying us more readily with antioxidants and amino acids. One such amino acid, L-theanine, has been shown to promote relaxation without reducing caffeine alertness. We get perked up and mellowed out all at once.

By this logic, white tea- usually only the youngest, most tender leaf buds of the plant- will have the same amount of caffeine inherent in the leaf, if not more because of its newborn status, though will also have the greatest amount of other beneficial botanical components. As white tea is typically steeped at a cooler temp (say 150F versus 212F, boiling), a cup may have both less caffeine, as will we experience a softer buzz, tempered by the antioxidant and amino acid rich infusion.

What does it all mean?
In moderation, modern medical research shows caffeine can lower blood sugar, aid digestion, improve endurance, and sharpen mental concentration. The Center for Science in the Public Interest also says that drinking a couple cups a day "appears to reduce the risk of Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, gallstones, and even suicide." (!)

In the end, all tea being Camellia sinensis, all tea contains some caffeine. Even decaffeinated varieties still produce 5-10mg or more (this is true of coffee, too). If sensitivity is too great, there are many lovely herbal teas, infusions of other fruits, herbs, flowers and leaves that have their own inherent caffeine-free benefits.

For more tea lessons, from tea processing to food pairing, check out www.teaclass.com or drop me a note. Happy steeping!