How much caffeine is in tea? Green, black & more

A cup of tea has roughly 20–70 mg of caffeine, depending on the type and how you brew it — comfortably less than a coffee’s ~95 mg. Black tea sits highest, followed by oolong, then green and white; herbal “teas” have none at all. But the type matters less than how you steep it, and — despite a stubborn myth — tea does not give you more caffeine than coffee once it’s in the cup. Here’s the breakdown by tea, what makes the number swing, and why tea’s lift feels smoother than coffee’s.

How much caffeine is in tea?

All true tea — black, green, white and oolong — comes from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. Here’s roughly what a cup delivers:

Tea (per ~240 ml cup)	Caffeine
Black	~40–70 mg
Oolong	~30–50 mg
Green	~20–45 mg
White	~15–30 mg
Herbal (peppermint, rooibos, chamomile)	~0 mg
Coffee (for reference)	~95 mg

Two quick clarifications. Green tea is not caffeine-free — it simply has less than black tea or coffee. And herbal infusions aren’t really “tea” at all: because they’re not made from the tea plant, most (peppermint, chamomile, rooibos, fruit blends) contain no caffeine. Matcha is the outlier — because you whisk and drink the whole powdered leaf, it runs higher, around 60–70 mg (see matcha vs coffee).

Why does tea’s caffeine vary so much?

Two reasons. First, processing: black tea is fully oxidized, green barely at all, with oolong and white in between — and that, along with the specific leaf and how it’s plucked, shifts the baseline. But the second reason usually matters more: how you brew it. The caffeine in your cup depends on:

• Steep time — longer steeping pulls out more caffeine; most of it comes out in the first 1–3 minutes.
• Water temperature — hotter water extracts faster (black tea is brewed near boiling, green cooler).
• How much leaf you use, and whether it’s whole leaf or the fine “dust” in a cheap teabag.

Steep a green tea long and hot and it can out-caffeinate a quickly brewed black. Your kettle and timer tell you more than the label does.

Does tea have more caffeine than coffee?

This is the myth, and it comes from confusing the dry leaf with the brewed cup. Gram for gram, dry tea leaves actually hold more caffeine (around 3.5% by weight) than coffee beans (roughly 1–2%). But you brew a cup with only about 2 g of tea versus roughly 10 g of coffee, and not all of the leaf’s caffeine makes it into the water. The result: a brewed cup of tea lands well below a brewed coffee. It’s the same trap as believing a dark roast has more caffeine — what’s true by dry weight flips once it’s in your cup.

Why does tea feel different from coffee?

Even at the same caffeine, tea’s lift tends to feel calmer and steadier. The reason is L-theanine, an amino acid in tea that promotes relaxed focus and softens caffeine’s jittery edge. Paired with tea’s generally lower dose, that’s why an afternoon cup often feels gentle where a coffee can feel sharp — more on that in matcha vs coffee.

What about iced tea, bottled tea and bubble tea?

Ready-to-drink teas are all over the map. A bottle or can of iced tea might carry anywhere from 10 to 50 mg, depending on the brand and how strongly it’s brewed — check the label, since many list it. Bubble (boba) tea is usually built on black or green tea, so a large one can rival a coffee, especially with an espresso or matcha shot added. And a matcha latte uses whisked whole-leaf matcha, so it lands near 60–70 mg. When a tea is pre-made, the label is your only reliable guide.

Can you enjoy tea in the evening?

For many people, yes — a light green or white steeped briefly is far gentler than a coffee, and a herbal infusion or decaf tea is essentially caffeine-free. Just remember tea still counts: caffeine has a long tail, so a strong black tea after dinner can reach into your night the same way coffee does. If in doubt, work back from your cutoff time.

How to dial your tea’s caffeine up or down

• Less caffeine: steep shorter and cooler, choose white or green, or go herbal for zero.
• More caffeine: pick black, steep longer and hotter, or use more leaf.
• None at all: herbal infusions and decaf tea (~2–5 mg) keep the ritual without the caffeine.

CaffIQ lets you log tea as well as coffee — a green, a black, a matcha and an espresso all count for what they actually are, so your daily total and your evening cutoff stay honest. For the numbers across every drink, see caffeine content by drink.

CaffIQ provides general estimates, not medical advice. For any health question, consult a qualified professional.