Buyer Tools
Tea Caffeine Comparison
Typical caffeine content by beverage and serving size. Useful for menu labelling and for answering the question customers ask most.
Leaf grade, 3 g/300 ml, 4 min
| Beverage | Low (mg) | High (mg) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black tea | 15 | 28 | Leaf grade, 3 g/300 ml, 4 min |
| Green tea | 8 | 20 | Lower water temperature extracts less |
| Oolong tea | 12 | 22 | Varies widely with oxidation level |
| White tea | 6 | 20 | Bud-heavy grades sit at the top of the range |
| Pu-erh (ripe) | 12 | 24 | Comparable to black tea |
| Instant tea powder | 10 | 30 | Depends entirely on dosing ratio |
| Filter coffee | 40 | 60 | For comparison |
| Espresso | 100 | 200 | Per 100 ml; a single shot is ~30 ml |
| Herbal infusion | 0 | 0 | Not from Camellia sinensis — caffeine free |
Why the ranges are wide
Caffeine in a finished cup depends on four things that vary independently: the cultivar and plucking standard, the leaf-to-water ratio, the water temperature and the steeping time. A bud-heavy grade brewed strongly can exceed a leaf grade brewed lightly by a factor of three. Any single number quoted for “tea” is an average of very different things.
The bud myth
Buds carry more caffeine than mature leaves, which is why pure-bud grades sit at the top of the range for their category. The common claim that green tea always has less caffeine than black tea is not reliable — a pure-bud green can exceed a leaf-grade black. Brewing temperature usually explains the difference people notice, not the tea type.
Using this for labelling
If you need a figure for a menu or a pack, measure your own finished product rather than quoting a table. We can arrange caffeine analysis on a specific lot brewed to your parameters.
Scope
This tool reports composition ranges for beverage formulation and specification purposes. It is not dietary or medical guidance.
Request a Sample
Samples are free of charge, freight collect. We send representative lots from current production with the matching certificate of analysis.