Low Caffeine Content Of Green Tea
"Nice to know the caffeine content of green tea is low. This series answers all my questions about caffeine." This is Part 1 of a 7 part series. Part 2–How does tea manufacture affect green tea caffeine content?
People are concerned about the health effects of caffeine. Caffeine has been in the health news for several decades, especially after a few deaths occurred from extreme overdoses of over-the-counter caffeine tablets. Some cases of caffeine toxicity have also been reported with large amounts of very strong coffee over the years. Recently, reports of caffeine toxicity have increased from overdosing with caffeinated energy drinks and caffeinated diet supplements. With that kind of publicity, it could be easy to forget that caffeine from natural plants like chocolate, mate, some herbs, large amounts of daily tea (Camellia sinensis), and moderate amounts of coffee have proven safe over thousands of years of human use. There is also evidence that caffeine functions in a positive synergistic way to enhance many of the health benefits of green tea, oolong tea, and black tea. These foods that contain natural caffeine are considered Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) by the U.S. FDA. So, how much caffeine is in green tea?
Tests for the caffeine content of green tea show variations from 7 milligrams to 75 milligrams per 8 ounce servings. Most authorities say the average is 15-40 milligrams of caffeine in green tea per cup. References: USDA 2006, American Beverage Association 2005, Bowes and Church Food Values 2005, Mayo Clinic 2007, Bunker and McWilliams 1979. Green tea at 15-40 milligrams per cup is low compared to:
If you’re only comparing caffeine levels, you can roughly estimate an exchange of
But why is there so much variation in the caffeine content of green tea that you drink?
Green tea varieties: Dragon Well | Mao Feng | Matcha | Gunpowder Green | Pi Lo Chun | Gyokuro | Lu Shan Yun Wu | Japanese Sencha | Lu An Melon Seed | Jasmine |Blooming Tea | Chun Mee | Flavored Green | Organic Green Tea | Estate Green Tea
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