Does green tea have caffeine? Green tea, Earl Grey and black tea compared
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Yes, green tea has caffeine. The European Food Information Council (EUFIC) lists about 38 mg for a 250 ml cup of green tea, compared with about 55 mg for black tea. Earl Grey is a black tea, so it has about the same caffeine as other black teas. The NHS uses about 75 mg for a mug of tea.
Key points
• Green tea: about 38 mg of caffeine per 250 ml (EUFIC).
• Black tea: about 55 mg per 250 ml (EUFIC).
• Mug of tea: about 75 mg (NHS).
• Earl Grey is black tea flavoured with bergamot oil, so use the black tea figures.
• Green, black, white and oolong tea and matcha all come from the same plant and all contain caffeine.
Table of contents
- How much caffeine is in green tea?
- Why all "real" tea has caffeine
- Caffeine in Earl Grey tea
- Caffeine in Yorkshire Tea and other black teas
- Green tea vs black tea vs coffee
- FAQ
How much caffeine is in green tea?
EUFIC lists about 38 mg of caffeine for a 250 ml cup of green tea (EUFIC). That is less than black tea (about 55 mg) and less than half a 200 ml cup of filter coffee (about 90 mg). The amount in your cup depends on the tea, how much you use and how long you brew it. More: Caffeine in coffee vs tea vs green tea · How much caffeine is too much? · Caffeine pouches in the UK
Why all "real" tea has caffeine
Green, black, white and oolong teas and matcha all come from the same plant, Camellia sinensis, and all contain caffeine. More: Caffeine in matcha vs coffee
Herbal "teas" such as peppermint, chamomile, rooibos and fruit infusions are not made from the tea plant and contain no caffeine. More: Caffeine-free tea
Caffeine in Earl Grey tea
Earl Grey is black tea flavoured with bergamot oil. So Earl Grey has about the same caffeine as other black teas: about 55 mg per 250 ml (EUFIC), or about 75 mg per mug using the NHS figure for tea. Decaf versions are closer to the decaf tea figure of about 8 mg per 250 ml.
Caffeine in Yorkshire Tea and other black teas
Yorkshire Tea is a black tea blend. Use the black tea figures: about 55 mg per 250 ml (EUFIC) or about 75 mg per mug (NHS). We do not have a published figure for the brand itself.
Green tea vs black tea vs coffee
| Drink | Serving | Caffeine |
|---|---|---|
| Decaffeinated tea | 250 ml | about 8 mg |
| Green tea | 250 ml | about 38 mg |
| Tea (unspecified) | 250 ml | about 43 mg |
| Black tea (including Earl Grey) | 250 ml | about 55 mg |
| Filter coffee | 200 ml | about 90 mg |
| Instant coffee | 200 ml | about 90 mg |
Work out your own total: caffeine calculator.
Source: EUFIC.
The NHS uses rounder, larger figures for a mug: about 75 mg for tea, 100 mg for instant coffee and 140 mg for filter coffee (NHS). More: How much caffeine is in a cup of coffee?
For healthy adults, up to 400 mg of caffeine a day from all sources is unlikely to cause adverse effects, and the limit in pregnancy is 200 mg a day (FSA and FSS, 2024). Using the NHS figure, that is about five mugs of tea for 400 mg, if you have no other caffeine.
Optimal Native caffeine pouches state the caffeine per pouch on the label: Morning Energy 200 mg, Daily Flow 75 mg and Evening Relax 0 mg, with no sugar.
FAQ
Does green tea have more caffeine than black tea?
No. EUFIC lists about 38 mg per 250 ml for green tea and about 55 mg for black tea.
Does green tea have more caffeine than coffee?
No. A 200 ml cup of filter or instant coffee has about 90 mg (EUFIC), more than twice the amount in 250 ml of green tea.
Does Earl Grey have caffeine?
Yes. Earl Grey is black tea flavoured with bergamot oil, so it has about the same caffeine as black tea.
Is there caffeine in Yorkshire Tea?
Yes. Yorkshire Tea is a black tea blend, so use the black tea figures: about 55 mg per 250 ml (EUFIC) or about 75 mg per mug (NHS).
Read next: Caffeine in matcha vs coffee · Caffeine-free tea · Caffeine in coffee vs tea vs green tea
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