There’s no doubt that tea is easily one of the most popular beverages on earth, and one of the best things about tea is that there seems to be a blend or flavor for every occasion.
So, whether you’re looking for a refreshing morning call or a calming and relaxing tea that will send you to sleep, the choice is entirely up to you.
However, one of the questions that get asked the most is which tea has the most caffeine in its contents. For those who dislike coffee, but still want their morning caffeine fix, it can be hard to know which tea to drink based on caffeine.
Thankfully, there are a number of different teas which are all high in caffeine content, so if you’re looking for the perfect morning beverage to start your day, then having one of these with your breakfast will be certain to wake you up!
Teas With The Most Caffeine
Matcha
Made using stone-grounded tea leaves, this powdered green tea originates from Japan, and is known for its caffeine content.
The reason why matcha tea has such a high caffeine content is that it contains whole tea leaves, as opposed to a form of a diluted infusion, which is what you drink when you make a traditionally brewed tea.
This leads to you consuming a much more concentrated amount of the numerous compounds that can usually be found in tea, which of course includes caffeine!
Another reason why Matcha’s caffeine content is so high is that the tea plants from which matcha originates tend to be shaded for up to several weeks prior to them being harvested, which helps to give the caffeine content a boost.
So, for that caffeinated wake-up call, matcha tea is a good choice!
Black Tea
When it comes to choosing the tea with the highest caffeine content, nothing comes close to black tea, which tends to have the highest caffeine content of all teas.
Both English and Irish Breakfast teas are generally made using Indian black teas, which come from the camellia sinensis var. Assamica variety, which is naturally higher in caffeine than most other teas.
Another reason why black tea tends to have a higher caffeine content is that they get chopped coarsely, which leads to them becoming much finer broken tea leaves overall.
In addition to this, black teas tend to be made using much hotter water than other teas, and often have a longer steeping time too, which is ultimately why they’re known as the most caffeinated tea!
Pu-Erh Tea
Revered for its rich and earthy flavor, as well as its distinct ink black color, Pu-erh tea is a type of aged tea that is extremely popular in China, and one of the biggest reasons for its popularity is because of its high caffeine content.
Pu-erh tea has a high caffeine content because it is made in a similar way to black tea, with the leaves being steeped for a longer period of time, and by being prepared with hotter water, which are the main two contributing factors that make it as caffeinated as it is.
Ripe, or “shou” Pu-erh tea is often fermented using a method known as the wet-pile method, which tends to result in a higher caffeine content than when raw, or “sheng”, Pu-erh which follows traditional fermentation methods.
Overall, Pu-erh tea is a great option for those who are looking for a delicious caffeinated tea but want an alternative to breakfast tea or matcha tea!
What Determines The Amount Of Caffeine In Tea?
Since some teas seem to be higher in caffeine content than others, you might be wondering exactly why this is the case.
Well, what many people don’t realize is that there are a number of factors that can contribute to the caffeine content found in different teas, including the preparation and brewing methods used too!
These are some of the key factors:
Varietal
Arguably the biggest factor that determines the amount of caffeine in tea is the varietal. Although tea all comes from the same plant, the camellia Sinensis, this plant actually has two popular varieties, the camellia Sinensis var.
Sinensis, and the camellia Sinensis var assamica. While camellia Sinensis var. Sinensis is grown in China, camellia Sinensis var assamica is grown in India, and it is the tea produced from this variety that tends to contain more caffeine.
Harvesting Time
The time of year in which tea is harvested is also known to have an effect on the amount of caffeine that a tea contains, with the teas which are harvested in the spring tending to contain the most caffeine, and this is because of their smaller leaves and buds!
Growing Methods
There are a number of different growing methods and practices which can have an effect on the caffeine content of a tea as well.
For example, shading a tea plant for a number of weeks prior to its harvest is known to have a dramatic effect on the amount of caffeine found in a tea, which includes teas such as Matcha, Gyokuro, and Kabusecha teas all have lots of caffeine.
Steep Time
Another way in which the caffeine content is increased in tea is through the amount of time in which the tea is steeped in the water.
Since black teas are steeped for longer, this is why they tend to contain more caffeine, and it’s the teas with shorter steep times that contain less caffeine.
Water Temperature
The temperature of the water used to brew the tea is another factor that can affect the caffeine content of a tea, with teas that use boiled water tend to have higher caffeine content.
Conclusion
We hope that this guide to the teas with the most caffeine content has helped you, and hopefully, you can enjoy one of these delicious teas soon!
