Green Tea Caffeine Content

Caffeine is a natural stimulant found in tea, coffee, cola etc. Caffeine is mainly responsible for the 'kick' you experience after drinking these beverages. However, there are several health hazards of drinking caffeine drinks, which include insomnia, palpitations, cancer among others. Due to these health concerns many people are slowly switching to green tea which is considered as a safer version of these caffeine beverages. Although, green tea caffeine content is much lesser than other beverages, you certainly should keep a tab on the caffeine levels in green tea.

Green Tea Caffeine Content Vs Black Tea

Green tea is often recommended over black tea due to several health benefits offered by the green tea. Green tea does not induce insomnia or give jitters, shakes which are common in black tea drinkers. The caffeine content in green tea is also much less than black tea. Green tea contains about 30 to 50 milligrams of caffeine per 8 oz cup, whereas the same quantity of black tea contains about 90 to 120 milligrams of caffeine. Green tea caffeine content compared to coffee or other beverages is also less. An 8 oz cup of coffee contains about 120 to 150 milligrams caffeine, which is pretty high compared to green tea.

Green Tea Caffeine Effect

Green tea does not induce instant stimulation unlike other beverages. It produces a slow soothing and calming effect on the nervous system. This is due to the two compounds present in green tea, namely, L-theanine and Epigallocatechin gallate (ECGC). L-Theanine (theanine) is an amino acid which relaxes the nervous system by controlling brain chemicals such as serotonin, dopamine and GABA. The second compound ECGC mitigates the effects of caffeine, so that it can be tolerated in the body. It also stimulates the immune system of the body in number of ways. ECGC is responsible for countering the hazards of caffeine consumption. These two compounds make green tea a much safer caffeine drink.

How to Reduce Green Tea Caffeine Content

You can drastically reduce the caffeine content in green tea by taking certain measures. Younger, tender green tea leaves have more caffeine content than mature leaves. Also, the terminal bud and adjacent leaves are rich sources of caffeine. Unfortunately, these are also the parts of green tea leaves that are sweet and most delicious, hence mostly used for tea infusion. Loose tea leaves supposedly have less caffeine than tea bags. Hence always go for loose tea leaves as you can easily control the amount of caffeine going into your cup. Tea leaves can be used for maximum three infusions. The first infusion has the maximum caffeine content, which makes it unsafe for drinking, hence, it is best to discard it. Experts advise to limit daily caffeine intake to up to 300 milligrams only. This means you can safely consume 14 to 16 oz of green tea everyday. However, you should start with a small dose and monitor the effects of caffeine on your body. You can then gradually increase the dosage if no ill effects are found. Drinking hot green tea is best as L-theanine and Epigallocatechin gallate (ECGC) are most active when the tea is combined with hot water. Freshly brewed tea has less caffeine due to these compounds. However, later these compounds break down and release more caffeine in tea.

Hope, now you know how much caffeine in green tea is safe for consumption. The best part about drinking this tea is that you can easily control the green tea caffeine content in it.