Caffeine in Tea Vs Coffee: Which Is the Better Option?

Tea and coffee are two of the most consumed drinks in the world. They are typically consumed to jumpstart one’s day or provide an energy boost during the sleepy afternoons. They both have caffeine, which is known to be a stimulant and improves your mood and mental agility. This naturally occurring chemical compound interacts with the central nervous system.

Different people have varying preferences regarding their preferred drink. Here are a couple of things you should know about tea and coffee and the caffeine they provide:

1. Different Teas Have Different Caffeine Content

If you’re wondering how much caffeine is in tea, it depends on the type of leaf you brew. The most prominent ones are black, green, white, and oolong. Surprisingly, the leaves that make these drinks contain the same amount of caffeine but they differ in intensity once they’re immersed in hot water.

These are the main types of tea and the caffeine they contain:

• Black Tea – Black tea leaves contain an average of 40 mg caffeine when brewed.
• Oolong Tea – Oolong tea has an average of 35 mg to 37 mg per cup.
• Regular Green Tea – Standard green tea leaves release 30 mg of caffeine when steeped in hot water. Matcha, on the other hand, is more potent with 38 mg to 40 mg of caffeine depending on the amount of powder you add.
• White Tea – Lastly, white tea contains an average of 15 mg.

It’s believed that there are about 1,500 types of tea known to man. These are categorized into the four main types mentioned above. For tea lovers who want to get their caffeine fix, you should reach for those black tea leaves or matcha powder. Meanwhile, read more about types of tea to determine which one will suit your taste.

2. Coffee Also Varies in Caffeine Content

Coffee contains a higher concentration of caffeine, which is probably why so many people drink it to boost their energy and perk up their mornings. However, similar to tea, the way that coffee is prepared has a significant bearing in the amount of caffeine it gives. There are pre-brewing factors that also affect the drink’s intensity.

The factors that have an impact on coffee’s caffeine quantity are:

• Coffee Bean Types – The two main types of coffee beans are robusta and arabica. The latter has a more astringent flavor and has a higher amount of caffeine, whereas the latter has half the amount with a milder taste.
• Roasting Process – Coffee beans are roasted to bring out the aroma and flavor locked inside each capsule. Beans that are lightly roasted contain more caffeine, but darker roasts offer a deeper flavor.
• Serving Size – Obviously, the more substantial amount of coffee you consume, the higher your caffeine intake will be. A cup of coffee can be as small as 30 ml or as big as 700 ml.
• Extraction Type – Because brewed coffee steeps the ground beans for a long time, it contains the most caffeine with 95 mg. A 30 ml shot of espresso comes next with 63 mg. Instant coffee is last with approximately 30 mg. You can even get your fix with desserts such as the chocolate mocha layer cake, which is basically coffee in cake form.

 

3. Both Make You Alert

In a report by BBC, a research study by the University of Surrey showed that the alertness levels of people who drank coffee and those who consumed tea were the same. The participants gave their accounts of the energy boost they felt after drinking the beverages, and there wasn’t a significant difference in their reaction times when their focus was gauged objectively through various tests.

4. But Coffee Makes It Harder to Sleep at Night

While both tea and coffee made no difference in the mental agility of people who drank them in the morning, the latter has a problematic impact at night. Coffee drinkers in the study admitted that dozing off is more difficult for them. This may be caused partly by the higher amount of caffeine in the drink.

5. Tea Provides More Benefits

Tea emerges as the better option because of the variety it offers consumers through the different types of leaves available in the market today. Moreover, you have the power to drink it in the exact way you want, whether you want it diluted or concentrated as well as with sweeteners like sugar or honey. It’s also full of antioxidants, which protect your body from the damage caused by pollution and fight free radicals which are at the root of many diseases.

Conclusion

While coffee is an excellent drink when consumed in moderation, there’s a reason why tea comes second to water as the most consumed beverage around the world. Aside from providing a healthy caffeine quantity, it also offers your body a dose of helpful antioxidants.