Contrary to popular belief, black teas don’t always have more caffeine than green, white, or oolong teas. In fact, certain green and white teas can have significantly more caffeine than black teas.
Caffeine content has more to do with the part of the tea tree that it comes from. The topmost bud contains the most caffeine. The topmost leaves contain the next highest caffeine levels. The larger, lower leaves contain the least caffeine.
Typically, higher end teas will have more tea buds. A bolder cup of tea will use lower leaves on the tea tree. Surprisingly, a stong, smoky Lapsang Souchong will have a low level of caffeine compared to a tippy white tea such as Silver Needle.
Of course, there are other factors that affect the level of caffeine in tea, such as steeping time and temperature. Stay tuned for our next article on all the factors that affect caffeine level in tea.
Resources
- Too Easy to be True: De-bunking the At-Home Decaffeination Myth. Bruce Richardson http://elmwoodinn.com/about/caffeine.html
- Caffeine Intake by the US Population. FDA. http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AboutFDA/CentersOffices/OfficeofFoods/CFSAN/CFSANFOIAElectronicReadingRoom/UCM333191.pdf