Types of Tea and Caffeine Content: How Much Is in Each Cup

Some days call for a big, brisk mug that gets you out the door. Other days, it's 8 p.m., the dishes are done, and you just want something warm that won't keep you up. Knowing the types of tea and their caffeine content makes that choice easy, so we put the whole list in one place: how much caffeine is in tea, which teas have caffeine at all, and a few of our favorite blends in each category.

Start with the quick chart, then scroll down for the story behind each type.

How much caffeine is in tea? A quick chart

These are typical tea caffeine levels for an 8-ounce cup, from most to least. Think of them as neighborhoods, not exact addresses. Your cup can land higher or lower depending on the leaf and how you brew it (more on that below).

Type of tea	Typical caffeine per 8 oz cup
Matcha	40 to 175 mg
Yerba maté	About 80 mg, sometimes more
Black tea	About 47 to 48 mg
Puerh (dark tea)	About 30 to 100 mg
Oolong tea	About 37 mg on average (roughly 17 to 55 mg)
Green tea	About 29 mg on average, up to about 50 mg
White tea	6 to 55 mg
Decaf black tea	About 2 mg
Herbal, rooibos, honeybush and fruit teas	0 mg (naturally caffeine-free)
For comparison: brewed coffee	About 96 mg

So a cup of black tea has about half the caffeine of a cup of coffee, and most green, white, and oolong teas sit well below that.

Why tea caffeine content varies so much

Most charts skip this part: caffeine can vary more between two teas of the same type than between two different types. A bold, tippy white tea can out-caffeinate a gentle green. The chart gives you the usual range, and these factors decide where your cup lands inside it:

• How much leaf you use. A heaping spoonful brews a stronger, more caffeinated cup than a level one.
• How long you steep. The longer the leaves sit, the more caffeine ends up in your mug.
• Which part of the plant. Young buds and tender leaves tend to carry more caffeine than older, larger leaves.
• What else is in the blend. Fruit, flowers, and spices add flavor without adding caffeine, so a spoonful of a flavored blend holds a little less tea leaf than a spoonful of straight tea.

One myth worth retiring: a quick "rinse" of the leaves before you brew doesn't meaningfully decaffeinate your tea. If you want less caffeine, use less leaf, steep a bit shorter, or reach for a decaf or herbal blend.

Which teas have caffeine?

Every "true" tea comes from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. Black, green, oolong, white, yellow, and puerh are all made from its leaves, and the difference comes from how the leaves are handled after picking. All of them contain caffeine.

Herbal teas (also called tisanes) are made from other plants entirely: rooibos, honeybush, fruit, flowers, and herbs. Those are naturally caffeine-free, with two notable exceptions. Yerba maté and guayusa come from holly plants, look and taste like herbal teas, and carry plenty of caffeine. If you're cutting back, check the label for those two.

Here's the full types of tea list, one by one.

Black Tea and Caffeine

Black tea is fully oxidized, which turns the leaves dark and gives the cup its bold, malty flavor. It's the morning workhorse of the tea world and the base for breakfast blends and Earl Grey.

A few of our favorites: Fog Cutter, a brisk Irish breakfast with a hint of lemon; Vanilla Latte, with cardamom and vanilla crème; and Creme Brulee Earl Grey, bergamot with a velvety vanilla finish.

Black tea has about 47 to 48 mg of caffeine per 8-ounce cup, and a 12-ounce mug comes in around 71 mg. For brewing tips, how it stacks up against coffee, and how to dial it up or down, see the full black tea caffeine guide. Curious about a specific favorite? We've also covered how much caffeine is in Earl Grey and how much caffeine is in chai.

Dark Tea (Puerh) and Caffeine

Dark tea, best known as puerh, comes from China's Yunnan province and is post-fermented: the leaves are aged, sometimes for months or years, while microbes slowly change their character. It smells earthy and brews up smooth and deep, with a natural sweetness that loves a splash of cream.

Try Rainy Day Puerh, warm with cinnamon, ginger, and orange peel, or Caramel Brittle Puerh, earthy and sweet with caramel. Puerh is also wonderful for re-steeping, so one spoonful can carry you through a slow afternoon.

Puerh caffeine is all over the map, roughly 30 to 100 mg per cup, depending on the leaf and how long it was aged. Treat it like black tea if you're watching your intake.

Oolong Tea and Caffeine

Oolong tea is partially oxidized, so it sits somewhere between green and black. Expect a cup that's softer than black tea, often with fruity, floral, or toasty notes.

Our oolong blends lean cozy: Toasted Nut Brulee brings toasted nuts and crème brûlée, Peaches 'n' Cream tastes like a peach dessert, and Hot Maple Cinnamon Oolong pairs bold cinnamon with rich maple.

Oolong averages about 37 mg of caffeine per cup, with most falling between roughly 17 and 55 mg.

Green Tea and Caffeine

Green tea is heated soon after picking to stop oxidation, which keeps the leaves green and the flavor fresh, grassy, and light. Brew it a little cooler than black tea so it stays sweet instead of bitter.

Great green teas to try: Queen's Blend, a lemon crème Earl Grey on green tea; Hope Blend, fragrant with jasmine; and Citrus Mint, bright with lemon, orange, lemongrass, and mint.

Green tea averages about 29 mg of caffeine per 8-ounce cup and usually tops out around 50 mg. Matcha is the exception: because you whisk and drink the whole powdered leaf, a cup can carry anywhere from 40 to 175 mg.

Yellow Tea and Caffeine

Yellow tea is the rare one. It's made much like green tea, with an extra slow, gentle step that mellows the leaves and softens their grassy edge. There's very little published data on its caffeine, but since it starts from the same young leaves as green tea, it's fair to expect something in the same neighborhood.

White Tea and Caffeine

White tea is the least processed of all: the leaves and buds are simply withered and dried. The cup is pale, delicate, and lightly sweet, with floral and fruity aromas.

Some choices: Afternoon High Tea with peach and pear, Lavender Daydream with mango, peach, and lavender, and Bookshop Blend, a cozy black currant and cinnamon white tea made for reading days.

White tea is often called the lowest-caffeine tea, and many cups are. But its range runs wide, from about 6 to 55 mg per cup, because bud-heavy white teas can be surprisingly lively.

Yerba Maté and Caffeine

Maté looks like an herbal tea, but it's a South American holly leaf with a real kick: about 80 mg of caffeine per cup, close to a cup of coffee. It's a good pick when you want an energizing cup that isn't coffee.

Try Raspberry Revitalizer, a bright green maté with raspberry and lemon, or Stargazer Caramel Maté Chai, smoky maté with warm spices and caramel.

Decaf Black Tea and Caffeine

Decaf tea starts as regular tea, and then most of the caffeine is removed. Our decaf black teas are decaffeinated with a natural carbon dioxide method, which keeps the full black tea flavor intact.

A few to try: Decaf Comfort Blend with orange and cinnamon, Decaf Wonder-Full Pomegranate, and Decaf No Obligations with hazelnut, almond, and cinnamon.

Decaf isn't quite zero. Expect about 2 mg per cup, a tiny fraction of the regular version. Here's more on how much caffeine is in decaf tea.

Herbal Tea and Caffeine

Herbal teas don't come from the tea plant at all. They're infusions of herbs, flowers, fruit, and roots, and they're naturally caffeine-free (maté and guayusa aside), which makes them the go-to for evenings, kids, and anyone cutting back.

Two cozy picks: Vanilla Sugar Cookie, sweet vanilla and warm spice that tastes like milk and cookies with a splash of cream, and Evening in the Garden, with elderflower, lemon, and rose. Wondering how herbals compare with the classics? We break it down in herbal tea vs black tea.

Fruit tea

Fruit teas are blends of dried fruit, petals, and herbs, delicious hot or poured over ice. Most of ours sit on a caffeine-free rooibos or honeybush base. Try Pineapple Pop for tropical pineapple and mango, Peach Bellini for a brunch-worthy fruit medley, or The Self Care Blend with elderberry and apricot. No caffeine.

Honeybush tea

Honeybush is a South African shrub named for its honey-like aroma. It brews a naturally sweet, mellow cup that loves vanilla and chocolate. Try Vanilla Creme, simple honeybush with a touch of vanilla, or Chocolate Hazelnut, honeybush with cocoa nibs. No caffeine.

Rooibos tea

Rooibos, also from South Africa, brews into a reddish-brown cup that's smooth, earthy, and a little sweet. Two favorites: White Chocolate Peppermint, like a good pair of pajamas in a mug, and Pears and Cinnamon. No caffeine.

Find your cup

A simple rhythm works for most tea drinkers: black tea, puerh, or maté in the morning, green, white, or oolong for the afternoon, and decaf or herbal once the sun goes down. Browse our caffeine-free teas for the evening shelf, or all of our teas to find your new everyday cup.

Frequently asked questions

How much caffeine is in a cup of tea?

It depends on the type. An 8-ounce cup of black tea has about 47 to 48 mg, green tea about 29 mg, and oolong about 37 mg. White tea ranges from about 6 to 55 mg, decaf black tea has about 2 mg, and herbal teas have none.

Which tea has the most caffeine?

Matcha, because you drink the whole powdered leaf: 40 to 175 mg per cup. Among steeped teas, black tea and puerh usually lead, and yerba maté (technically an herbal) comes in around 80 mg.

Which tea has the least caffeine?

Herbal teas like rooibos, honeybush, and fruit blends have no caffeine at all. Among teas from the tea plant, decaf black tea is lowest at about 2 mg per cup, followed by many white and green teas.

Do herbal teas have caffeine?

Most don't. Rooibos, honeybush, chamomile, mint, and fruit blends are naturally caffeine-free. The exceptions are yerba maté and guayusa, which do contain caffeine.

Does tea have more caffeine than coffee?

Usually not. An 8-ounce cup of brewed coffee has about 96 mg of caffeine, roughly double a cup of black tea and about three times a cup of green tea.

How much caffeine is too much?

The FDA puts the limit at about 400 mg a day for most healthy adults. That's roughly eight cups of black tea, so tea makes it easy to enjoy several cups and stay well under. If you're pregnant, sensitive to caffeine, or taking medication, check with your doctor about what's right for you.