How much caffeine is in tea - good or bad? Comparison of green and black tea. Tannin, caffeine and antioxidants - which tea is better? Tea strength and caffeine

Contrary to popular belief, tea contains even more caffeine than coffee. If a serving of espresso made from 100% Arabica contains only 1.2% caffeine, then in a cup of high-quality Assam, the share of this substance can reach as much as 4%. True, caffeine, which is contained in dry loose leaf tea, is never fully extracted into the infusion, which means that its real content in ready tea will always be slightly lower.

In addition, tea caffeine acts on the heart and nervous system more gently than coffee. This is due to the fact that in tea this alkaloid is not present in pure form, but in combination with tannin. Together, caffeine and tannin form a new substance (theine), which is rather slowly absorbed into the bloodstream and quickly excreted from the body. Therefore, it is impossible to get poisoned with theine, even if you drink strong tea in a very large quantities(up to 12 cups per day).

In addition, the content of caffeine largely depends on the place where a particular type of tea grows: on the climate of the area, on the characteristics of the soil (for example, on the content of zinc in it) and on the height above sea level. The higher the tea plantation is located, the colder air, which means that the slower the tea leaves grow and the more caffeine they contain. Bright sunlight also promotes the growth of caffeine-rich tea leaves, which is why some teas are specifically grown in the shade.

Another important factor affecting caffeine content is the degree of fermentation. tea leaf. The lower it is, the more caffeine is contained in tea. From this we can conclude that the most “caffeinated” varieties are white teas, green teas and oolongs. But in fact, everything is not so simple. It is not only the variety that matters, but also the method of making tea, including the temperature of the water during brewing. The hotter the water, the more caffeine is released. And since unfermented and lightly fermented teas are brewed warm, not hot water, V ready-made they contain less caffeine than rich black tea.

The amount of caffeine also depends on the time the tea is brewed - the longer it is, the more caffeine will have time to stand out in a cup. True, with too long brewing, tea phenol, lipids and essential oils, contained in tea, begin to spontaneously oxidize, which negates all the benefits of theine and spoils the taste and aroma of the drink. The unpleasant bitterness that occurs during prolonged brewing is most often caused not by a high caffeine content, as many believe, but by the presence in the drink. harmful substances. Therefore, the time of brewing tea should in no case exceed 5-6 minutes.

Tea strength and caffeine

It is widely believed that the strength and astringency of tea depend primarily on how much caffeine it contains. In fact, the strength of tea is not determined by caffeine at all, and these concepts are practically unrelated. For example, varieties of black Ceylon tea, characterized by strength and saturation, contain less caffeine than "weak" and soft Chinese varieties. The dark color of the drink also does not indicate a high caffeine content.

An indicator of the strength of black tea is the fullness of its taste and aroma, the astringency of the infusion and the appearance on the surface of the cooled drink of the so-called "tea cream" - the thinnest film of brownish-orange color containing a mixture of caffeine and catechins. The brighter it is, the higher the quality of black tea. On the surface of green and white tea"cream" is not formed.

Is caffeine in tea harmful or beneficial?

Many people think that strong tea is harmful to the body. It's actually much worse to drink weak tea infusion, which contains little useful substances and more hot water. Will be from tea more harm or benefit, depends not so much on the strength of the drink or on the content of caffeine in it, but on the quality of the tea itself and on whether it was brewed correctly.

The average amount of caffeine in one cup of tea is two to three times less than one coffee cup the same volume. But the caffeine content in dried leaves is higher than in coffee drink. This is due to the fact that caffeine, which is contained in the dried leaves of the tea bush, does not pass into the tea infusion completely.

The amount of caffeine in tea and coffee is dependent on several external factors. The main ones are the brewing time of the drink, the boiling point of water, the place where the tea leaves and coffee grains grew, and, of course, the features of the collection and processing of the future drink. It turns out that the least amount of caffeine is in teas that are brewed with water up to 80%, infused for a short time and in weakly fermented teas.

Figures based on: Caffeine content per 100 ml drink descending.

So, summing up, we see that contains the least amount of caffeine in tea pu-erh And white tea, and in herbal tea And fruit tea no caffeine at all. However Puer tea differs in manufacturing technology from all other teas, therefore, despite the low caffeine content in this tea, it perfectly invigorates, tones and gives strength!

benefits of caffeine in tea

Caffeine gives stimulating effect on the human body, which in turn gives increased physical and mental performance. Caffeine perfectly invigorates, reduces fatigue and drowsiness, keeps the body in good shape, and is also able to cheer you up!

Reasonable amounts of caffeine may be beneficial to health. It promotes improved digestion and improved metabolism. These properties are enhanced by drinking drinks after dinner. Therefore, coffee, tea and other products that contain caffeine are present in the best weight loss diet programs.

without cup fragrant tea millions of people do not represent their lives. This drink helps to cheer up in the morning and warms winter evening, although doctors do not recommend drinking some of its varieties before bedtime, because. they can cause trouble sleeping. If you want to know if your tea has it, study its composition.

Does tea contain caffeine?

Whether tea contains caffeine, you can get ahead of what varieties of green or black tea are included in its composition. IN different varieties In black tea, scientists find 30 to 70 mg of caffeine (in a 200 g cup). Green tea contains a little more caffeine (from 60 to 85 mg), and red - a little less (about 20 mg). If the tea includes additives - herbs, flowers, fruits, etc., such tea is less caffeine-containing (20-30 mg).

Caffeine has a complex effect on the body. It has an exciting effect on the nervous system, speeds up the heartbeat and increases arterial pressure. For losing weight, the thermogenic effect of caffeine is important, due to which the processes of burning excess fat are rooted.

In addition to caffeine, tea contains many useful substances - essential oils, minerals and trace elements. In the most complete form, these elements are preserved in green tea, because. the leaves for this drink pass minimal processing, and the tea itself is brewed with hot water, not boiling water.

Is there a lot of caffeine in tea compared to coffee?

According to scientists, some varieties of tea and coffee contain about the same percentage of caffeine. However, most often coffee is a more caffeinated product (80-120 mg).

If caffeine is contraindicated for you or you want to drink a warm cup of tea in the evening, give preference to herbal formulations with minor additions of black or green tea. White also has a minimal invigorating effect.

Tea or coffee - what to drink?

Someone loves coffee for deep and exquisite fragrance And noble taste, but most of us still use this drink as an excellent stimulant that can enhance activity nervous system and save us from the effect of drowsiness and loss of strength. Another thing is that its action has a temporary limitation and this is due to the fact that caffeine (a substance that is just responsible for stimulating the central nervous system) has, like any stimulant, only a short-term effect. After the action of the unique natural energy passes, a person has two options - to listen to the signals of the body and give him a break (or sleep), or prepare another portion strong drink, and in the second circle to spur your nervous system.

Is it true, regular use black coffee is somewhat addictive, and like any energy drink, over time you need more caffeine. So, if at first the vigor of the body during the day could be maintained with two servings of espresso or americano, then after a certain period of time the number of cups drunk will have to be increased more. And here the main thing is not to overdo it, as an overdose of coffee has various consequences, including:

• the opposite effect, when the next cup of the drink, on the contrary, causes a breakdown and severe drowsiness;
• depletion of the body, which occurs both at the level of the central nervous system and at the level of cells, since coffee, especially instant coffee, tends to wash out such important trace elements like calcium, potassium and iron;
• death. Of course, this is an extreme case, but nevertheless, cases of coffee poisoning with a fatal outcome have been recorded in history.

Actually affects human body not espresso or latte, but caffeine, which is contained in the drink. And it must be admitted that depending on the type of raw material (brewed in a Turk or a coffee maker, soluble or in granules), the amount of the active substance varies and differs quite a lot. Some gourmets try to reduce the amount of the active substance with milk or cream, but these additives can only soften the taste of the drink, but in no way dilute the caffeine concentration. By the way, not everyone knows, but there is also a certain amount of caffeine in tea, no matter how strange it may sound.

Where is more caffeine?

According to studies on its structure, caffeine is crystals that can be either transparent or white color, and which have a bitter taste. Actually in moderate amounts caffeine has beneficial effect and on the central nervous system, and on the cardiac system, and on the body as a whole. But the difficulty lies in the fact that each organism reacts to this substance in its own way, and for some, a cup of tea is enough to cheer up, and for others, two or even three cups of double espresso will not help.

As for coffee, everything is clear here and the dosage of the active substance has long been determined:

• in a drink brewed in a Turk, there is less caffeine than in a drink prepared in a coffee maker;
• in espresso made from ground natural coffee more caffeine than in a stick with soluble raw materials;
• and even coffee that is marketed as decaffeinated coffee also has a certain stimulant content.

Concerning comparative analysis black coffee and tea, then certainly in the first - the concentration of the stimulant is much greater. Although, there are special types of tea, as well as brewing techniques that can turn this drink into a real explosive energy drink.

Features of caffeine in tea

Few would argue that there is caffeine in tea, as well as the fact that this coffee contains natural energy still more. But it turns out that the effect of tea caffeine is different from its coffee counterpart, and there is an explanation for this. enough factors.

First, from a scientific point of view, it is more correct to call the stimulating crystals found in tea tannin. Tannin was first discovered in 1827 and initial stage it was assigned to a separate group of alkaloids. But later (in 1928) pure caffeine was extracted from tea leaves, and after another 4 years it was established that caffeine and tannin are one and the same substance. And then the confusion began. If tannin and white crystals are one and the same, then tea and coffee should have the same effect on a person. But since they act differently, the researchers decided to study in more detail the features of each of the elements.

It turned out that the tannin, which is part of the tea, simply inhibits the effect of caffeine. Therefore, the exciting effect after a cup of tea and a cup of espresso is completely different. The most surprising thing is that the result of the study of the effects of two elements was completely unexpected and far from in favor of coffee.

After a cup of Americano, a person really begins to feel a surge of energy, which disappears literally in 30-40 minutes. Whereas cheerfulness after a cup of tea, oddly enough, is more stable and lasting. So the concentration of the invigorating component in a cup of Americano may be more significant than in coffee, but the effect in the first case is shorter than in the second.

The following facts can serve as confirmation that tea perfectly quenches thirst and at the same time invigorates and refreshes:

• before the Europeans became available exotic fruits coffee trees, they felt great enjoying tea. In some countries, such as England, the culture of tea drinking has become national pride. And in Japan there is a whole ceremony for its brewing and serving, the training of which can take a very long time period;
• in the East and in hot countries, coffee is practically not consumed, as it may be unsafe for health. Whereas tea is used everywhere both as an energy drink and as a refreshing drink.

Myths and truth about tannin

There is a stereotype that blacker tea, the higher the concentration of tannin in it, or rather, caffeine. But this is not true. Most of the stimulant is found in young tea leaves and tips (buds).

Not everyone knows, but the elevated temperature regime, which is used for the fermentation process of black teas, tends to destroy stimulating crystals, and the higher the temperature, the more crystals are destroyed. Therefore, given the processing technology, the maximum possible amount of the stimulant is preserved in green tea, since high temperatures are not used during its processing.

How climate affects quality vine or fruits coffee tree, and has an impact on the quality parameters of tea bushes. In cold climates, the amount of active substance in plants is higher than in bushes grown in warmer regions. The same can be said about high-mountain varieties, in which active substance more pronounced than in varieties grown in the lowlands.

It is difficult to unequivocally answer in which type of coffee the concentration of tannin is higher, but if you arrange them as they increase, then black teas have the least invigorating substance, since high concentrations are used in their processing. temperature conditions, which are known to have a detrimental effect on the structure of caffeine. But the amount of tannin in white, yellow and green tea is much higher.

Decaffeinated tea

It turns out that there is tea without caffeine and it is pu-erh, although it has an invigorating effect no less than its traditional counterparts. Despite its strange taste, which you can get used to very quickly and easily, it is perfect for those people for whom an element from the alkaloid group is contraindicated, but you need to cheer up somehow.

Do not contain invigorating crystals and herbal preparations. You can either buy them ready mixes sold in stores and pharmacies), or cook yourself from dried chamomile flowers, lime blossom or thyme. The second option is much more preferable, since the collection, created by oneself, is 100% taste preferences person. Yes, and collecting herbs on your own, you can be sure that the collection is safe and that it is ecological.

Fortunately, today the consumer has a lot of opportunities to choose the best product option for himself, which:

• will deliver taste pleasure;
• act as a stimulant;
• will not cause any harm to the body.

Will it be espresso, latte or herbal collection, everyone decides for himself.

Have you ever wondered does tea have caffeine? It turns out that there is, and in fairly large quantities. It is worth immediately reassuring lovers of the drink No. 1 in the world: despite the presence of caffeine (more precisely, theine) in tea leaves, its effect on the human body is several times milder than the effect of caffeine in coffee beans. This is due to the fact that in tea theine is not in its pure form, but in a bound state.

Hence the difference in the effect that tea and coffee have on the body. The caffeine content in a cup of coffee is about 80-120 mg, and in a cup of tea 30-60 mg. Coffee begins to act on the body almost instantly ( high content caffeine in its pure form), but the effect of cheerfulness and energy boost from coffee passes very quickly. But tea caffeine does not begin to act from the first sip, the body needs time to absorb it. It is thanks to this that the effect of theine is much longer and softer. The effect may last for several hours. In addition, we must not forget that the effect of tea is based not only on the effect of theine on the body. Tea leaves contain hundreds of substances useful for the human body, including vitamins, minerals, trace elements and even essential oils. The beauty of the tea leaf is that almost half of this richest bouquet is able to dissolve in water.

Is there caffeine in tea and how much?

As you can see, the question does tea have caffeine the answer is more than unequivocal - there is caffeine, and in a considerable amount. That is why to overconsumption tea needs to be handled with care. Albeit not as much as to coffee consumption, but regulate daily dose caffeine won't hurt anyone. Like it or not, but caffeine is an alkaloid, and its overdose in the body is extremely dangerous. True, in order to achieve an overdose of tea caffeine, you need to drink at least 20-30 cups of tea a day, but this possibility still exists and should not be discounted. Especially information about whether there is caffeine in tea should be relevant for pregnant and lactating mothers and people with heart disease. The recommendations of doctors are very ambiguous. Some of them claim that tea cannot cause any harm to the body. The other part warns of a possible negative impact. Looking back at both those and those, one thing can be said - in matters of tea drinking, you need to stick to the golden mean. Beneficial effect on the body of two or three cups of tea a day more than covers negative impact caffeine.