Tea Caffeine Comparison: All Teas vs Coffee (mg per cup)
How Much Caffeine Is In Your Tea? A Complete Comparison
Tea caffeine ranges from 0 mg (herbal) to 88 mg (matcha) per serving. Coffee runs 95 to 200 mg. The full breakdown, with sources you can verify.
11 teas + coffee · USDA + FDA sourcedQuick Answer
Per typical 8 oz serving, tea caffeine breaks down as: herbal 0 mg, hojicha 5 to 10 mg, kukicha 5 to 10 mg, white 6 to 55 mg, sencha 25 to 45 mg, gyokuro 30 to 50 mg, oolong 30 to 50 mg, black 47 to 90 mg, and matcha 38 to 88 mg (per 2 g whisk). Drip coffee delivers 95 to 200 mg, espresso 63 to 75 mg per 1 oz shot. Sources: USDA FoodData Central, FDA caffeine guidance, and peer-reviewed quantification studies.
Matcha vs Coffee, Side by Side
Want the full picture beyond caffeine? Our matcha vs coffee guide compares energy curve, jitters, taste, and which to choose.
The juxtaposition, if that's all you came for. Numbers per typical serving, all sourced.
Matcha
2 g whisk · 6 oz water
Coffee
8 oz drip · standard brew
Caffeine Calculator
Pick your tea, serving size, and cups per day. We show your total caffeine, where it falls against the FDA's 400 mg daily ceiling, and the coffee equivalent.
Daily caffeine intake
126 mg
That's 32% of the FDA daily safe limit (400 mg). Roughly the same as 1 cup of drip coffee.
Calculator midpoints derived from USDA FoodData Central and FDA caffeine guidance. Actual caffeine varies with leaf grade, water temperature, and steep time.
Tea + Coffee Caffeine Comparison Table
Click any column header to sort. Caffeine values shown per typical serving with midpoint and range. L-theanine column shows whether the leaf contains the calming amino acid found in Camellia sinensis.
| Tea or Coffee | Caffeine (mg) | Serving | L-Theanine | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herbal (rooibos, chamomile, peppermint) | 0 | 8 oz | No | USDA FoodData Central |
| Hojicha | 5–10 | 8 oz | Yes | USDA + peer-reviewed |
| Kukicha (twig tea) | 5–10 | 8 oz | Yes | USDA + Japanese Tea Sommelier |
| White tea | 6–55 | 8 oz | Yes | USDA FoodData Central |
| Sencha | 25–45 | 8 oz | Yes | USDA + peer-reviewed |
| Gyokuro | 30–50 | 8 oz | Yes (highest) | Japanese Tea Sommelier + peer-reviewed |
| Oolong | 30–50 | 8 oz | Yes | USDA FoodData Central |
| Matcha (premium ceremonial) | 38–88 | 2 g whisk | Yes (high) | USDA + PMC peer-reviewed |
| Black tea | 47–90 | 8 oz | Yes | USDA FoodData Central |
| Espresso shot | 63–75 | 1 oz | No | USDA + Mayo Clinic |
| Drip coffee | 95–200 | 8 oz | No | USDA + FDA + Mayo Clinic |
Values are midpoints with documented ranges. Actual caffeine depends on grade, water temperature, steep time, and leaf-to-water ratio.
Christian, founder of One with Tea: The number on a chart is one thing. The feel of a tea is another. Matcha caffeine sits right between sencha and black tea, but because it carries L-theanine in the leaf, the energy hits differently. Smoother climb, longer hold, no afternoon crash. That's the cup I built One with Tea around.
Christian in his happy place, tea mountains of Shizuoka, JapanWhy Caffeine Varies So Much Between Teas
Every true tea starts as Camellia sinensis, so the differences come from the leaf and the cup, not from separate plants.
Leaf and harvest. Younger leaves and buds carry more caffeine than older, coarser leaves. Teas made from tender top growth therefore trend higher.
Growing method. Shading is the clearest example. When gyokuro and matcha leaves are covered for weeks before harvest, the plant responds by building more caffeine and more L-theanine in the leaf. That is why these shade-grown Japanese greens rank near the top. How you brew moves the number too; the three factors below cover that.
Where Matcha and Gyokuro Fit
Matcha and gyokuro are the higher-caffeine Japanese greens, and the reason is structural. Both are shade-grown, so the leaf itself is richer in caffeine before you ever brew it.
Matcha adds a second reason. With most tea you steep the leaf and pour off the liquid, leaving much of the leaf behind. With matcha you whisk stone-ground leaf into water and drink all of it, so a standard serving from half a teaspoon to a teaspoon of powder carries around 70 mg.
Gyokuro is steeped rather than consumed whole, so a single cup is gentler than matcha. Still, its shaded growing pushes it above an everyday sencha. For the full picture on matcha specifically, see whether matcha is caffeinated and matcha versus coffee.
Three Things That Change Your Caffeine
The values above assume a typical brew. Push these levers and the number moves.
Water temperature
Hotter water pulls more caffeine. Sencha brewed at 80°C extracts roughly 60% of what 95°C extracts. Most premium Japanese green teas are designed for 70 to 80°C precisely to keep caffeine balanced with sweetness.
Steep time
Caffeine releases fast in the first 60 seconds, then plateaus. A 30-second sencha steep extracts roughly half the caffeine of a 3-minute steep. Same leaf, very different cup.
Leaf-to-water ratio
Doubling the leaf nearly doubles the caffeine. This is why matcha (whole-leaf, 2 g per cup) lands so much higher than steeped sencha (3 g leaf, but you drink the infusion, not the leaf itself).
Frequently Asked Questions
Which tea has the most caffeine?
By cup, black tea (47 to 90 mg per 8 oz) and matcha (38 to 88 mg per 2 g serving) lead. Gyokuro and oolong sit in the 30 to 50 mg range. Of the steeped Japanese greens, gyokuro is highest because the shading boosts free-amino-acid and caffeine concentration in the leaf. Source: USDA FoodData Central + peer-reviewed quantification.
Does matcha have more caffeine than coffee?
No. A typical matcha serving (2 g, 38 to 88 mg caffeine) sits well below an 8 oz drip coffee (95 to 200 mg). Matcha can match or beat a single espresso shot (63 to 75 mg). The difference matcha drinkers feel is not raw caffeine, it's the L-theanine in the leaf that smooths the absorption curve. Source: USDA + PMC peer-reviewed studies.
Can I drink hojicha at night?
Yes, for most people. Hojicha contains only 5 to 10 mg of caffeine per 8 oz cup, roughly 5 to 10% of a coffee, because the roasting process breaks down most of the caffeine in the bancha base leaf. Kukicha (twig tea) sits at a similar level. Caffeine sensitivity varies, but these are the lowest-caffeine true teas.
How much caffeine is safe per day?
The FDA cites 400 mg per day as the level not associated with negative effects for healthy adults. That's roughly 4 to 5 cups of drip coffee, 8 to 10 cups of black tea, or 6 to 10 servings of matcha. Pregnancy guidance from ACOG is lower at 200 mg per day. Source: FDA caffeine guidance.
Why does matcha caffeine feel different from coffee caffeine?
Matcha contains L-theanine, an amino acid that crosses the blood-brain barrier and modulates how caffeine is absorbed. The 2008 Haskell-Ramsay study and follow-ups document a calmer, longer-arc energy curve with caffeine + L-theanine versus caffeine alone. Coffee delivers caffeine without L-theanine, so the absorption spike is sharper. Source: PubMed 18006208 (Biological Psychology, 2008).
How does water temperature change tea caffeine?
Hotter water extracts more caffeine. Sencha brewed at 95°C delivers roughly 1.6× the caffeine of the same leaf at 80°C. This is why premium Japanese greens are designed for 70 to 80°C, keeping caffeine balanced and protecting the sweet umami notes that high heat destroys.
Sources cited on this page
- USDA FoodData Central (caffeine reference values for tea and coffee)
- FDA caffeine guidance (400 mg per day safe ceiling)
- PubMed 18006208, Haskell-Ramsay et al., Biological Psychology, 2008 (L-theanine + caffeine interaction)
- Mayo Clinic caffeine database (coffee ranges)
- Japanese Tea Sommelier (Florent, Japan resident since 2005, peer-reviewed citations)
- PMC peer-reviewed matcha quantification studies
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, The Nutrition Source, "Caffeine" (link)
- Healthline, "How Much Caffeine Is in Green Tea?" and "Caffeine in Tea vs. Coffee" (link, link)
- Wikipedia, "Gyokuro" (link)
Want the matcha behind the numbers?
One with Tea sources ceremonial-grade matcha direct from named family producers in Shizuoka, Yame, and Kagoshima. Smooth, sustained energy. No crash.
Related reading on caffeine and matcha: the matcha caffeine deep dive, why matcha feels different, water temperature and extraction, and cafe and wholesale inquiries.