Reaching for your morning cup of coffee is a habit ingrained deeply into the zombified pre-work routine for so many of us. But what exactly are those sugar-filled, caffeine-jitter-inducing beverages doing for your health and what happens when you swap them for tea?
We’re going to be exploring the difference between consuming caffeine in coffee and in tea and how swapping out your lattes for one of our herbal teas can come with a tonne of benefits!
Why Should You Watch Your Caffeine Intake?
Most of us enjoy a caffeinated drink at some point during our regular day and some people even enjoy the positive side effects such as increased metabolism, a slight boost in mood, and even feeling more alert.
However, caffeine has some negative side effects when consumed in large single doses. You should avoid exceeding a single dose of over 500mg even if you feel like you really need the energy.
Excess caffeine consumption can cause elevated levels of anxiety, restlessness, and even difficulty sleeping. For some of us, there are also slightly less common side effects like migraines and chronic headaches.
You should also be aware that caffeine is very much an addictive substance and consuming larger amounts regularly can cause our bodies to build up a tolerance. There have even been reports of people developing a total dependence on caffeine!
Caffeine Levels in Tea vs. Coffee
Of course, the exact levels of caffeine in your drink of choice can vary tremendously depending on the concentration of the tea or coffee and also the manufacturer.
We’re going to take a look at some of the average levels of caffeine found in the most popular blends of tea and coffee.
Caffeine in Coffee
Your average cup of morning coffee contains around 95mg of caffeine which is not too bad on the whole. What you do need to think about is when you add extra shots of espresso mixed with all of the syrups needed to create the large coffee shop-style drinks so popular on social media.
It has been a common mistake for coffee lovers to reach for a light roasted bean to avoid upping their caffeine intake but thinking that dark roasted beans contain more caffeine is actually a myth.
If you enjoy an espresso or an espresso-based drink then you are consuming around 58mg of caffeine per shot of espresso. Not as bad as you might expect right?
Perhaps you prefer a cold brew coffee? If that is the case you can expect your caffeine intake to be a little more! When brewing cold brew coffee you often need 1-1.5 times more beans which means the overall caffeine content is more than a traditional brew!
Caffeine in Tea
Now your black, green, and white teas will often contain caffeine unless purchasing a caffeine-free variety. However, avoiding caffeine in your tea is always possible by swapping it for a herbal blend instead.
Your average cup of plain black tea will contain around 47mg of caffeine which is a significantly lower amount than an equivalent-sized cup of coffee.
Matcha green tea is becoming more popular as a coffee alternative too as it has a reasonably high caffeine content for tea. However, at just 35mg per half teaspoon, it is still significantly lower than coffee.
The length at which your tea is steeped can impact the amount of caffeine in your cup too! If you’re steeping tea for 4+ minutes then you can expect the caffeine levels in your drink to have increased as opposed to the same tea being steeped for 2 minutes.
Why Choose Tea Over Coffee?
So, now we know the caffeine levels in tea are often lower than in coffee but why else should you grab a cup of tea instead?
It’s not just caffeine you’re sipping on with organic tea. Many of the teas we stock here at TeaLife have incredible health benefits that can really help people with symptoms of anxiety, digestive issues, and other conditions.
For example, by regularly consuming chamomile tea you have a much better chance at enjoying a restful night's sleep. Not only is this herbal tea caffeine-free, but it also has stress-relieving qualities making it a popular bedtime drink.
If you’re looking at ways to lower your blood pressure then you might want to reach for bacopa tea or charga mushroom barberry.
On the whole, swapping your morning hot drink for a herbal tea can help to reduce caffeine but you might also find yourself treating health conditions too! Visit our blog and tea journal for some more information on how herbal tea can help you today.

References:
Chaunie Brusie. (2017, June 22). What Happens After I Cut Off Caffeine? Healthline; Healthline Media. https://www.healthline.com/health/caffeine-withdrawal
Wartenberg, L. (2019, October 7). Caffeine in Tea vs. Coffee: How Do They Compare? Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/caffeine-in-tea-vs-coffee#tea-vs-coffee