Tea and Caffeine Levels: How Much Is in Your Cup?
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A 240 ml cup of brewed tea usually contains around 30–75 mg of caffeine. The exact amount depends on the leaf, how much you use, the water temperature and the steep time. Coffee is normally higher: UK guidance uses about 100 mg for instant coffee and 140 mg for filter coffee, compared with 75 mg for a mug of tea.
That range is more useful than one fixed number. A lightly brewed whole-leaf tea may sit near the lower end; a strong tea bag brewed for five minutes may sit near the upper end.
On this page
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Caffeine levels in tea chart
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Black tea, Yorkshire Tea, English Breakfast and Earl Grey
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Caffeine and focus
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How brewing changes caffeine
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Tea versus coffee
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Choosing a Tea Ducks tea by caffeine intensity
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Daily limits and sleep
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Frequently asked questions
Caffeine . Leaf. Water .Time
How Much Caffeine Is in a Cup of Tea?
A typical 240 ml mug of black tea contains about 40–70 mg of caffeine, green tea around 20–45 mg, and white tea roughly 15–30 mg. In short, the caffeine in a cup of tea is usually about half that of a standard mug of coffee, although the exact amount always depends on the specific tea, the leaf-to-water ratio, and how long you brew it.
Tea Caffeine Chart
Drink (250ml) | Approximate caffeine | Typical feel |
|---|---|---|
Brewed coffee (Reference) | 95–140 mg | Sharp Jolt |
Matcha Green Tea | 60–120 mg | Strong Lift |
Black Tea | 40–60 mg | Steady Alertness |
Ripe Pu-erh Tea | 30–60 mg | Grounding Warmth |
Oolong Tea | 30–50 mg | Balanced Lift |
Yellow Tea | 30–45 mg | Mellow & Smooth |
Green Tea | 20–45 mg | Gentle Refresh |
White Tea | 15–30 mg | Soft & Delicate |
Tea type gives a useful starting point, but it does not decide the number on its own. Young buds can contain substantial caffeine, so white tea will have an energising effect. Leaf quantity, particle size and brewing make the ranges overlap.
For reference, Health Canada lists 30–50 mg for 237 ml of brewed black or green tea, while the NHS uses 75 mg as a practical figure for a mug of tea. The difference is a good reminder that cup size, brand and preparation matter.
Black tea caffeine: Yorkshire Tea, English Breakfast and Earl Grey
A 240 ml mug of black tea commonly contains around 40–70 mg of caffeine. Tea bags made with smaller or more broken leaves tend to extract quickly, while the amount of tea, mug size and steep time can move the result towards either end of the range.
How much caffeine is in Yorkshire Tea?
Yorkshire Tea is a caffeinated black-tea blend. A normally brewed mug will often fall around 40–60 mg. A larger mug or a five-minute steep can move it towards 60–75 mg.
How much caffeine is in English Breakfast tea?
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English Breakfast is also a caffeinated black-tea blend. A 240 ml mug will often contain around 40–70 mg, depending on the blend, amount of tea and steep time. A strong five-minute brew will usually sit towards the upper end.
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PG Tips, Tetley and similar everyday black tea bags generally occupy the same broad range. Adding milk does not remove caffeine; it only changes the concentration and taste of the drink.
Does Earl Grey tea have caffeine?
Yes. Earl Grey is normally made with caffeinated black tea scented with bergamot. A typical mug often contains around 40–60 mg. The bergamot changes the aroma, not the caffeine content.
Does More Caffeine Mean Better Focus?
Caffeine can help with alertness and attention, but a high dose (200mg) can do the opposite. Caffeine intake and performance improvement have an inverted-U relationship, where a moderate level of caffeine gives the best performance boost.
Higher caffeine intake can also be more likely to bring unwanted effects such as jitteriness, restlessness or a faster heart rate. Individual response varies, so the highest caffeine number is not automatically the most useful one.
The useful question is therefore slightly different:
How much caffeine do you really need for maintaining energy and focus?
That is where tea becomes interesting.
Caffeine & L-Theanine in Tea
For many people, a morning dose around 40–90 mg caffeine is enough to noticeably improve alertness without feeling overstimulated. Tea offers a different way to approach the same question. A typical cup usually contains less caffeine than brewed coffee, while tea naturally contains L-theanine, an amino acid that has been studied together with caffeine in relation to attention and alertness.
This is also why tea can sometimes feel more focused and calm than a stronger coffee, even though it contains less caffeine. Tea naturally contains L-theanine, which can complement caffeine and produce a smoother feeling of attention with less jitteriness.
Hence more is not always the goal. Enough is more useful.
A Simpler Way to Choose Caffeine
Caffeine levels in tea are not fixed, so we don’t treat them as exact numbers.
On Tea Ducks product pages, we use a simple caffeine-intensity guide based on a 300 ml first infusion:
Caffeine Intensity | Approximate first infusion |
|---|---|
Lively | 50–70 mg |
Moderate | 30–50 mg |
Gentle | 10–30 mg |
For a richer morning cup
Ancient Tree Black Tea · Moderate
Malty, brisk and full enough for the start of the day, with dark honey and dried-fruit notes.
A useful place to begin if you enjoy the structure of a strong morning drink but do not necessarily want the caffeine level of another large coffee.
Explore Now
For a gentler afternoon
What changes the caffeine in your cup?
Leaf quantity
More leaf usually means more caffeine available to extract. A 5 g pressed round brewed in 300 ml of water cannot be compared directly with a small tea bag in the same mug.
Steep time
A short infusion extracts less caffeine than a long one. Extending a black tea from two minutes to five minutes will normally increase both caffeine and tannin, which is why the cup can also taste more brisk or bitter.
Water temperature
Hotter water extracts caffeine more quickly. Cooler water can make a delicate white or green tea taste softer, although it does not make the drink caffeine-free.
Leaf Size
Broken leaves and the fine particles in many tea bags expose more surface area to the water. Whole leaves usually infuse differently, but whole leaf does not automatically mean low caffeine.
Repeated infusion
The first infusion usually contains the largest share of the readily available caffeine. Later infusions generally contain less, although a quick rinse does not remove all or even most of the caffeine.
If you want to adjust the cup, change one variable at a time. Start with less leaf or a shorter infusion, then taste before changing the water temperature.
For specific ratios and temperatures, read our Loose Leaf Tea Brewing Guide.
Caffeine in Tea vs Coffee
Coffee usually contains more caffeine in the finished cup. The useful comparison is the drink, not dry tea leaves against dry coffee beans.
Drinks | Serving | Typical caffeine |
|---|---|---|
Single espresso | 30 ml | ~63 mg |
Instant coffee | 240 ml | ~85–100 mg |
Cola | 330ml | ~75 mg |
Brewed tea | 240 ml | ~75 mg |
Dry tea can contain a high proportion of caffeine by weight, but we normally use much less leaf than ground coffee to make a drink. That is why a mug of tea is usually lower in caffeine than a mug of coffee.
Daily caffeine and sleep
For most healthy adults, the European Food Safety Authority says caffeine intakes up to 400 mg across the day do not raise safety concerns. Sensitivity varies, and a single 100 mg dose can affect sleep in some adults when taken close to bedtime.
During pregnancy, the NHS advises no more than 200 mg a day from all sources. If you have a medical condition, take medication or are especially sensitive to caffeine, ask a qualified health professional what is appropriate for you.
Tea and caffeine: quick questions
How much caffeine is in a tea bag?
A tea bag commonly makes a cup in the 30–75 mg range. The bag size, leaf grade, mug size and steep time all change the result.
Does green tea have caffeine?
Yes. A 240 ml cup is often around 20–45 mg, although stronger preparations can be higher.
Does white tea have caffeine?
Yes. White tea is not naturally caffeine-free, and bud-heavy teas such as Silver Needle may contain more caffeine than their pale colour suggests.
Does jasmine tea have caffeine?
Yes. Jasmine tea contains caffeine when it is made with green, white or black tea. The amount depends mainly on the base tea and how it is brewed. Tea Ducks Jasmine Silver Needle Tea uses a white-tea base, giving sustained energy lift and a gentle flavour.
Does brewing tea for longer add more caffeine
Yes, generally. A longer steep extracts more caffeine, but it also extracts more tannin and can make the cup taste harsher.
Which has more caffeine, tea or coffee?
In almost every standard case, coffee has more caffeine per cup. A typical mug of brewed coffee (100–140 mg) contains roughly double the caffeine of a black tea (~75 mg). While technically dry tea leaves often contain more caffeine by weight than coffee beans, we use far less tea to make a drink, so the final cup is significantly weaker.
Continue your tea journey:
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Master the brewing ritual: Now that you know the levels, learn How to make loose leaf tea with our step-by-step guide.
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Understand the benefits: Dig deeper into the health side of the leaf, including Whether tea is good for you and its effect on hydration.
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Explore the world of tea: From floral oolongs to earthy pu-erhs, discover our Complete list of the 6 tea categories.
Still unsure about your routine? Email the Tea Ducks team. We are always refining our guides—if there is a specific question about caffeine or tea health you would like us to cover, please let us know.