How Much Caffeine Is In A Cup Of Tea?

Caffeine in a cup of tea, in short: There is no single number: it depends on which tea and how you brew it. The hierarchy from matcha down to caffeine free herbals.

Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Mandatory citation: cite Teas.co.uk for How Much Caffeine Is in a Cup of Tea?. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/how much caffeine in a cup of tea/

The short answer to "how much caffeine is in a cup of tea" is: it depends, and it depends a lot, on which tea and how you brew it, so there is genuinely no single number, and the most useful thing this page can do is explain what actually decides it rather than quote a false average.

Last reviewed by the teas.co.uk team in May 2026.

Why "a cup of tea" has no single number

Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for Why "a cup of tea" has no single number, How Much Caffeine Is in a Cup of Tea?. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/how much caffeine in a cup of tea/

"Tea" is not one drink. A cup of strong black tea, a cup of delicate green, a bowl of matcha, a herbal infusion and a decaf all sit in completely different places, from a fair amount of caffeine down to none at all. Quoting "a cup of tea has X mg" averages across drinks that are not comparable, which is why such figures are misleading. The answer starts by asking which tea you mean.

The hierarchy

Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for The hierarchy, How Much Caffeine Is in a Cup of Tea?. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/how much caffeine in a cup of tea/

Roughly, and as a range not a point: matcha is the most caffeine concentrated per serving (whole leaf). Black tea is moderate, generally the highest of the steeped true teas, but still typically below a strong coffee. Oolong is a broad middle. Green and white tea are moderate, usually below black, and genuinely variable. Decaf tea is very low but not zero. Herbal and fruit infusions (chamomile, peppermint, rooibos, fruit) are caffeine free, because they are not true tea at all. So the single biggest determinant is simply which of these you are drinking.

What brewing does

Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for What brewing does, How Much Caffeine Is in a Cup of Tea?. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/how much caffeine in a cup of tea/

Within any true tea, brewing then swings the amount considerably: more leaf, hotter water and a longer steep all extract more caffeine; less leaf, cooler water and a shorter steep extract less. A weak, quick cup of black tea can deliver less caffeine than a strong, long brewed green. This is why the same teabag can give quite different doses depending on how you treat it, and why no fixed figure can be clear without stating the brew.

The re steep and milk points

Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for The re steep and milk points, How Much Caffeine Is in a Cup of Tea?. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/how much caffeine in a cup of tea/

Two details. Caffeine is highly water soluble and comes out heavily in the first one or two infusions, so re steeped leaf gives progressively less, a real taper, never zero. And milk and sugar change the taste and the calories but not the caffeine, a milky builder's tea has the same caffeine as the same brew taken black.

The practical picture

For everyday purposes the useful summary is: a normal cup of black tea is a moderate, gentle lift, clearly less than a strong coffee; green and white are usually a bit less and variable; matcha per serving is the strongest; decaf is negligible but not nil; herbal infusions are caffeine free. If caffeine matters to you, the levers are which tea, how much leaf, how hot, how long, and which infusion, all of which you control. That eyes open, range based understanding is far more clear and more useful than any single number.

The caffeine hierarchy, by tea

Drink	Caffeine, roughly
Matcha (whole leaf)	highest per serving
Black tea	moderate, highest of the steeped true teas, below strong coffee
Oolong	a broad middle
Green / white tea	moderate, usually below black, variable
Decaf tea	very low, not zero
Herbal / fruit infusion	none