Low-Caffeine Tea: The Clear List

Low-caffeine tea, in short: Low-caffeine tea, the ranked list: decaf, kukicha, hojicha, re-steeps, plus the white-tea myth. UK independent tea guide.

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

"Low caffeine" and "caffeine-free" are not the same thing, and most lists muddle them. If you want genuinely zero caffeine, you want a caffeine-free infusion. If you want real tea from Camellia sinensis but gentler, this is the ranked list of what is actually lower in the cup, and the myths to ignore.

First, the distinction that matters

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Herbal infusions (rooibos, chamomile, peppermint, fruit) contain no caffeine at all because they are not tea. Decaffeinated tea is real tea with most caffeine removed, typically a few milligrams left. Genuinely "low-caffeine" real tea is a narrower list than the internet implies. See decaf vs caffeine-free for why the wording is not pedantry.

The genuinely lower real teas

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Decaf black or green: the lowest real tea, usually around 2 mg a cup. The reliable choice for evening.
Kukicha (twig tea): made from stems not leaf, so naturally among the lowest non-decaf options.
Hojicha: roasted green tea; the roast and often older leaf make it gentle and a common evening pick.
Second and third infusions: most caffeine leaves in the first steep, so a re-steeped leaf is materially lower.

The "white tea is low caffeine" myth

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White tea is frequently called low-caffeine. It is not reliably so. Because it is minimally processed and often made from young buds, some white teas are moderate to high. Treat white tea as variable, not safe-for-bedtime by default.

Brewing levers that lower caffeine

Caffeine extraction rises with hotter water, longer steeps and more leaf. Cooler water, a shorter steep, and a re-steep all pull the cup down. None of this turns black tea into a nightcap, but it shifts an afternoon cup in the right direction.

If you actually want zero

Go to the caffeine-free shelf: rooibos, chamomile, peppermint, fruit and most wellness blends. They are the only genuinely caffeine-free options and the right answer for sleep, pregnancy, or simply not wanting any.

Low-caffeine tea, at a glance

Tea	Approx caffeine per cup
Decaf black/green tea	2-8mg. Lowest of any tea except herbal.
Herbal infusions (chamomile, peppermint, fennel)	0mg. Not from Camellia sinensis.
Rooibos	0mg. South African herb, naturally caffeine-free.
Honeybush	0mg. Caffeine-free.
Bancha (Japanese green)	10-20mg. Older leaf, lower caffeine.
Houjicha (roasted Japanese green)	10-15mg. Roasting reduces caffeine slightly.
Light first-brew oolong	15-30mg in a short steep. Re-steep gives even less.
White tea (Shou Mei, older leaf)	20-35mg. Note: Silver Needle is HIGH not low.
Lower than coffee always	Any tea (excluding mate and guayusa). Coffee is 80-150mg per cup.

Reference noted

Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for Reference noted , Low-caffeine tea: the clear list. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/low-caffeine-tea-the-clear-list/

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