When we talk about green tea most people tend to know that green tea has natural caffeine. But, the caffeine that’s in tea is a little different from the caffeine that you might find in coffee.
Let’s talk about that.
Green Tea Caffeine vs Coffee Differences
While the caffeine in tea and coffee are actually indistinguishable, the experience is different because of three key reasons:
- There is altogether less caffeine in the normal cup of tea – particularly when including green tea brewed at a shorter time and at cooler temperatures.
- There’s an amino acid called L-Theanine which is found in green tea, and not in coffee. What it does is bring about a calm state of alertness when you have a cup of green tea, unlike the jumpy instant buzz commonly associated with a cup of coffee.
- The high amount of antioxidants found in green tea slow the body’s natural absorption of caffeine. This results in a gentler increase of the amount of caffeine in your system over time and a longer period of alertness with no crash at the end.
For instance, black tea has more caffeine in it than any other kind of tea, but in general, it has about half as much caffeine in comparison to a cup of coffee. So when it comes to comparing the caffeine in green tea vs coffee, you’ll be in a calmer state of alertness when drinking green tea instead of having the jitters while drinking coffee.
Which Should I Drink?
- Coffee: the higher caffeine content creates short-term energy by setting off chemicals like adrenaline and dopamine. I would suggest using it as a pre-workout 30 minutes prior to going to the gym, or when you need to bring your office a-game.
- Green tea: As I mentioned above, green tea contains L-Theanine, which has a calming effect and diminishes the jumpiness brought about by caffeine. With generally less caffeine than coffee, green tea has a smoother impact on your energy levels making it ideal for a pick-me-up that will not upset your rest. The choice is yours!
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Sources:
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- Circulation: “Association of Coffee Consumption With Total and Cause-Specific Mortality in 3 Large Prospective Cohorts”
- Harvard Health Publishing: “The latest scoop on the health benefits of coffee”
- Harvard Health Publishing: “Flavonoids: The secret to health benefits of drinking black and green tea?”
- The BMJ: “Coffee consumption and health: umbrella review of meta-analyses of multiple health outcomes”
