I have noticed from reading here that the caffeine content in tea is usually misunderstood due to misreporting from most websites or books. A few years back before I was into NBE I was into studying tea for other reasons, and I was wondering how to determine caffeine content of the various teas. In my research I learned that the amount of caffeine content is not due to a tea being white, green, black or any other variation of tea (pu-erh, oolong etc.) Although that is not what is being reported on countless websites.
Most of the places will tell you that black tea has the most caffeine. Others will tell you that white or some variety of green has the most (matcha for example is known for higher caffeine). They are all based on this or that study or just repeating something they read, or from sellers trying to convince you they have low or high content. They are not correct if they base their assumptions on the variety, i.e. white, green, black. They are all wrong because no one basic variety of tea like white, green, or black, has more then another variety.
Tea is all the same plant. How they process the tea determines what type of tea it is. But caffeine content is based on the specific seed cultivar, and how it is grown and picked. That is why some studies show black has higher caffeine while others show white or green have more. What determines caffeine content is the specific cultivar (seed stock), and the place it is grown and when it is picked, i.e. the type of soil, sun, nutrients, etc. If all those things are in the right alignment for higher or lower caffeine, then that will show up in your cup, regardless of it being processed to turn it into white, green, or black etc.
Some teas have more caffeine then some coffee. Tea does not have a universal caffeine content, it can range a great deal, and how you prepare it can also determine how much you get. So why does tea not feel as strong as coffee with nervous energy? Tea also has calming and relaxing chemicals like l-theanine. The amount of that also varies from crop to to crop.
And for those that don't know, White Peony Tea is not from the White Peony plant, it is just like how Orange Pekoe Tea doesn't have any orange in it, it is called Orange Pekoe or White Peony for other reasons. White Peony Tea is just regular white tea, often a lower end white tea, making it one of the most popular white teas in China because it is affordable, but for most other people it is a bit bitter. But there are higher grades of it. But again, some White Peony Tea is very high in caffeine and l-theanine, even though websites will tell you white tea has the lowest.
For those wanting some science this is for you, but again, this report is not based on every single cultivar sold, just the ones they studied, some tea will have even more caffeine then the ones they cite, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19007524
Most of the places will tell you that black tea has the most caffeine. Others will tell you that white or some variety of green has the most (matcha for example is known for higher caffeine). They are all based on this or that study or just repeating something they read, or from sellers trying to convince you they have low or high content. They are not correct if they base their assumptions on the variety, i.e. white, green, black. They are all wrong because no one basic variety of tea like white, green, or black, has more then another variety.
Tea is all the same plant. How they process the tea determines what type of tea it is. But caffeine content is based on the specific seed cultivar, and how it is grown and picked. That is why some studies show black has higher caffeine while others show white or green have more. What determines caffeine content is the specific cultivar (seed stock), and the place it is grown and when it is picked, i.e. the type of soil, sun, nutrients, etc. If all those things are in the right alignment for higher or lower caffeine, then that will show up in your cup, regardless of it being processed to turn it into white, green, or black etc.
Some teas have more caffeine then some coffee. Tea does not have a universal caffeine content, it can range a great deal, and how you prepare it can also determine how much you get. So why does tea not feel as strong as coffee with nervous energy? Tea also has calming and relaxing chemicals like l-theanine. The amount of that also varies from crop to to crop.
And for those that don't know, White Peony Tea is not from the White Peony plant, it is just like how Orange Pekoe Tea doesn't have any orange in it, it is called Orange Pekoe or White Peony for other reasons. White Peony Tea is just regular white tea, often a lower end white tea, making it one of the most popular white teas in China because it is affordable, but for most other people it is a bit bitter. But there are higher grades of it. But again, some White Peony Tea is very high in caffeine and l-theanine, even though websites will tell you white tea has the lowest.
For those wanting some science this is for you, but again, this report is not based on every single cultivar sold, just the ones they studied, some tea will have even more caffeine then the ones they cite, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19007524
