The Truth About Green Tea and Caffeine

by Patricia Hammond
The many benefits of a refreshing cup of green tea is undoubtedly one of the major reasons why the drink, as a dietary tradition which started in China, has reached the other modern cultures as well. However, since green tea is almost always associated with the caffeine that comes along with tea, some people are still skeptic about whether its benefits truly outweigh the presence of caffeine in the drink or not.

Technically speaking, in every 6-8 ounce cup of green tea, there is 30-60 milligrams of caffeine. This is comparatively lesser to what you can find in an 8-ounce cup of coffee which contains 100 milligrams of caffeine. The longer time the tea leaves are fermented, the more caffeine it will contain. The smaller the tea leaf, also, the greater and the more concentrated the caffeine content. Furthermore, researches have shown that the first to the third tea leaves of the plant contain the most caffeine with 3.4 percent higher than its succeeding leaves. Unfortunately, this is something that a caffeine-sensitive tea drinker can do nothing about.

There is, however, something they can do with green tea's preparation that will help lower its caffeine content. Green tea skeptics and caffeine-sensitive drinkers should know that the level of caffeine content in a cup of green tea depends on how it is prepared, or, how long it is brewed. As with vegetables where it is best to keep their cooking time to a minimum in order to maintain their vitamin content, so, too, is it with the caffeine in green tea. The longer it is boiled, the less caffeine is retained.

It is a fact that even if a person may be convinced of the health benefits that green tea can offer, he or she may be intolerant to caffeine, thus, discouraging the person from drinking green tea and keeping him or her from availing of its many benefits. It is important for them to note, however, that a decaffeinated green tea is as readily available as any caffeinated green tea. In this way, they will not have to worry about their caffeine intolerance, and yet, still be able to reap the health benefits of drinking green tea.

For those who take green tea readily along with its caffeine, it is also important that they be aware of the side effects of having too much caffeine in their system. Caffeine in green tea, like in coffee, causes nervousness, palpitation, jitters, insomnia, and dizzying spells. These side effects, however, pass after some time and pose no serious health problems. For long-time green tea drinkers even develop a graduated tolerance of caffeine and its side effects.