Comparing green tea vs coffee caffeine can be a tricky business.
On the surface, you may think that the caffeine in coffee vs green tea is way higher, but this is not necessarily true.
In this article, we’re going to take a look at the caffeine in green tea vs coffee and why does green tea have more caffeine than coffee in some cases.
Let’s get brewing! 🍵🆚☕️
Green Tea vs Coffee Caffeine Video
Green tea vs coffee caffeine
So when we compare green tea vs coffee caffeine, it’s important to note that both drinks can vary widely. How much caffeine in green tea vs coffee can vary based on how the two are produced and what type of beans/leaves are used.
Coffee will generally have more caffeine than tea, but there are some extreme cases where the caffeine green tea vs coffee can be higher, which we will discuss later.
If you don't want to wait and you want to just dive into the highest caffeine green teas right away, you can jump to this article 👉 Which tea has the most caffeine
How the caffeine in green tea vs coffee differs
With all this discussion about the green tea vs coffee caffeine, it is important to explain that they produce very different results when you drink them. The difference comes down to the presence of l-theanine.
How much caffeine in green tea vs coffee
So how much caffeine is in green tea compared to coffee? A typical cup of green will have 40mg of caffeine per serving. This is much lower in caffeine than coffee which has between 90-100mg of caffeine per serving.
What has more caffeine coffee or green tea
So What has more caffeine coffee or green tea? When you compare the caffeine in coffee vs green tea, you’ll find that, in general, coffee has more caffeine.
This is partially due to how the two drinks are prepared, with coffee being prepared with 2 tablespoons of ground beans, and tea being prepared with less than 1 tablespoon of leaves.
High caffeine green tea vs coffee
So we’ve talked about how much caffeine is in green tea compared to coffee, but we haven’t taken into consideration some of the high caffeine Japanese green teas.
These teas will have either the same amount of caffeine as coffee, or even more, depending on how you prepare them. Let’s talk about each one here:
Gyokuro - More Caffeine Than Coffee
Gyokuro is a special type of Japanese green tea that can have 120-140mg of caffeine per serving. This high caffeine content comes from the fact that the tea is covered in a special type of netting before the harvest and it produces more caffeine.
You won’t notice the same effect as you do with coffee because gyokuro is also high in l-theanine which can buffer some of the negative side effects of caffeine. This is one of the big differences between green tea caffeine vs coffee.
So does green tea have more caffeine than coffee? If you’re drinking gyokuro it does!
Matcha - Potentially more Caffeine Than Coffee
What about the caffeine content in coffee vs green tea like matcha? Because matcha is a powdered green tea, it is mixed directly into water. This means that you’re getting not only all the health benefits, but also all the caffeine at once.
High quality, ceremonial matcha can have 34mg of caffeine per gram. This may not seem like much, but in a typical 8 ounce cup of matcha, you will use as many as 4 grams and 136mg of caffeine. So how much caffeine does green tea have compared to coffee? If you are drinking matcha, a lot more!
By the way, of you want to learn more about why matcha is so high in caffeine, you may like this article here 👉 Does Matcha Have Caffeine? It’s the most Caffeinated Tea
Caffeine in green tea vs black tea vs coffee
So we’ve discussed green tea caffeine content vs coffee, but what about the Caffeine in green tea vs black tea vs coffee? Let’s compare them all in one place:
- Green Tea: 40-120mg
- Black Tea: 50-60mg
- Coffee: 90-100mg
Coffee vs green tea for Health
So now that we’ve talked about which has more caffeine coffee vs green tea, let’s talk about some other differences between the two, specifically as it relates to health.
Theanine
The coffee vs green tea caffeine content is very different because tea contains l-theanine which is thought to induce a calming effect on the brain. This is why you don’t get the same jittery feeling from green tea that you do with coffee.
If you want to learn more about the different components withing the tea leaf that give it the potent health benefits, you may like this article 👉 Chemical Composition of Green Tea
Antioxidants
When deciding between green tea and coffee, one key factor to look into is the antioxidant content. Coffee is very low in antioxidants, and green tea is very high in antioxidants like EGCG (Epigallocatechin gallate).
In fact, matcha can have over 20 times the amount of antioxidants as blueberries! These antioxidants help to repair damage in the body caused by oxidative stress.
Green tea coffee flavors
When comparing green tea and coffee, some people may still want to enjoy the taste of coffee, but enjoy the caffeine and health benefits of green tea.
Here is a good coffee green tea that has the flavor of coffee but a lower caffeine content.
Hojicha - green tea coffee
Hojicha is a type of Japanese green tea, but it has a flavor more similar to coffee. This flavor comes from the roasting process. After the leaves are picked, steamed and dried, they are roasted in a large pan.
This causes the leaves to change from green to brown, and the tea takes on warmer flavors of caramel, chocolate and even coffee! If you want to learn more about it, you might like this article here 👉 Everything You Need to Know About Hojicha
Should you choose green tea or coffee
So when comparing the caffeine content coffee vs green tea, coffee may come out on top most time, but there are lots more benefits of green tea. Green tea not only provides a longer lasting, more calm energy throughout the day, but it comes with many additional benefits.
Green tea can be more hydrating to the body and it provides many times more antioxidants than coffee. It can also help with flu prevention and even weight loss when coupled with moderate exercise. So even though the caffeine of green tea vs coffee tends to be lower, it has a lot more to offer!
