Very generally speaking, a cup of tea contains around 10-60mg 7 caffeine. Factors from the tea plant varietal, through leaf processing to brewing all play a role. The recommended limit of caffeine intake for adults is 400-500mg 6, so that’s around 3 cups or 5 shots of coffee a day.Ĭaffeine content in tea is trickier to pin down. The average espresso shot contains 70-80 milligrams of caffeine 4, while a standard cup of brewed coffee packs 160-170mg 5. The result: a higher concentration of caffeine in the coffee cup than in the teacup. In addition, more caffeine is extracted from these grounds than from tea leaves, partly because of their greater surface area and partly because they’re (usually) brewed in hotter water. However! It takes fewer tea leaves to make a cup of tea than ground coffee beans to make a cup of brewed coffee – around 5g tea leaves vs 10g coffee grounds.

Caffeinated Beverages: Tea vs CoffeeĪccording to researchers, coffee beans contain 1.1-2.2% caffeine, while Camellia sinensis plant (tea) leaves can contain three times these concentrations 3. Buds and new leaves are most vulnerable to hungry insects, which is thought to be why caffeine is found in highest concentrations in these. A number of plants, including Camellia sinensis (tea), produce this compound as a natural pesticide. It’s also the most widely used psychoactive substance globally 2! While lots of us are familiar with caffeine’s stimulative effects in humans, we don’t often think about its purpose in nature. But don’t despair! By understanding the variables involved, it is possible to make an educated guess as to which of two drinks has the higher caffeine content.ĭoes that include tea vs coffee? Let’s find out!Ĭaffeine is a bitter alkaloid that occurs naturally in plants. Spoiler alert: short of analysing each cupful in a lab, it’s impossible to say exactly how much caffeine either tea or coffee contains. Did you know, the average adult in the UK consumes 130mg of caffeine per day 1? Yet few really understand the factors that affect how much caffeine ends up in your hot drink.

Average cup of coffee caffeine content