It’s often asked whether green tea contains caffeine, and the answer is yes.
Green tea is produced from the leaves of the camellia sinensis tea bush; the same leaves used to produce black tea. The difference between green tea and black tea is in the way they are processed.
Many factors affect the amount of caffeine in your cup of green tea, including the amount of leaves used in the brew and how long it was brewed for. The amount of caffeine contained in a cup of green tea is approximately one-third compared to a cup of coffee.
If you’re sensitive to coffee then green tea is a good alternative, as it contains less caffeine and can give a calming lift, rather than the jitters you get with too much coffee. Scientists believe that the amino acid L-theanine found in tea may provide the calming effect, while the caffeine helps us feel alert.
Matcha green tea, however, has more caffeine per cup compared to a cup of green tea brewed from the whole leaves. Matcha is made from grinding green tea leaves into a powder. This powdered form provides a higher concentration of caffeine per cup, but still less than a cup of coffee.