The amount of caffeine in green tea often surprises folks who give up their java habit and switch to tea, thinking that a healthy beverage like tea won’t make their hearts race or induce insomnia. Green tea contains approximately 50 milligrams of caffeine in an average eight-ounce cup, depending on the quality of the tea and how it’s brewed. Yet green tea remains one of the best choices out of all caffeine-containing beverages.
How Green Tea Compares to Other Beverages
In order to understand how green tea compares with other beverages in terms of caffeine content, it’s helpful to look at the facts.
Below is a handy chart to compare the caffeine content in green tea with other caffeinated drinks. All measures are for a standard eight-ounce serving.
Beverage (8 oz) | Caffeine Content |
Coffee, regular | 95 milligrams |
Coffee, instant | 62 milligrams |
Coffee, decaffeinated | 2 milligrams |
Black tea | 47 milligrams |
Green tea | 30 to 50 milligrams |
Cola soft drink | 35 milligrams |
Diet cola soft drink | 47 milligrams |