Iced Tea: No Caffeine
The only caffeine-free Starbucks iced tea is Iced Passion Tango Tea.
While Passion Tango is the only iced herbal tea available, it can be mixed with lemonade or other juices like peach or guava to make a variety of drinks.
In fact, my Starbucks go-to, caffeine-free summer drink is Iced Passion Tango with a splash of lemonade.
This iced tea is so refreshing that I even like to make it at home. Heres my Starbucks copycat recipe for Passion Tango Tea Lemonade.
Health Benefits Of Rooibos Tea
Rooibos tea is gaining popularity as a delicious and healthy beverage.
Consumed in southern Africa for centuries, it has become a beloved drink around the world.
Its a flavorful, caffeine-free alternative to black and green tea.
Whats more, advocates praise rooibos for its potential health benefits, claiming that its antioxidants can protect against cancer, heart disease and stroke.
However, you may wonder if these benefits are supported by evidence.
This article explores rooibos teas health benefits and potential side effects.
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But Watch Out For These Types Of Tea
While most herbal teas contain no caffeine, there are a few infusions that are not from the Camellia sinensis plant that still have a caffeine content.
Yerba Mate – pictured above, this South American natural tea is made from the leaves of the Ilex paraguariensis plant. It has a herbal, woody and grassy flavor and can contain up to 80mg of caffeine per 8 fluid ounce serving, depending on how you brew it.4
Coffee – no, really! Coffee is technically an infusion, as it’s made by soaking the fruits of the coffee plant in water. Coffee bean tea is technically a caffeinated type of herbal tea.5 Coffee can contain up to 96mg of caffeine per 8oz serving.6
Guarana – this herbal tea is popular in South America, like Yerba Mate. The seeds of the guarana plant can be infused with water to create an herbal tea. 1 gram of guarana seed contains 47mg of caffeine, which is roughly the same as a whole cup of black tea.7
Citrus Flowers – the flowers of some citrus plants are commonly used in cooking and in herbal teas, like orange blossoms. But there can be trace amounts of caffeine found in some citrus plant flowers and leaves – between 6 and 50 ppm. Researchers have also found caffeine content in honey produced by honeybees that frequently visit flowers in orange plantations.8 However, these levels of caffeine are so low, you won’t experience an energy boost from consuming them.
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Why Is Caffeine A Concern
An estimated 80% of the worlds population enjoys a caffeinated product daily.
Both the U.S. Department of Agriculture and European Food Safety Authority define a safe caffeine intake as up to 400 mg per day, 200 mg per single dose, or 1.4 mg per pound of body weight (
11 ).
Tea leaves contain 3.5% caffeine, while coffee beans have 1.12.2%. However, the coffee brewing process uses hotter water, which extracts more of the caffeine from the beans. Typically, you also use more coffee beans than youd use tea leaves for a drink .
Therefore, 1 cup of brewed coffee generally has more caffeine than a cup of tea.
Caffeine Free Herbal And Decaf Tea
Caffeine free herbal tea are blends of herbs, flowers and spices that offer a unique blend of flavors and benefits. Golden Chamomile teas are known for their soothing effect, Nilgiri teas are bold in flavor and often used to aid digestive health while Southern Mint can be helpful with headaches. Caffeine free herbal tea is also a flavorful replacement for other caffeinated beverages. Caffeine is the highest unregulated stimulant in America and can cause a variety of negative side effects. If you are looking for a variety of flavorful teas that help reduce your caffeine intake, look no further than the caffeine free herbal teas for sale online from Revolution Tea!
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A Caffeinated Tea That Does It All
Herbal tea blends are great, as they provide hydration and some surprising health benefits. But traditional teas containing caffeine are good for you too.
In fact, the FDA recommends a limit of 400mg of caffeine per day.16 So, drinking a few cups of caffeinated oolong tea is certainly not going to be detrimental to your health.
Furthermore, caffeine gets a bad rep for the jitters and restlessness it can cause when consumed in vast quantities. But actually, caffeine can have some great benefits for your mood and cognitive performance. The key is an amino acid called L-Theanine. This amino acid is found naturally in tea from the Camellia sinensis plant, but not in herbal teas or coffee.
You can go through the science in detail with our Caffeine in Tea vs Coffee article, but here’s a recap:
- Caffeine and L-Theanine create a synergistic relationship,
- This slows the onset of your energy boost, for a smoother and jitter-free experience,
- L-Theanine promotes creativity and focus by enhancing alpha brain waves,
- The caffeine slowly wears off, rather than crashing all at once.
So, while herbal teas are great, Zest Teas can do it better. Our green and black tea blends can give you the focus and calmness as well as the energy and enthusiasm you need to get through the day.
Does Regular Tea Have Caffeine
Black tea, the most popular amongst tea drinkers, does contain caffeine. There is roughly 47mg of caffeine per cup of black tea.
Zest Tea contains the most caffeine, with a caffeine content of up to 150mg per serving. This extra caffeine is plant powered – we use extra tea extract from the Camellia sinensis plant.
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What Are Herbal Teas
Many of the most popular teas are from the Camellia sinensis plant – this includes the two most popular tea types, black tea and green tea.
Herbal tea is not made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. It’s made from other plants, usually herbaceous ones, but infused with water in the same way. For example, infusing a mint leaf or two with hot water would create a herbal tea.
But the category of herbal teas, also called tisanes, doesn’t just include herbs that you’d grow in a herb garden, and it’s not just the leaves that are used either. Flowers, seeds, spices, roots, and even fruits can be brewed into an herbal beverage, either freshly picked or dried and packaged into teabags.
Often you’ll find herbal tea blends and tisanes referred to as “infusions” as they aren’t true, caffeinated teas made from the tea plant.
Ginger Lemon Honey Tea
This is another herbal tea made from the roots of a plant, like licorice. Ginger is typically a fiery ingredient, full of flavor and quite invigorating. We couldn’t make our Spicy Masala Chai without it. But it’s also a common remedy for a cold when brewed with lemon and honey.
It’s a well-known fact that ginger has anti-inflammatory properties.14 Combined with vitamin C and antioxidants from lemon, plus the soothing taste of honey, ginger tea can be a very relaxing herbal remedy to try.
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Is There A Difference Between Caffeine
The terms are not synonymous. Caffeine-free refers to leaves that are naturally free of caffeine for instance, herbal teas like chamomile or jasmine. These are also referred to as naturally decaffeinated teas sometimes. That said, decaffeinated alone refers to those that have gone through a process of decaffeination.
Low In Tannins And Free From Caffeine And Oxalic Acid
Caffeine is a natural stimulant found in both black tea and green tea.
Consuming moderate amounts of caffeine is generally safe.
It may even have some benefits for exercise performance, concentration and mood (
Therefore, some people choose to avoid or limit caffeine intake.
Because rooibos tea is naturally caffeine-free, its an excellent alternative to black or green tea .
Rooibos also has lower tannin levels than regular black or green tea.
Tannins, natural compounds present in green and black tea, interfere with the absorption of certain nutrients, such as iron.
Finally, unlike black tea and green tea, to a lesser extent red rooibos contains no oxalic acid.
Consuming high amounts of oxalic acid can increase your risk of kidney stones, making rooibos a good option for anyone with kidney problems.
Summary Compared to regular black tea or green tea, rooibos is lower in tannins and free from caffeine and oxalic acid.
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Benefits Of Teas Without Caffeine
The best part about teas without caffeine is that they can be sipped at any time of day. If you are the kind of person who loves to curl up with a cup of tea before bed, you can still enjoy a restful sleep. Another advantage is that teas without caffeine can be steeped for as long as you want. While caffeinated tea gets bitter after about 3-5 minutes, herbal tea just gets stronger in flavor. If you love a hearty cuppa, try steeping your tea for 10 minutes for maximum strength. Most importantly, choose loose leaf herbal tea to get the most flavor in your cup. Tea bags are much weaker and usually lower quality. Regardless of your reasons for limiting caffeine, there is sure to be a good option for you. There are so many teas without caffeine to choose from, you might never look back!
What Types Of Tea Are Caffeine Free
Caffeine-free tea is available at nearly any large grocery store. Instead of looking for black or green tea varieties, truly caffeine-free teas are herbal teas that, ironically, don’t typically have tea leaves in their blends. They reduce your caffeine intake effectively.
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Tip
If you need to cut back or completely cut out caffeine, herbal teas may offer a good solution. Herbal teas, when they are made without actual tea leaves, are naturally caffeine free â just make sure you read the label. Some teas may have added caffeine.
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Caffeine Content In Traditional Tea Types
While herbal teas tend to be either caffeine-free or contain quite a high amount of caffeine, traditional teas have varying levels.
Green teas, for example, contain 28mg per 8oz serving on average9, while your usual morning black tea contains 47mg. The caffeine content of white tea, oolong, pu-erh and other more obscure tea types fall around these levels too.
Then there are decaffeinated teas. The key difference between caffeine-free herbal teas and decaffeinated teas is that decaf teas still have caffeine! Even after the tea leaves have been decaffeinated, there’s still a very small amount of caffeine left. This is usually only a milligram or two and not enough for you to feel the effects of caffeine.
To learn more about the amount of caffeine in different tea types, plus how this compares to Zest high caffeine tea and other energy drinks, read our Guide to The Best Tea for Caffeine.
What Teas Contain Caffeine
There are three main categories of tea when it comes to caffeine. True tea from the camellia sinensis plant, decaffeinated tea from the same plant, and herbal tea which includes any other plant. Teas without caffeine are either decaffeinated true tea or herbal tea. But there is an exception with caffeinated herbal teas, such as yerba mate. It might sound confusing at first, but well break down all the details so you know exactly what youre steeping.
True Tea
Camellia sinensis is a shrub that was first cultivated in China, and has become globally known as the true tea plant. Since it contains caffeine, all tea varieties made from this plant will contain caffeine. This includes popular teas such as:
These true teas are varied in taste and appearance, but all have the same main ingredient. The difference in flavor comes from how the tea is grown, harvested, and processed. For example, black tea is fully oxidized which makes it darker and stronger in taste. Pu-erh tea is fermented, giving it a complex flavor profile similar to chocolate or wine. Green tea is unoxidized and usually pan-fried or steamed to preserve its refreshing, vegetal flavor. All of these varieties contain caffeine.
There are many decaf teas available that are decaffeinated versions of true tea. This means they still come from the camellia sinensis plant, but have gone through a process to remove the caffeine compounds. The two most common ways to decaffeinate tea are with ethyl acetate or CO2.
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The Final Call When It Comes Non
If caffeine sensitivity is a big concern, you can try to drink tea with lower levels of caffeine, like white tea. Plus, a caffeine-free or decaffeinated tea is not evil they still have health benefits like prevention of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and free radical aging, just at a much less potent concentration. All tea has less caffeine than coffee, plus you get that calm wakefulness and more health benefits, says Boyd. Lastly, you can always opt for herbal tisanes like red rooibos, green rooibos or honeybush.
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Which Tea Has The Most Caffeine
in the world. It consists of the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, which, after harvesting, begin to wilt and oxidize. A person can stop the oxidization process by heating the leaves.
The more tea leaves oxidize, the darker they become, which determines the type of tea:
- Black tea leaves are bruised, wilted, rolled, and completely oxidized.
- Green tea leaves are not wilted and are not oxidized.
- Oolong tea leaves are bruised, wilted, and partially oxidized.
- White tea consists of young leaves that are minimally oxidized.
Black tea is the most popular in the United States and Europe and accounts for about 75% of the worlds tea consumption. In Japan and China, green tea is the most popular. People consume oolong and white tea in lesser amounts worldwide.
In this article, we look at the most caffeinated teas, top healthy teas with no caffeine, and some of the risks involved in consuming too much caffeine.
amount of caffeine in a tea varies according to the type of tea.
The most caffeinated teas are black and oolong teas, with decaffeinated and herbal teas containing very little to trace amounts of caffeine.
Many teas offer various health benefits, as they contain:
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How Is Tea Decaffeinated
Caffeine levels in tea really vary. It depends on what tea leaves were picked, what season, what area they are from, says Jessica Boyd, founder and CEO of Tea Sip in Houston, Texas. Brand new tea leaves have more caffeine because they are protecting themselves, whereas older leaves tend to have less.
There are four main processes to remove caffeine. Each of them works differently and produce a different final effect, including flavor. The downside is that tea manufacturers dont have to state which method of decaffeination they use. But it is good to know, given you can always inquire with the specific company and get more information, or look for tea sellers that are transparent about their decaffeination methods so you can be more educated about exactly what health benefits or concerns you could be exposing yourself to. Here is what you have to know about each:
How Much Caffeine In Decaf Tea
The chances are youre now wondering, How much caffeine does Decaf Tea have? The answer, in short, is little – but you probably want to know the specifics.
The reality is that it depends. It depends on the Type of Tea you choose, for example – though this isnt the defining factor. While caffeine in Decaf Green Tea might be slightly different from Decaf Black Teas caffeine content, there is a bigger picture.
The most important consideration to understanding the levels is the Decaffeination method applied to the leaves. The Co2 Process, which is the safest and most efficient method – as well as being the most commonly used – extracts between 96% and 98% of caffeine.
This results in around 5-10 milligrams remaining in your brew. Such is the case with most of our Decaf products.
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May Benefit People With Type 2 Diabetes
Rooibos tea is the only known natural source of the antioxidant aspalathin, which animal studies suggest may have anti-diabetic effects .
One study in mice with type 2 diabetes found that aspalathin balanced blood sugar levels and reduced insulin resistance, which could prove promising for people who have or are at risk of type 2 diabetes .
However, human studies are needed.
Summary Animal studies suggest that specific antioxidants in rooibos tea can help balance blood sugar and improve insulin resistance. However, human research is necessary.
True Teas With Caffeine
The first category is your true tea made from the Camellia sinensis plant, which naturally contains caffeine. All of the major teas come from this plant including green, black, pu erh, oolong, and yellow.
These regular teas are known for their stimulating effects. Their tea leaves contain approximately 3% caffeine by weight. Since youre looking for teas without caffeine, lets move on.
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