Wednesday September 17, 2008 | 21 comments
There is little disagreement that tea has less caffeine than coffee. How much less is a debate that could go
on forever, given the number of variables. There are plenty of decaffeinated tea bags out there, but what are the options for the whole leaf tea drinker who wants little to no caffeine in their favorite cuppa?
Apparently, lots!
One of our regular subscribers, Fr. Patrick, sent a link to an article that gives the tea lover – who dislikes any caffeine-induced jitters – lots of choices. From the tea you choose – white, green, or black – to a simple rinse, you can take control of how much caffeine you and your guests are getting. No reason to turn down a nice after-dinner cup of tea! A thirty-second rinse will do the trick.
Or will it?
According to the March issue of “Tea Muse”, science does not support these numbers. In fact, for a product to be labeled “decaffeinated,” the caffeine content cannot exceed 3%, which would require three rinses, totaling fifteen minutes. (A five-minute rinse removes 69%, which is a substantial reduction in caffeine for the sensitive drinker.) Imagine steeping your tea, a lovely green, for a fourth time before drinking? The caffeine is bye-bye, but so are the polyphenols and the delicate flavor. You are drinking tinted hot water at that point, folks, and what’s the point?
You will note that the Tea Muse article includes source documentation. We advise you to read all three of the articles referenced here, and PLEASE comment on your personal experience.
Editor’s note: Editor-in-Chief at T Ching, Michelle Rabin, wrote a previous post on home decaffeination.
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Interesting article! As ever, it is a real pleasure to read and comment your articles.
It seems that many people are concerned with caffeine sensibility (hopefully I’m not), as the subject of decafeinisation is a recurrent topic when people write about tea. As many people, I thought until a few month ago that a 5min brew would reduce to trace the caffeine in tea (just as a regular first brew). As many quality teas only reveal themselves at the second or third brew, what’s the problem? But in February, I fall upon a well documented article on the Cha Dao blog (http://chadao.blogspot.com/2008/02/caffeine-and-tea-myth-and-reality.html) by Nigel Melican. This long-lasting myth was exploded…
Without chemical process, it is unfortunately quite impossible to decaffeinate totally a tea. Obviously, a complete gong fu cha would annihilate this component… Or three rinse. More than a low-grade tea (bag) can bear.
But concerning caffeine in tea, is it really problematic? A green tea cuppa contains less than a glass of cola, than A BAR OF DARK CHOCOLATE. And many time less than an American coffee (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caffeine, in particular the table of caffeine content for different usual products). Moreover tea tannin tends to reduce caffeine absorbsion.
And if you are really caffeine sensitive, you can choose a caffeine-light tea. What’s better than a first quality autumn or winter roasted Dong Ding oolong to finish a overwhelmed with work
and barely understanding clients?
I strongly recommend you and all the other reader the quoted articles for any further information. Maybe will this demystify our western vision of the damaging of tea on sleep?
So, it’s time for a cup of tea…
Peace
Hmmmm…..it would be extremely helpful for those of us who quote things to get the ‘straight skinny’ instead of feeling a bit guilty for telling people one thing and then another.
Oh well…polls and studies are incredibly flawed much of the time.
Still
Team, you are sooooo right! For several months I have been telling concerned parents that a simple rinse does the trick . . . and here I am, hoisted on my own petard! I’m going to quote Mark Twain, “There are lies, damned lies, and statistics.”
Regena,
How do you think I feel having been the one who sent you that first link in the first place! Once again, we can all, like Sandy, learn how to humbly “eat crow” (see previous TChing posting http://www.tching.com/index.php/2008/09/03/eating-crow/) and admit that things aren’t always as they might at first appear to be. Science is learning ALL kinds of interesting little tidbits about lots of things we THINK we know about, this is just another one of them. Thank goodness that I’m not one of those people who have much of a caffeine problem to worry about (hasn’t seemed to affect me yet) but I’m sure that some people do have an extreme reaction to it so as the old Latin might say Caveat Emptor (or according to Encarta Dictionary “the commercial principle that the buyer is responsible for making sure that goods bought are of a reasonable quality, unless the seller is offering a guarantee of their quality.”) In short, try to find a good purveyor of tea whom you trust and if you don’t have any effects from the tea then just enjoy them. Hopefully if you need a caffein free product, one will be suitable for your needs. Unfortunately, ultimately we are all responsible for what we actually consume and in truth many times just have to take the good with the bad and listen to Regena’s quote from Twain — AH statistics!
Peace, cheers and blessings.
Keep enjoying the GOOD STUFF
i.e. whatever you like to drink
Fr. Patrick
Fr. Patrick,
I just re-read the link you sent to the article, and I must admit that the advice on the simple rinse comes from reputable herbalists. If you go back even further, and read the link contained in Michelle’s post . . . you will see that some heavy hitters are standing by the thirty second rinse. So, don’t be too hard on yourself. Remember when the high carbohydrate diets were the gospel? Then, low-carb diets were in and out and back in? Your advice is spot on: listen to your body, and drink the teas you enjoy! Keep sending those links!
Do not blame yourselves! It’s always better to give a “not so right” advise than keeping them out of the Lord’s wineyards… sorry! teayards! The present study is somehoow very recent…
I knew this advise to decaf a tea, before coming across Cha Dao’s article a few month, and I sometimes also gave it. But I barely know poeple who had a caffein “bad trip” by drinking tea (until they reach the two littre of low-grade kenyan assamica), even if they don’t bear a single cup of coffee (particularly my grandma’s).
People who are “caffein sensitive” but tea addicted won’t abuse of tea. So the best advise to give (as Fr Patrick says) is to find a conscientious seller who will help you to find the best low-caffeined tea which will corresponds to your tastes.
Peace
Regena, maybe we can feel safe just telling people that it has 1/3 to 1/2 the caffeine of coffee (can we trust that?) and that you can decaf it even farther by the water rinse method??
Or maybe just suggest Rooibos and forget tea? Shall I start running now or wait?? ;)
Or will the find Rooibos has caffeine?
What about white tea now being found to have more caffeine than black tea?
etc
etc
etc
Let’s also not forget that there are other phytochemicals in tea, such as L-theanine, that provide a physiological balance to the caffeine in tea. That is why there are many caffeine sensitive people, like myself, that can’t tolerate the jittery or sleep depriving effect from the caffeine in coffee, but can drink lots of tea and not experience that at all. I do believe tea is a different kind of animal than coffee, just like the tannins in tea are altogether different than regular tannins.
Team – I think we’ve had several previous discussions here about the whole white tea vs. green tea caffeine issue. This is one of the great things about tea. No matter how much you think you know, there is still a ton more to learn about. If I remember correctly (and there’s never any guarantee about that), I think we discussed that there was evidence that this was true, but the problem continues to be that there is so much variation from one plant to the next, one plantation to the next, one season to the next, etc., etc., that one time you can have green with more caffeine and the next, white with more caffeine. Ultimately, I think Patrick is right – people need to just try different teas and find what they enjoy!
Sandy, I completely agree with you. The main issue is just to try, but before, you’ll have to find a real recommendable seller/ or friend to let you discover. Roïbos or Yerba mate is not the solution (it’s something to try as a novelty when you’re already addicted to tea, and there are many roïobos aromated “tea” to try). There is many to discover about tea… to try and enjoy… (and more I try, more I want to discover… and enjoy). But I would’nt recommend such pseudo-tea…
I would offer a good taiwanese oolong (a shan lin shi, winter or fall, or a Iron Goddess of Misericord), 5 grams (about 0,2 oz), in Gaïwan, ou Yixing teapot (Gong fu cha… it would depend on how open the discoverer is…)
And I hope that all of the reader of this web journal have their little secrets/ tea providers/ sellers…
Yes, I have my ‘secret’ sources from whom we purchase tea..about 3-4 only, after cupping hundreds for years. I do believe Rooibos and yerba mate make good substitutes for tea for people who are caffeine sensitive. Sandy, it’s a lesson I’m learning; not to be dogmatic about anything when it comes to, well, anything. Just try to be honest and upfront with your customers about what you have learned and that studies are ongoing and nothing is set in concrete when it comes to science, studies, polls, etc.
A customer asked me the other day if caffeine will stunt her teenager’s growth and I told her I didn’t know. Saying “I don’t know” is a beautiful thing and people respect it.
People are switching from coffee to tea without any pushes, so far as I can tell. They are doing their own reading, many of them, and coming to their own conclusions. The difference in the way they feel after going off coffee is enough for many.
The information you, Sandy, brought up about phytochemicals amortizing the effects of caffeine is helpful. I guess it’s safe to share that with customers.
Our best selling tea is green pomegranate. After that the second is Rooibos with dried raspberries and orange peel. Probably third is a fruity black tea. We have almost no one asking for our Indian black teas. We are in an area where people are not extremel health conscious and very coffee-addicted. In a town of about 100,000, we must have 15 or so Starbucks. Even so, we see repeat customers and people switching from coffee to tea, although our coffee is Italy’s #1 and delicious as well. Our space was a coffee house for 5 years, so our sales are still about 40% coffee on average, but we are now known as ‘the tea place’ by some.
We carry about 35 loose leaf teas, mate and Rooibos. My husband really pushes Rooibos and believes in it strongly as having the antioxidants of tea but no caffeine and as a great choice.
Here’s something I just read that I hope some expert here will comment on…now what do we tell customers/friends? That some tea has twice the caffeine of coffee, with three infusions. What? I’m beginning to wonder about any and all tests on the caffeine and milk issues:
http://www.nutritionhorizon.com/home/viewhealthnutrition.rails?Id=18394&pageNo=1
Thanks for bringing this to our attention, Team. Very interesting. My only guess is that, as we discussed previously in other comments here and in other posts, there is great variation in caffeine and polyphenol content from one plant, region, climate, soil, elevation, clone etc., to the next. Terroir plays a role in creating variation in many phytochemicals. I would imagine it is similar in coffee beans, although that’s just a guess. They also don’t mention how long they steeped each cup. The other factor is that the average tea bag drinker in this country usually does not steep the same tea more than once and is not usually drinking the freshest tea.
Wow! What a resource this is and so quickly..thanks, Sandy! As you brought up coffee, maybe wine as well?
By the way, since there are conflicting studies, do you have any input and information on which has more tannins, black or green tea? It appears to us (hub and I) that black wins in our logic after reading minimally, because the tannins are what give the color and flavor? Or not?
Why does green, however, tend to get bitter faster if this is so?
And which has higher L-theanine levels..again, conflicting articles.
Is there a peak point or perfect stop brew point at which the theanine and tannins ‘cancel eachother out’ taste-wise for an optimum result?
It’s getting late here, so I will try and tackle your first question tonight and the second tomorrow.
When you think of tannins, think catechins: They are the same. Now think about the process involved in the oxidation of tea leaves. Fresh tea leaves contain the most polyphenols. That is the plants natural defense mechanism against insects. When the leaves are bruised or crushed during oxidation, it releases enzymes inside the cell walls that start to break down the polyphenols in the plant, converting them into thearubigins and theaflavins (these are what are responsible for the colors of black tea). The more oxidation, the less polyphenol content and the greater the thearubigins and theaflavins. If we consider that catechins and tannins are the same, one could conclude that black tea has less tannins than green tea. Also, keep in mind that there is a lot of misinformation about this stuff as well. Many people think that because there are tannins in tea that it contains Tannic Acid, which it does not. Catechins are a special kind of tannin which doesn’t create as much of the problems that consuming substances containing Tannic Acid.
Keep also in mind that tannins are only polyphenolic acids or esters, and therefore, thearubigines and theaflavines keep being tannins. Tea also containes gallic acids, another tannin. And so on, all cracking of phenolic cycles in tannins generate… tannins.
So the level of tannin (in general) in tea depends on the plant and not on the post-processing of the leaves… and therefore, green tea unfortunately stains as much as black tea (black tea stain are darker, indeed…) So you will hardly find serious study giving such levels. Tannins are manly due to the cultivar, the season, the soil, the climate, the growing process (think about gyokuro cha)…
All these molecules can be charaterized by their effect on taste, astingency and bitterness. Taste seems to be a good way to compare tannin concentrations
As there is no (or barely) tannic acid in tea, these tannins are known as good antioxyidant. Gallic acid is particularly known for its beneic effect to prevent heart desease and cancers (many studies on wine gallic acids)…
I never heard about annihilation point theanine/tannins… But I heard that tannins reduce cafeine absorbsion (no references)
For green tea bitterness, check your brewing T°. Green tea are more T° sensitive than black tea. Burning the tea with too hot water (over about 75°) boost the astringency and the bitterness of tea. Is it linked to tannins? Maybe… (I would say surely) But remember it is not the same tannins which have not the same effects on your taste. Remember that red wine containes a lot of tannins (gallic acid) but are neither bitter nor astringent…
Thank you for the clarification, Soiwatter. This is excellent information. I knew that all tea contained tannins, but I had thought that with the breakdown of catechins that the tannin content was reduced as well. I hadn’t realized that the tannin levels stay pretty much the same. Very interesting.
You had said that “red wine containes (sic) a lot of tannins (gallic acid) but are neither bitter nor astringent…”. Can you tell me what then does contribute to the bitter taste in wines?
Also, from where do you hail? Can you use other words to help me learn how to pronounce your name properly? Thanks for your participation and all the great information you share.
So, now we ‘understand’ that there is tannin in all tea, the amount depending on what type of plant (or variety might be better since all is C. sinensis).
On the temperature aspect you brought up, I don’t really understand completely . You said maybe it’s tannins, so are you saying that the tea tannins are more bitter than wine tannins?
I think that’s what you’re saying or implying?
What else could there be in the tea that temperature affects than tannins to cause bitterness?
Is the leaf so delicate that it is literally ‘burnt’ by hotter water and, if so, obviously oxidation
at least partially eliminates that problems, since black tea doesn’t react the same.
Time also appears to be linked to bitterness. Although does cold brewing ever cause bitterness, despite the overnight time frame? And does cold brewing eliminate any of the benefits of tea by not drawing out polyphenols as efficiently?
Thank you for any further comments.
One more quick one here from my husband. Simply…what is it that gives tea its’ flavor..tannins, good or bitter? Obviously this is unblended tea he’s asking about.
Team, the main issue is: Taste is not only chemistry and cocentration. In tea as in wine, tannins are not the only taste (sweet salty acid fresh spicy umami kokumi…) Above that flavours, moothfeel, odour, retro-olfaction and above all, reminescences, intellectualisation, feelings, state of mind, and so on…All what’s inborn and learned that all is taste.
And wine is sweeter, acider and thicker than tea, MAYBE therefore adtringency and bitterness are less revealed…
If I remember well my courses about convection, concentration diffusion is always a function of initial concentration, time and temperature, and sometimes other parmeters… Steeping drains tea molecules out of the leaves with time and better with hot temperature. So cold steepings keeps having tannins (how much w.r.t. hot brewing? no idea) Is there some “beneficial” chemical reaction during hot brewing that wouldn’t occure with cold steeping? No Idea, never heard about that, but I’ve barely read about cold steeping that are not iced tea receipeses…
Concerning green tea brewing temperature, it’s not only a issue of diffusion: there is effectively an oxydation. When you performe green tea multiple brewing, you can remark that a too long brew does in general not affect further brew, but one too hot brewing and the tea is burned and the further brew will also be undrinkable (too bitter and too astringent). Note that the rince and first brew is the most critical brew w.r.t. T°.
What causes this bitterness? I think, but no references, tannins and flavonoids as for every tea, even if the tea leaved suffered an oxydation… oxyded tannins keep beeing tannins… or may become flavonoid and cause more bitterness…
I think tea TASTE come from the natural sweetness of the tea (for the sweet taste), minerals salt for the salty part that gives the tea a bit of roundness, and polyphenols for bitterness and astringency.
Odour (olfaction+retro-olfaction) comes from more volatile particles.
And the flavour (that all), it comes from the brain…
Bitterness/Astringency is not bad. A good part of our definition of tea taste comes from this two tastes. When a tea is defined as bitter, you should say, too bitter to be pleasent, too bitter w.r.t. what you expected… And you class it as a bad tea or a bad brewing methods…
But a good tea must also have its bitterness. For example, this bitterness is partly sought-after with millernary teaplants. It have an important part in tea complexity. As Astringency for some spring Darjeeling… And all this comes from tannins…
Thanks, Soitwatter. I read this to my husband at the store today and he was intrigued. Our patent attorney used to be a chemist and my husband has discussed this with him as well.