Coffee and tea seem to be at war with each other (not necessarily to us at Sin Columna, but it seems that tea lovers and coffee lovers are in a perpetual discussion over who rules the world of hot drinks). What has more caffeine tea or coffee, though? And which one provides better health benefits?
You have questions, Sin Columna has answers. Read on to find out more.
Why Is Caffeine Bad for You?
Caffeine is a stimulant that’s found in coffee, tea, soda, and energy drinks. It can cause problems such as insomnia, restlessness, upset stomach, and headaches. It’s also been linked to heart problems and other health issues.
Caffeine is not ALL bad for you.
On the contrary, in moderate amounts, caffeine can have some health benefits. These include improved mental performance, increased endurance, and better physical performance.
Of course, if you have health issues (like high blood pressure, for example), you will definitely want to avoid caffeine (so it's understandable if that's why you're asking yourself "what has more caffeine tea or coffee".)
What Has More Caffeine Tea or Coffee: The Showdown
OK, and now for the caf-showdown. The battle to end the tea vs coffee war forever.
The amount of caffeine in coffee and tea can vary depending on the variety., how you make it, how concentrated it is, and so on. Generally, coffee has more caffeine than tea. However, some types of tea have more caffeine than tea. And there are types of coffee that have not-so-much caffeine.
The lowest amounts of caffeine can be found in coffee like Robusta, which has about half the caffeine of Arabica coffee. Drip coffee tends to have less caffeine than espresso, and cold brew has more caffeine than regular iced coffee. In the same line of thought, an Americano coffee will have more caffeine than a latte or cappuccino, but probably much less than a double-ristretto.
That being said, tea has less caffeine than coffee (if you compare them at general levels). It depends, of course, on how much tea you use, how much you allow it to steep, and even the type of tea (e.g. black tea will always have more caffeine than green tea or white tea). Beyond "what has more caffeine tea or coffee" though, you should also ask yourself "what has more health benefits" too -- it's an important question for sure.
If you are looking for a general rundown on how much each type of coffee and the most popular types of tea have, here it is:
- A cup of latte has about 70 milligrams of caffeine.
- A cup of Americano has about 95 milligrams of caffeine.
- A cup of cappuccino has about 85 milligrams of caffeine.
- Espresso has about 47 milligrams of caffeine.
- A ristretto coffee has about 29 milligrams of caffeine.
- A cup of black tea has about 50 milligrams of caffeine.
- A cup of green tea has about 30 milligrams of caffeine.
- A cup of white tea has about 20 milligrams of caffeine.
It all varies, of course, and these are general bits of information. But, overall, coffee does have more caffeine than tea.
Tea, Coffee, and Caffeine: FAQs
Does chai tea have more caffeine than coffee?
It depends on what kind of coffee you are comparing. Chai tea does have caffeine, but it generally has less caffeine than black tea.
Does Earl Grey tea have more caffeine than coffee?
Again, it depends on what kind of coffee you are comparing to Earl Grey. As a general rule, Earl Grey tea has less caffeine than black tea, and black tea has less caffeine than coffee -- but it is not a universally true statement, as some teas can be very strong and some coffees can be very soft.
