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Content of Tea
How much caffeine is in tea?
An average 5 ounce cup of tea can contain 20-ll0 mg.
How much caffeine
is in your cup of tea will depend upon the type of tea used, the tea leaf cut,
and how long it was brewed.
TEA (5-oz. cup) CAFFEINE CONTENT (mg)
1 min. brew 9-33
3 min. brew 20-46
5 min. brew 20-50
Instant tea 12-28
Iced tea (12-oz. cup) 22-36
[ From Consumers' Union, Food and Drug Administration, National Coffee
Association of the U.S.A.,
and National Confectioner's Association of the U.S.]
Which types of coffee contain the most caffeine?
The caffeine content of an average 5 ounce cup of coffee can vary from 40-150
mg.
Two influencing factors are the variety of coffee bean and where it is
grown; both can be affected by such
things as soil conditions, length of growing
season, and time of harvest. Even coffee grown in the
same general region will
vary in caffeine content.
Three more controllable factors are how finely the beans are ground before
coffee making and the method
and length of time used for brewing the coffee. The
drip method, with fine ground, used in machines like
Mr. Coffee, generally
yields the highest amount of caffeine, ranging from 110-150 mg per five ounce
cup.
Percolated coffee is next highest in caffeine, ranging from 64-124 mg.
Isn't it interesting that many people
say that brewed coffee tastes best?
Instant coffee may be lower in caffeine averaging between 40-108 mg per cup.
Decaffeinated coffee, despite its name, does contain some caffeine, although
only about 2-5 mg per five ounce cup.
(See the chart below for comparison)
COFFEE (5 oz cup) CAFFEINE CONTENT (mg)
Drip method 110-150
Percolated 64-124
Instant 40-108
Decaffeinated 2-5
Instant Decaffeinated 2
[ From Consumers' Union, Food and Drug Administration, National Coffee
Association of the U.S.A.,
and National Confectioner's Association of the U.S.]
Is Decaffeinated Green Tea Less Beneficial Than Regular Green
Tea?
The basic purpose of decaffeinated green tea is to provide green tea lovers
with the antioxidants and other health benefits of green tea, without all of the
caffeine. Many people worry that because it is decaffeinated green tea and not
regular green tea, that they will actually not be receiving the same amount of
beneficial qualities and components that are found in the tea, however this is
absolutely not true. In fact, it has been proven that decaffeinated green tea
does have the exact same amount of EGCG as regular green tea, and if you want to
be sure, you can check the ingredients listing on the product before you buy it.
There are actually two types of decaffeinating methods that are used for such
products as decaffeinated green tea; one of which uses ethyl acetate solvent,
and that retains only 30% of the healthy and beneficial polyphenols. The other
is considered as being the more natural process, which uses only water and
carbon dioxide. There is actually even a way that green tea can be decaffeinated
by the drinker, which is in fact used quite often, considering the amount of
people that do not want caffeine in their tea.
A cup of regular green tea contains anywhere from 15-30mg of caffeine.
Although the caffeine is not appreciated by some, it is actually necessary in
green tea as it provides bitterness. Therefore, given the amount of caffeine
that one cup of green tea contains, this mere one cup would be enough to produce
the stimulant effects that are typically associated with caffeine, such as
affects to the central nervous system.
Removing caffeine naturally and by yourself is possible, by completing a very
simple process. All you have to do is steep the tea for about 45 seconds in hot
water, then pour off the liquid. After this, you add more hot water and then
pour off the liquid for a second time.
Finally, you add more hot water and steep as you would normally for a cup of
tea; now up to 80% of the caffeine that was in the tea has been released in the
first infusion of water, so you really only have minimal amounts of that
caffeine the second time through. The decaffeinating of your tea has many
positive aspects, such as the fact that you will not feel any of the nervous or
fidgety affects that caffeine is known to produce.
What does TGFOP mean?
Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe
When the tea leaves are dried & fired, they pass through screens for grading.
Tea leaves are sorted by the size of leaf.
There are four grades:
OP-Orange Pekoe: Comprised of whole leaves.
BOP- Broken Orange Pekoe: High quality grade of leaves that have been broken.
Fannings: very small pieces
Dust: used primarily in tea bags
Also, tea leaves are classified from where they are on the plant when picked as
well as the time of year
harvesting took place.
For instance, early in the
growing season the young tips are golden in color.
Teas picked from this
time frame are designated as golden flowery orange pekoe-GFOP.
When the number
if golden tips are higher it is called Tippy GFOP or (TGFOP)
Other news - Keeping hydrated in the heat
In the current hot weather it's more important than ever to keep hydrated.
However, it is not only water that counts towards your daily fluid requirement -
tea does too.
In hot weather
tea refreshes you by gently raising the body temperature, causing mild
perspiration,
which then cools the skin. This is why in India where temperatures are currently
between 38 and 40°C people
are queuing up for a refreshing drink of tea!
About 70% of the UK population drink tea on a regular basis and
they will be pleased to know that
drinking 3-4 cups of tea a day can make a positive contribution to the body's
hydration status,
helping to promote health and well being.
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