Black tea: caffeine, brewing and taste

A cup of black tea (237 ml) usually has 14–48 mg of caffeine, about 31 mg on average (32% of a cup of filter coffee).

At a glance

Type	Fully oxidised tea
Caffeine per cup	14–48 mg
mg / 100 ml	13.1
Cups to reach 400 mg a day	12
Water temperature	95–100 °C
Steeping time	3–5 min

How it is made

Leaves are withered, bruised or rolled (the orthodox method keeps leaves whole, CTC cuts them into small pieces), fully oxidised (100%) and dried.

Taste

Usually fuller in flavour and darker than green tea; it is the most common tea in teabags.

How to brew

Boiling water, about 3–5 minutes.

For caffeine figures we assume 2 g of dry tea per cup (237 ml).

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Steeping time and caffeine

Longer steeping releases more caffeine. Calculated for 2 g of tea per cup.

Time	Caffeine per cup
2 min	9–31 mg
3 min	12–41 mg
4 min	13–45 mg
5 min	14–48 mg

When to drink it

Caffeine's half-life is usually 3–7 hours (we use about 5), so after 5 hours roughly half a cup's caffeine can still be in the body. About 100 mg before bed may affect sleep (EUFIC).

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Brands and products

Caffeine stated by manufacturers for products of this type (official data only):

Lipton46–70 mgYellow Label Black Tea (US)Bigelow30–60 mgBlack teas (category)Bigelow60–90 mgAmerican Breakfast Black Tea Bigelow75 mgPeak Energy (+ L-theanine)Pfanner40–70 mg/lIced Tea Lemon-Lime Pfanner40–70 mg/lIced Tea Peach Pfanner40–60 mg/lIced Tea Mango-Passion Fruit Yogi Tea50 mgSpiced Blackberry Focus Twinings40–76 mgUnflavoured teas, e.g. English Breakfast (US)Tetley30–50 mgBlack tea (UK, 250 ml cup)Twinings50 mgStandard black tea, average (UK)Twinings0–60 mgStrong black teas (Australia)Lipton46–70 mgEnglish Breakfast Pyramid (US)Lipton55 mgBlack tea (US FAQ)Celestial Seasonings60 mgEnglish Breakfast Celestial Seasonings50–70 mgBlack teas (category)The Republic of Tea123 mgHiCAF Caramel Black Tea The Republic of Tea50 mgBlack tea (average)teapigs75 mgBlack tea (general)Bigelow30–60 mgConstant Comment (black)

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Frequently asked questions

How much caffeine is in black tea?

A cup of black tea (237 ml) usually has 14–48 mg of caffeine, about 31 mg on average (32% of a cup of filter coffee).

How do you brew black tea?

Boiling water, about 3–5 minutes. For caffeine figures we assume 2 g of dry tea per cup (237 ml).

Is black tea good in the evening?

A cup has about 31 mg of caffeine. After 5 hours roughly half can remain, so sensitive people may prefer earlier in the day. Some people are more sensitive to caffeine than others.