Matcha: caffeine, brewing and taste

A cup of matcha (200 ml) usually has 38–89 mg of caffeine, about 63 mg on average (66% of a cup of filter coffee).

At a glance

Type	Shade-grown, whole-leaf powdered tea
Caffeine per cup	38–89 mg
mg / 100 ml	31.5
Cups to reach 400 mg a day	6
Water temperature	80–90 °C
Steeping time	to taste and recipe

How it is made

Leaves are shaded for a few weeks before harvest (2–3 weeks under the Japanese standard), steamed and dried without rolling (this is tencha), then ground to a fine powder in stone mills. You drink the whole leaf, not just an infusion.

Taste

A strong umami flavour, which is mostly attributed to amino acids such as theanine.

How to brew

Whisked with a bamboo chasen: thin matcha (usucha) uses about 90 °C water, thick matcha (koicha) about 80 °C. Because you drink the whole leaf, a cup usually carries more caffeine.

For caffeine figures we assume 2 g of dry tea per cup (200 ml).

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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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Frequently asked questions

How much caffeine is in matcha?

A cup of matcha (200 ml) usually has 38–89 mg of caffeine, about 63 mg on average (66% of a cup of filter coffee).

How do you brew matcha?

Whisked with a bamboo chasen: thin matcha (usucha) uses about 90 °C water, thick matcha (koicha) about 80 °C. Because you drink the whole leaf, a cup usually carries more caffeine. For caffeine figures we assume 2 g of dry tea per cup (200 ml).

Is matcha good in the evening?

A cup has about 63 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.