Caffeine is one of three stimulating alkaloids found in tea, the others being theobromine and theophylline. Theobromine is a mild stimulant found in greater concentration in chocolate.

In general, a brewed cup of tea has about 1/3 to 1/2 the caffeine of a cup of coffee. A cup of coffee has about 100-120 mg per 8 ounces. Most teas fall between 20-50 mg per 8 ounces. Contrary to popular myth, this average is true regardless of the type of tea (green tea, black tea, etc). This makes sense when you consider that all true tea is made from a single plant species, Camellia sinensis.

The cultivar or “cultivated variety,” is one of the most significant factors determining how much caffeine might be available in any given tea. Broad-leaf variety teas grown in Yunnan and Southeast Asia contain more caffeine than small-leaf varieties. But with hundreds of cultivars in existence, the range varies greatly.

Caffeine is more readily extracted at higher temperatures, so brewing tea at a higher temperature or for a longer period of time will result in a higher concentration of caffeine in your cup. For this reason, cold brew teas can contain less caffeine.

This is a very common situation! Even a tea of the same variety can be influenced by many factors such as its growth environment (more sunlight or more rain and dew), picking year, leaf picking grade, master’s craftsmanship style, storage method, etc. We try our best to select the best flavors to share with you and encourage you to try more variations. After all, the world of tea is too big and wonderful!

Wherever possible we use vacuum and cold storage for our teas to ensure that they arrive with you as fresh as possible. All tea should be kept away from heat, light, moisture and odours. Exposure to these will cause the tea to deteriorate and lose flavour. Our loose teas are packed in resealable ziplock bags so we recommend that you reseal all your bags once you have used them and store them in a cool dry place.

Generally speaking, black teas and more heavily oxidized oolongs can be stored for a longer time than green, white and lightly oxidized oolong teas. Green teas, white teas and light oolong teas are best drunk within two to three months of opening.

However, they can also be stored in the fridge to maintain freshness for as long as possible. If you choose to store your green, white and light oolongs in the fridge, be careful to take the packs out a little in advance of making your tea so that they can reach room temperature. Opening a bag straight from the fridge will result in condensation on the inside of the pack, which when closed can then affect the quality of the tea inside.

Not to worry! If there’s an item you’re interested in but we are out of it, you can always email us at  support@teaviews-e.com and we can notify you when something’s back in stock 🙂