Catherine Saxelby's Foodwatch | Q. What’s the difference between green and black tea? What about caffeine?

Q. What’s the difference between green and black tea? What about caffeine?

 

THE QUESTION IN FULL

Q. What's the difference between green tea and black tea? And can I drink green tea at night when I don't want caffeine?

A. Both green and black tea come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis tea bush. Whether these tea leaves end up green or black depends on how they are processed.

Green tea is made from tea leaves that are dried and steamed soon after harvest.

Black tea is dried and crushed which allows the action of enzymes to convert some of the more simple catechins of green tea to more complex forms known as theaflavins and thearubigens. These compounds are responsible for the distinctive flavour and darker colour of black tea.

Many people drink green tea in the belief it is caffeine free, because it looks and tastes more like a light herbal tisane such as peppermint or chamomile. But as it's derived from the same plant, it does contain similar levels of caffeine to black tea (range 40 to 50 mg caffeine per cup). So it's NOT the thing to drink before bed if caffeine disturbs your sleep.

However, on a positive note, the caffeine content of all teas is only around one-third to one-half of that found in coffee so you don't get such a ‘jolt' of adrenalin when you drink it.

 

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