How much caffeine is in green tea, matcha and coffee
List what you drink in a day, cup by cup, and see the caffeine in each drink and in total, set against 400 mg for healthy adults or 200 mg in pregnancy.
| Sencha, 150 ml × 3 | 90 mg |
|---|---|
| Matcha, 2 g × 2 | 128 mg |
| Coffee, brewed, 240 ml × 2 | 192 mg |
| Total | 410 mg: over the usual daily guide of 400 mg for healthy adults |
| Drink | Content | Typical serving | Caffeine | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sencha (Japanese loose-leaf green tea) | 20 mg per 100 ml | 150 ml | 30 mg | MEXT |
| Gyokuro | 160 mg per 100 ml | 40 ml | 64 mg | MEXT |
| Hojicha | 20 mg per 100 ml | 150 ml | 30 mg | MEXT |
| Bancha | 10 mg per 100 ml | 150 ml | 15 mg | MEXT |
| Genmaicha | 10 mg per 100 ml | 150 ml | 15 mg | MEXT |
| Matcha (per gram of powder) | 32 mg per g | 2 g | 64 mg | ITO EN |
| Green tea, brewed from a bag | 12 mg per 100 ml | 240 ml | 29 mg | USDA |
| Black tea, brewed | 20 mg per 100 ml | 240 ml | 48 mg | USDA |
| Oolong tea | 20 mg per 100 ml | 150 ml | 30 mg | MEXT |
| Coffee, brewed | 40 mg per 100 ml | 240 ml | 96 mg | USDA |
| Espresso (per single shot) | 63 mg per shot | 1 shot | 63 mg | USDA |
| Decaf coffee, brewed | 1 mg per 100 ml | 240 ml | 2 mg | USDA |
How to use it
How much caffeine is in green tea depends on which tea and how big the cup is, so this calculator works drink by drink. Add up to six rows. For each, pick the drink, enter the cup size in milliliters (grams of powder for matcha, shots for espresso) and how many you have a day. You get the caffeine in each row, the total for the day, and whether that total is comfortably under, close to or over the reference figure. Flip the pregnancy switch and the reference drops from 400 mg to 200 mg.
The print button prints your list and the full table of drinks.
How the numbers work
Each row is simple arithmetic: caffeine per 100 ml × your cup size ÷ 100 × the number of cups, rounded to the nearest milligram. Matcha uses grams of powder instead of milliliters, and espresso uses shots.
| Drink | Caffeine | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Gyokuro | 160 mg per 100 ml | MEXT |
| Sencha | 20 mg per 100 ml | MEXT |
| Hojicha | 20 mg per 100 ml | MEXT |
| Oolong | 20 mg per 100 ml | MEXT |
| Bancha | 10 mg per 100 ml | MEXT |
| Genmaicha | 10 mg per 100 ml | MEXT |
| Matcha | about 32 mg per gram of powder | ITO EN |
| Green tea from a bag (US) | 12 mg per 100 ml | USDA |
| Black tea, brewed | 20 mg per 100 ml | USDA |
| Coffee, brewed | 40 mg per 100 ml | USDA |
| Espresso | about 63 mg per single shot | USDA |
| Decaf coffee | about 1 mg per 100 ml | USDA |
The Japanese figures come from the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan (8th edition), published by MEXT, the science and education ministry. The US figures come from USDA FoodData Central. Matcha uses tea-maker ITO EN's figure of 48 mg in a 1.5 g serving.
These are averages for a standard brew. Gyokuro (shade-grown tea brewed strong in tiny cups) tops the list because it uses a lot of leaf in very little water. Bancha (later, larger leaves) comes in lower because older leaves and stems carry less caffeine than young shoots. Genmaicha is part roasted rice, so there is less leaf in each spoonful. Hojicha (roasted green tea) is often made from bancha and stems too, but the tables give it the same figure as sencha. Roasting does not burn the caffeine away; it is mainly the leaf that decides.
The reference lines are the US Food and Drug Administration's figure of up to 400 mg a day for healthy adults, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' advice to stay under 200 mg a day in pregnancy. The European Food Safety Authority also notes that single doses of up to 200 mg are of no safety concern for healthy adults.
A worked example
Take a fairly ordinary day:
- 3 cups of sencha (Japan's everyday green tea) at 150 ml: 90 mg
- 2 bowls of matcha, 2 g of powder each: 128 mg
- 2 mugs of coffee at 240 ml: 192 mg
The total is 410 mg, just over 400. Each bowl of matcha (64 mg) carries more than twice the caffeine of a cup of sencha (30 mg). Swap one mug of coffee for a 150 ml cup of hojicha and the day falls to 344 mg, still close to the line. In pregnancy, the original 410 mg is more than twice the 200 mg figure.
Two more comparisons: one small 40 ml cup of gyokuro holds 64 mg, as much as a single espresso, while a US green tea bag brewed in 240 ml gives about 29 mg, under a third of a mug of coffee.
What it can't tell you
The calculator cannot see your teapot. A strong pot brewed with extra leaf and boiling water can carry far more than the table suggests; the green tea brewing chart gives standard amounts. More leaf, hotter water and a longer steep all pull more caffeine out. For canned and bottled drinks, use the label when it lists caffeine. Chocolate and some cold and headache remedies contain caffeine too, and they are not in the list.
Nor can it tell you how caffeine affects you. If it disturbs your sleep, makes you anxious, or you have heart rhythm problems, or you take regular medicines, ask a doctor or pharmacist what amount suits you. In pregnancy, check with your midwife or doctor as well. A racing or irregular heartbeat, chest pain or feeling faint after caffeine needs prompt medical help. For more on sleep and daily habits, see Health and Living.
Children and teenagers have no set safe level in the US. Health Canada uses up to 2.5 mg per kilogram of body weight a day for children, which for a child of 30 kg is 75 mg, a little more than one bowl of matcha.
Questions
How much caffeine is in a cup of green tea?
A 150 ml cup of Japanese sencha has about 30 mg. A US green tea bag in a 240 ml mug has about 29 mg. A small 40 ml cup of gyokuro has about 64 mg.
Does green tea have caffeine?
Yes. Every tea made from the tea plant has some, including hojicha and genmaicha. In Japan, the usual caffeine-free choice is mugicha, roasted barley tea, which is not made from tea leaves at all.
Green tea vs coffee: which has more caffeine?
Coffee, in most cups. Brewed coffee has 40 mg per 100 ml against 20 mg for sencha and 12 mg for bagged green tea. Gyokuro is the exception, at 160 mg per 100 ml, though it is drunk in tiny amounts.
Does matcha have more caffeine than coffee?
A usual 2 g bowl has about 64 mg, less than a 240 ml mug of coffee (96 mg). Use 3 g of powder and you reach 96 mg, level with the mug.
Is hojicha low in caffeine?
Not always. Many hojicha teas use later leaves and stems, but the tables list it at 20 mg per 100 ml, the same as sencha. Bancha and genmaicha are lower, at 10 mg.
Sources
- Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan, 8th edition (MEXT)
- USDA FoodData Central: fdc.nal.usda.gov
- US Food and Drug Administration, caffeine guidance: fda.gov
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, advice on caffeine in pregnancy
- European Food Safety Authority, scientific opinion on the safety of caffeine
- Health Canada, caffeine guidance for children
- ITO EN, caffeine in a serving of matcha