Coffee usually carries about twice the caffeine of tea — but steep time, leaf and matcha rewrite the numbers, and tea’s caffeine famously feels different. The honest comparison, cup for cup.
Cup for cup, coffee wins on caffeine — usually by about double. A standard cup of brewed coffee carries roughly 80–100 mg of caffeine; the same cup of black tea is typically 40–70 mg, and green tea gentler still. But the leaf you choose, how long you steep it and how much you use move the numbers a lot — and tea's caffeine feels different, which for many people matters more than the milligrams.
Brewed coffee ≈ 80–100 mg · espresso shot ≈ 60–65 mg · matcha serving ≈ 60–80 mg · black tea ≈ 40–70 mg · oolong ≈ 30–50 mg · green tea ≈ 25–45 mg · white tea ≈ 15–30 mg · herbal infusions ≈ 0 mg. Typical published ranges — an individual cup varies with brewing.
Tea's quiet advantage is an amino acid called L-theanine, found almost nowhere else in the diet. It works alongside caffeine and smooths its edges — which is why tea drinkers typically describe a calm, steady alertness rather than coffee's quicker spike, and why a strong cup of tea rarely brings the jitters a strong coffee can. Coffee's caffeine also tends to arrive faster; tea's releases more gradually across the cup.
Most healthy adults handle moderate caffeine comfortably, but sensitivity varies — and this is general information, not medical advice. If you are pregnant or managing a health condition, follow your doctor's guidance on caffeine.
Cup for cup, yes — a typical brewed coffee has roughly double the caffeine of a cup of black tea, and green tea is lighter still.
Matcha — you drink the whole powdered leaf, so a serving can rival a light coffee. Among brewed teas, strong black tea is highest.
L-theanine. It works with caffeine to give a calmer, steadier alertness than coffee's fast spike.
Yes — true herbals like chamomile, peppermint, tulsi and hibiscus contain no caffeine, because they aren't from the tea plant.
The Tea Planet manufactures teas, chai premixes, matcha and coffee in Hyderabad — every strength of cup, made at café scale. Explore our tea & coffee range →