Caffeine and Calories in a Cup of Green Tea

Caffeine and Calories in Green Tea

Green tea has about half the caffeine of black tea. Both have virtually no calories, although the antioxidants in green tea make it the healthiest choice.

Drinking green tea is great for your health and your weight loss goals. It has zero calories and half the caffeine of black tea. But watch out for iced tea — that’s almost as unhealthy as soda!

Contents:

The table below shows the estimated amount of calories and caffeine in green tea, black tea, herbal tea, and instant tea. If you want the caffeine and calories in iced tea, see the chart at the end of this article.

Green Tea Caffeine, Calories & Nutrition FactsFor one 8 oz (237ml) cup — 1 serving
Type of Tea Calories
(kcal)
Nutrition Facts
Fat
(g)
Sodium
(mg)
Carbs
(g)
Protein
(g)
Caffeine
(mg)
Source: USDA National Nutrient Database. See References and Sources.
Green Tea (Freshly Brewed)
green tea, prepared with distilled water 0 0 0 0 0 24
green tea, prepared with tap water 0 0 7 0 0 24
green tea, prepared with tap water, decaffeinated 0 0 7 0 0 1
Black Tea (Freshly Brewed)
black tea, prepared with distilled water 2 0 0 1 0 47
black tea, prepared with tap water 2 0 7 1 0 47
black tea, prepared with tap water, decaffeinated 2 0 7 1 0 2
Herbal Tea (Freshly Brewed)
herbal tea, (other than chamomile) 2 0 2 0 0 0
chamomile herbal tea 2 0 2 0 0 0
Native American Tea
Hohoysi (Hopi), Navajo tea 5 0 64 0 0 236
tundra tea, Native Alaskan herbal and laborador combination 2 0 313 0 0 236
Instant Tea (made from a powder)
unsweetened instant tea 2 0 10 0 0 26
sweetened instant tea, with sugar and lemon-flavor 91 0 5 22 0 8
sweetened instant tea, with sodium saccharin and lemon-flavor 5 0 14 1 0 26

How Much Caffeine in Green and Black Tea?

The exact caffeine content in tea can vary due to many factors, including growing conditions, harvest time, preparation, packaging, and brewing method. But British researchers found that in general, green tea has about half the caffeine of black tea. On average, green tea has about 24mg of caffeine per 8 oz (237 ml) cup, while black tea has about 47mg.

Decaffeinated teas still have some very small amount of caffeine, although it’s almost negligible — about 1 to 2 mg per 8oz (237ml) cup. If you want to completely avoid caffeine, go for herbal tea, which has no caffeine at all.

Make Your Own Decaffeinated Green Tea

Decaffeinated green tea is often poor quality tea that doesn’t taste very good. But if you don’t want caffeine in your tea, it’s pretty easy to decaffeinate it yourself. Luckily, the caffeine in green tea is very water soluble, but the healthy antioxidants are not. So you can remove 90 percent of the caffeine in green tea by following these steps:

  1. Start with any good quality green tea that you enjoy
  2. Boil some water
  3. Soak the loose tea leaves in the boiling water for 30 -45 seconds
  4. Remove the water by pouring the tea leaves through a strainer
  5. Brew the tea leaves as you would normally

You’ll get the same great tasting tea with all the antioxidant health benefits, but with about 90% of the caffeine removed! Thanks to Dr. Andrew Weil for this great tip.

Calories in Green and Black Teas

When you are drinking hot tea, you don’t need to worry about the calories. Green tea has zero calories and black tea has only about 2 calories per 8 oz (237ml) cup. So it’s a smart beverage choice.

BUT, don’t add any sugar to your tea! It’s OK to add lemon. But if you add sugar, your healthy, zero calorie drink will quickly become an unhealthy source of empty calories.

Watch Out for the Calories in Iced Tea!

Since tea is such a healthy, almost zero calorie drink, you would think that iced tea would be a great choice on a hot day. But you would be wrong!

Most iced tea is loaded with sugar and it can be as unhealthy for you as soda. You’ll also get extra sodium — another ingredient that has no business being in a beverage. So, unless you brew your own iced tea (and you skip the sugar), you should probably avoid it. Iced tea is not a wise beverage choice. Who needs the empty calories?

To prove our point, the chart below shows the calories, caffeine, and nutrition info for several top brands of iced tea.

Iced Tea Calories and Nutrition FactsFor one 12 oz (355ml) can, bottle, or glass — 1 serving
Type of Tea Calories
(kcal)
Nutrition Facts
Fat
(g)
Sodium
(mg)
Carbs
(g)
Protein
(g)
Caffeine
(mg)
Source: USDA National Nutrient Database. See References and Sources.
Ready-To-Drink (from a can or bottle)
Arizona iced tea, with lemon flavor 143 0 15 36 0 18
Lipton Brisk iced tea, with lemon flavor 129 0 77 32 0 7
Nestle, Cool Nestea lemon flavor 132 0 77 33 0 11
Wendy’s iced tea, unsweetened, without ice 4 0 11 0 1 29
Instant Tea (made from a powder)
unsweetened instant tea 4 0 14 1 0 39
sweetened instant tea, with sugar and lemon-flavor 136 0 8 33 0 12
sweetened instant tea, with sodium saccharin and lemon-flavor 7 0 21 2 0 39

Metabolism Booster: Using Green Tea for Weight Loss

There is a lot of hype about using green tea to lose weight. Is it true? Yes, but it’s not a magic weight loss solution. Green tea will give your metabolism a small, temporary boost. If you drink it every day, you’ll lose about one pound per month. That’s not bad, to make real weight-loss gains you need to combine green tea with diet and exercise. For more details, see our article on How To Use Green Tea For Weight Loss.

Should You Drink Tea? Yes!

So, what’s the verdict on tea? Should you drink it? Absolutely. Especially if you drink green tea. It’s a zero calorie drink that’s full of healthy antioxidants. So drink up!

If you want to find out more about all the great reasons to drink green tea, read our article Health Benefits of Green Tea: Facts & Fictions.

Do you drink tea? Do you prefer green, black or herbal? What’s your favorite type and brand? Share your own advice by leaving a comment below.

References & Sources: (show)(hide)

    • Khokhar S, et al.
    • “Total phenol, catechin, and caffeine contents of teas commonly consumed in the United kingdom.”
    • Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
    • 50.3 (30 Jan 2002): 565-70.
    • Washington: American Chemical Society.
    • Procter Department of Food Science. University of Leeds. United Kingdom.
    • United States. Department of Agriculture. Agricultural Research Service. Nutrient Data Laboratory.
    • USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 24.
    • Washington: GPO,
    • 30 March 2012.
    • Weil, Andrew, M.D..
    • “Green Tea, Red Wine and Chocolate”
    • DrWeil.com.
    • Tempe, AZ: Weil Lifestyle, LLC.
    • Web. 07 Sept 2012.
    • www.drweil.com.

Comments Add Your Own Comment

  1. nilanthi says:

    I recently started using green tea to reduce my tummy. How many cups I should drink each day. At the moment I drink one cup at night. Please advise. Thanks. B

    • Editor says:

      If possible, you should try for 3 -4 cups per day. That will help you lose about 1 pound per month. If you combine the green tea with diet and exercise, you’ll see better results. Don’t drink more than 4 cups per day, since there will be no additional benefit. Also, green tea does have some caffeine. So if you have trouble sleeping, you should avoid drinking it in the late afternoon or evening.

      Good luck with your weight loss!

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