Homemade Decaffeinated tea

How to make your own decaf tea

While the so called real teas or true teas from the Camilla sinensis plant (Black tea, Green tea, Wulong or Oolong, White tea and Pu-erh tea) are all known for their health benefits, the caffeine can be a negative factor. Some people do not take caffeine well or just wish to avoid it for different health reasons or because of pregnancy.

It is very easy to make your own decaffeinated tea yourself. All you need to do is make a »fake« tea and throw it away after 30 seconds and just resteep the same tea leaves again to brew yourself the decaf tea. But we should not forget that, with getting rid of the possibly unhealthy caffeine, we also lose some of the natural antioxidants which procure numerous health benefits. Most of the caffeine will get out after the first 30-40 seconds of steeping, but decaffeinated tea is and can not be entirely caffeine free.

Caffeine content of White, Green and Black tea

If you are a tea lover but wish to consume as little caffeine as possible, White tea is the right choice. It undergoes very little processing and no fermentation (which makes it full of health-giving antioxidants) and it also contains considerably less caffeine than other teas. The amount of caffeine depends on the tea leaf variety, the place where the tea bush was  grown, size of the leaves, and the method and length of brewing or steeping. That is why the reported values re variable.

Caffeine levels of White Tea are about 15 mg per serving, compared to 40 mg in Black Tea, and 20 mg in Green Tea.

Caffeine content in some of the popular drinks and teas

Coffee - Espresso (5 oz. cup) … 80 mg
Cola (12 oz. can) … 45 mg
Black Tea (one tea bag) … 40 mg
Oolong or Wulong Tea (one tea bag) … 30 mg
Green Tea (one tea bag) … 20 mg
White Tea (one tea bag) … 15 mg
Decaf Tea (one tea bag) … 2 mg
Herbal Tea (one tea bag) … 0 mg

More articles on Caffeine:
White tea Caffeine content
White tea and pregnancy
White tea vs. Green tea