Caffeine is traditionally associated with coffee, but you may be surprised how much is also found in tea and soft drinks.
Check out the caffeine levels of some common drinks below. Drink sizes are mostly in 250 milliliters (mL) which is one cup, caffeine is shown in milligrams (mg). Note that an Expresso shot is just a fraction of this size at 30 mL, with energy and soft drinks cans commonly coming in sizes ranging from 250 – 355 mL, so take this into account when calculating how much caffeine you consume each day.
Caffeine levels
Tea
Black tea (250 mL) – 50 mg caffeine
Green tea (250 mL) – 35 mg caffeine
Coffee
Expresso (30 mL one shot) – 64 mg caffeine
Percolated (250 mL) – 210 mg caffeine
Plunger (250 mL) – 110 mg caffeine
Instant (one teaspoon coffee powder/granules) – 70mg caffeine
Coke & energy drink
Energy drink (250 mL) – 80 mg caffeine
Diet Coke (250 mL) – 32 mg caffeine
Coca-Cola (250 mL) – 24 mg caffeine
Coke Zero (250 mL) – 24 mg caffeine
Tea versus coffee
As a general rule of thumb, tea usually has about half the amount of caffeine compared to coffee, so two cups of tea is equal to one cup of coffee.
However, there are lots of variables that can influence how much caffeine is in your cup of tea or coffee such as:
- instant versus brewed coffee
- how your coffee is brewed (expresso machine, percolated, plunger)
- type of tea and how it is picked and processed
- loose leaf versus tea bags
- how long you brew your tea for
Caffeine is a simulant, helps combat fatigue and drowsiness and can hang around in your blood system for up to six hours after consuming it. And like many things in life, moderation seems to be the best course. Tea and coffee each have significant health benefits – but too much caffeine is best avoided.
References:
https://www.coca-colajourney.co.nz/our-products/caffeine
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