How Much Caffeine Is in White Tea? Per Cup and vs Coffee

White tea has caffeine, usually somewhere between about 14 and 61 mg in a 6 or 8 oz cup, which is often less than a cup of coffee but not reliably less than green or black tea. When a lab measured 20 commercial teas, caffeine in white, green and black teas ranged from 14 to 61 mg per serving with no clear trend by tea type (Chin et al., 2008). Brewed coffee has about 95 mg in an 8 oz cup (USDA FoodData Central). The idea that white tea is always the lowest caffeine tea does not hold up: its leaves hold about as much caffeine as other teas (Boros et al., 2016), and how you brew it decides most of what ends up in your cup. This guide covers white tea caffeine per cup, how it compares with green tea, black tea and coffee, and how to brew a lighter or stronger cup.

It is educational, not medical advice.

Key Takeaways

• About 14 to 61 mg per cup: that was the range across white, green and black teas brewed as 6 or 8 oz servings in a lab study, with no trend by tea type (Chin et al., 2008).
• Not always the lowest: white tea leaves averaged 16.79 mg of caffeine per gram, against 16.28 for green, 19.31 for oolong and 17.73 for black tea (Boros et al., 2016).
• Brewing sets the cup: in a 2025 lab study, longer brewing raised caffeine, and white tea averaged about 5.8 mg per 200 mL across its short test brews (Ayakdaş and Ağagündüz, 2025).
• Well under coffee in most cups: brewed coffee has about 95 mg per 8 oz (USDA FoodData Central), and a lab study of 20 commercial teas found most brewed teas carry less caffeine per serving than brewed coffee (Chin et al., 2008).
• Fits easily in a day: the FDA cites 400 mg of caffeine a day as an amount not generally associated with negative effects for most adults (FDA).

White Tea Caffeine at a Glance

Drink	Caffeine	Source
White tea, 6 or 8 oz	about 14 to 61 mg (range for white, green and black teas)	Chin et al., 2008
White tea, 200 mL lab brews	about 5.8 mg on average	Ayakdaş and Ağagündüz, 2025
Brewed green tea, 1 cup	about 29 mg	USDA
Brewed oolong tea, 8 oz	about 38 mg	USDA
Brewed black tea, 8 oz	about 47 mg	USDA
Brewed coffee, 8 oz	about 95 mg	USDA

The USDA figures come from its values per 100 g of brewed tea and coffee: 12 mg for green tea in a 245 g cup (USDA FoodData Central), 16 mg for oolong (USDA FoodData Central), 20 mg for black tea and 40 mg for coffee, each in a 237 g, 8 fl oz cup (USDA FoodData Central; USDA FoodData Central). The white tea rows come from lab tests, not a single standard value, so read them as a range for a typical cup rather than a fixed amount.

What Is White Tea?

White tea comes from the same tea plant as green, oolong and black tea. It is the least processed of the group: the young leaves and buds are withered and dried rather than rolled and fully oxidized, which gives a pale cup with a light, sweet taste. Because it comes from the same plant, white tea carries the same two compounds that tea is known for, caffeine and L-theanine (Boros et al., 2016). White teas also vary a lot from one product to the next. When researchers compared 8 commercial white teas with green teas, the amounts of catechins in white teas ranged widely, and they concluded that statements ranking tea types by catechin content need care about the exact tea and its source (Unachukwu et al., 2010).

How Much Caffeine Is in a Cup of White Tea?

There is no single number, and that is the honest answer. In the lab study of 20 commercial teas, white, green and black teas brewed as 6 or 8 oz servings ranged from 14 to 61 mg of caffeine per serving, and the type of tea did not predict where a product landed in that range; steep time did change the result (Chin et al., 2008).

Short, gentle brews can sit far lower. In a 2025 study that brewed six tea types at 80 °C and 100 °C for 2, 5 and 10 minutes, white tea averaged about 5.8 mg of caffeine per 200 mL across those brews, more than oolong at about 4 mg but less than green tea at about 11 mg and black tea at about 14 mg (Ayakdaş and Ağagündüz, 2025). Those cups used the study's own leaf amounts, so they show how the types compare under the same conditions, not how much is in a strong home brew.

To get a feel for the upper end, start from the leaf. White tea leaves averaged 16.79 mg of caffeine per gram in the 37 teas tested (Boros et al., 2016), and a large survey found caffeine passed into the water almost completely under its brewing method (Yong et al., 2022). On those figures, 2 g of white tea leaf in a mug could release around 34 mg if steeped long enough, and more leaf means more caffeine.

Does White Tea Have the Least Caffeine?

Not reliably. White tea is often described as the lowest caffeine tea, but the measured numbers do not line up neatly behind that idea. In the leaf, white tea held 16.79 mg of caffeine per gram, slightly more than green tea at 16.28 mg, and the researchers concluded that caffeine content could not tell the tea types apart (Boros et al., 2016). A study of 1,398 tea samples, white tea among them, found average contents from 27 mg per gram for oolong up to 43 mg per gram for yellow tea (Yong et al., 2022). And in brewed cups, white, green and black teas overlapped across the same 14 to 61 mg range (Chin et al., 2008).

What usually makes a white tea cup light is the brewing: a short steep and a small amount of fluffy leaf. Change those, and a white tea can be as strong as a cup of green or black tea.

White Tea vs Green Tea vs Black Tea vs Coffee

By USDA's typical values, a cup of brewed green tea has about 29 mg, oolong about 38 mg, black tea about 47 mg and coffee about 95 mg (USDA FoodData Central; USDA FoodData Central; USDA FoodData Central; USDA FoodData Central). White tea has no single USDA figure, but lab tests put it in the same overlapping range as green and black tea (Chin et al., 2008), and in matched lab brews it came out between oolong and green tea (Ayakdaş and Ağagündüz, 2025). Either way, a typical cup of white tea has well under the caffeine of a cup of brewed coffee.

For the other teas, see caffeine in oolong tea, caffeine in black tea and green tea vs black tea. For the bigger picture, tea vs coffee compares effects as well as caffeine.

What Changes the Caffeine in Your Cup

• Steeping time: longer brewing raised caffeine in the lab studies (Ayakdaş and Ağagündüz, 2025; Chin et al., 2008).
• Water temperature: the 2025 study brewed at 80 °C and 100 °C, and in that study the hotter water raised caffeine clearly only in oolong tea, while longer steeping raised it across the teas (Ayakdaş and Ağagündüz, 2025). Time and leaf amount matter more than a few degrees.
• How much leaf: white tea leaves are bulky, so a spoonful weighs less than the same spoonful of rolled tea. More grams of leaf means more caffeine, at about 16.79 mg per gram on average (Boros et al., 2016).
• Tea bag or loose leaf: for white tea, the serving form made no difference to caffeine in the 2025 study, unlike black tea, where cup sized bags gave more (Ayakdaş and Ağagündüz, 2025).
• Repeated steeps: if you steep the same leaves several times, add the cups together; caffeine moves into the water readily (Yong et al., 2022).
• Cup size: a 16 oz bottle or travel mug holds twice the tea of an 8 oz cup, and twice the caffeine at the same strength.

Caffeine and L-Theanine in White Tea

Tea leaves carry L-theanine, an amino acid from the tea plant, alongside their caffeine. In the 37 commercial teas, white tea leaves averaged 6.26 mg of L-theanine per gram, against 6.56 for green, 6.09 for oolong and 5.13 for black tea (Boros et al., 2016). In a placebo-controlled study, 50 mg of caffeine with 100 mg of L-theanine improved speed and accuracy on an attention switching task and reduced distraction in a memory task (Owen et al., 2008). That caffeine amount is within the range of a strong cup of white tea. Read more in L-theanine and caffeine.

White Tea Before Bed

White tea is not caffeine-free, so an evening cup can matter if you are sensitive to caffeine. A light, short steep keeps the amount low, and an earlier last cup is the simplest fix. Our guide to how long caffeine lasts explains the timing, and drinks that help you sleep lists caffeine-free options for the evening.

How to Brew White Tea With More or Less Caffeine

• For a gentler cup: use less leaf and a short steep, and stop after one or two infusions (Ayakdaş and Ağagündüz, 2025).
• For a stronger cup: use more leaf and a longer steep (Chin et al., 2008).
• Count the whole pot: when you steep the same leaves several times, add the cups together rather than counting one.
• Check bottled white tea: ready to drink bottles are often 16 oz or more, so read the label for the caffeine amount when one is given.

How Much White Tea Is Too Much?

For most adults, the FDA cites 400 mg of caffeine a day as an amount not generally associated with negative effects, and suggests talking with a health care provider if you are pregnant, trying to become pregnant, breastfeeding, or have a condition or medication that affects caffeine (FDA). Even at the top of the 14 to 61 mg range (Chin et al., 2008), several cups of white tea fit under that line, but count coffee, soda and other teas too. Our guide to how much caffeine is too much lists the signs to watch for, and caffeine crash covers the afternoon dip.

Where Our Products Fit

Theanine Nasal Spray gives 36 mg of L-theanine per serving and is caffeine-free, for anyone who likes the idea of tea's theanine alongside their usual drink. The Energy Stack combines NAD+ Nasal Spray, Forage and Methyl B-12 Nasal Spray in one daily energy routine. Read more on our L-theanine ingredient page and the Non-Stimulant Energy and Focus hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does white tea have caffeine?

Yes. White tea comes from the same plant as green and black tea, and its leaves averaged 16.79 mg of caffeine per gram in one study of commercial teas (Boros et al., 2016).

How much caffeine is in a cup of white tea?

Usually somewhere between about 14 and 61 mg in a 6 or 8 oz serving, the range a lab found across white, green and black teas (Chin et al., 2008). A short steep with little leaf gives a cup at the low end.

Does white tea have less caffeine than green tea?

Not reliably. The leaves hold similar amounts, 16.79 mg per gram for white and 16.28 for green (Boros et al., 2016), and brewed cups overlap (Chin et al., 2008). Brewing makes the bigger difference.

Does white tea have less caffeine than black tea?

Often, but not always. In matched lab brews, white tea averaged about 5.8 mg per 200 mL against about 14 mg for black tea (Ayakdaş and Ağagündüz, 2025), yet in commercial products the ranges overlap (Chin et al., 2008).

How does white tea caffeine compare with coffee?

A typical cup of white tea has well under the about 95 mg in an 8 oz cup of brewed coffee (USDA FoodData Central; Chin et al., 2008).

Is white tea caffeine-free?

No. Lab tests found no caffeine in the herbal teas they measured, while white teas had measurable amounts (Chin et al., 2008).

Is there decaf white tea?

Decaffeinated teas exist, and lab tests found decaf teas still had small amounts, under 12 mg per serving (Chin et al., 2008). Check the label for white tea specifically.

Will white tea keep me awake?

It can if you are sensitive, especially a strong cup. A lighter brew or an earlier last cup helps. See how long caffeine lasts.

How many cups of white tea can I drink a day?

For caffeine alone, several cups fit under the 400 mg a day the FDA cites for most adults (FDA), as long as you count your other caffeine too.

Sources

1. Chin JM, Merves ML, Goldberger BA, Sampson-Cone A, Cone EJ. Caffeine content of brewed teas. J Anal Toxicol. 2008. PubMed 19007524
2. Boros K, Jedlinszki N, Csupor D. Theanine and Caffeine Content of Infusions Prepared from Commercial Tea Samples. Pharmacogn Mag. 2016. DOI
3. Ayakdaş G, Ağagündüz D. Determination of L-Theanine and Caffeine Contents in Tea Infusions with Different Fermentation Degrees and Brewing Conditions Using the Chromatographic Method. Foods. 2025. DOI
4. Yong L, Song Y, Xiao X, et al. Quantitative probabilistic assessment of caffeine intake from tea in Chinese adult consumers based on nationwide caffeine content determination and tea consumption survey. Food Chem Toxicol. 2022. DOI
5. Unachukwu UJ, Ahmed S, Kavalier A, Lyles JT, Kennelly EJ. White and green teas (Camellia sinensis var. sinensis): variation in phenolic, methylxanthine, and antioxidant profiles. J Food Sci. 2010. DOI
6. U.S. Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central: Beverages, tea, green, brewed, regular (FDC 171917); Beverages, tea, Oolong, brewed (FDC 174120); Beverages, tea, black, brewed, prepared with tap water (FDC 173227); Beverages, coffee, brewed, prepared with tap water (FDC 171890). FoodData Central
7. Owen GN, Parnell H, De Bruin EA, Rycroft JA. The combined effects of L-theanine and caffeine on cognitive performance and mood. Nutr Neurosci. 2008. PubMed 18681988
8. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine Is Too Much? FDA

Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. This article is for education only and is not medical advice.