Is There Black Tea without Caffeine?

Last Updated on June 16, 2022 by Scott

Black tea is commonly enjoyed on a regular basis around the world. People drink around 2 to 3 cups of tea throughout their day. This can be hard for those who have health issues due to caffeine or those who are highly sensitive to it.

Is There Black Tea without Caffeine?

To slow down caffeine intake, people can look for other alternatives to tea. Even though black tea contains caffeine, it’s also full of health benefits. Cutting it from your diet isn’t necessary unless consumed excessively.

Regular black tea naturally contains caffeine and comes from the camellia Sinensis plant which is where most other teas come from as well. Because of this, all black tea will have traces of caffeine, even if it is decaffeinated. 

If you are looking for a caffeine free tea, try herbal tea. Herbal teas are made from leaves, dried flowers, and seeds that do not contain any caffeine. 

All types of teas have their share of benefits, however, herbal teas are known as earth’s natural medicine. Switching over from black caffeinated tea to herbal teas can be very beneficial to your health. Here are some reasons why black caffeinated teas could be bad for your health.

• When drinking large amounts of black tea (usually more than 5 cups a day), you can be at risk of some side effects such as; irregular heartbeat, nausea, vomiting, headaches, anxiety, rapid breathing, nervousness and difficulty sleeping.
• Black tea can disrupt how certain medicines work for you. Some medicines can allow caffeine to stay in your system longer than it should.
• Caffeine in black tea can also alter some blood tests, making it difficult to get accurate results. Always let your doctor know how much black tea you’ve consumed that day.

These side effects above are usually for heavy tea drinkers or those who are very sensitive to caffeine. When drinking black tea moderately, it can actually be good for your health aside from the caffeine. Although, drinking herbal tea can be a better health option.

Is There a Decaffeinated Black Tea?

Black tea does come in decaffeinated options. Decaffeinating your tea can significantly reduce the caffeine content. This is good for people who love to drink a lot of tea and also want to cut back on their caffeine intake. 

Decaffeinated black tea is produced with either methylene chloride, ethyl acetate, carbon dioxide, or water processing. These are all different methods to remove most of the caffeine content.

• Methylene chloride removes the caffeine by soaking the tea leaves in water. Methylene chloride is then added directly to the water which absorbs most of the caffeine. 
• Ethyl acetate uses the same procedure as methylene chloride to extract the caffeine. Although, this is considered a more natural way because ethyl acetate is found in tea leaves. Using this method sometimes leaves a chemical taste to decaffeinated black tea.
• Carbon dioxide is also known as a natural method to decaffeinate black tea. It is also one of the best ways because it keeps all the tea flavor and health benefits. With this method, the tea leaves are steamed rapidly with carbon dioxide. The gas absorbs the caffeine molecules and removes them from the tea. 
• Water processing is not a common way of removing caffeine from tea. The tea leaves are soaked in hot water for a long time and then passed through a carbon filter to remove the caffeine. Then the water is returned to the tea to soak up the tea flavor and oils. This makes the flavor of the tea a little weak when compared to the other methods.

How Much Caffeine Does Decaffeinated Black Tea Contain?

Decaffeinated and caffeine free teas are not the same. A lot of people think that when black tea is decaffeinated, it contains no caffeine at all. This is incorrect. Decaffeinated black tea contains traces of caffeine. This is still a much smaller amount than regular black tea contains; however, it’s important to know that it is not free from caffeine.

Decaffeinated black tea contains about 2mg of caffeine per cup, which is a considerably small amount as opposed to the 47mg of caffeine per cup in regular black tea.

Is There Any Caffeine in Lipton Black Tea?

Lipton Black Tea has a caffeine content of 50mg per cup. Lipton Black Tea also comes in decaffeinated options which include around 4mg of caffeine per cup.

Conclusion

There is no caffeine free option for black tea. All teas that come from the camellia Sinensis plant naturally contain caffeine. If you want a completely caffeine free alternative, herbal teas are the best choice.