stock man said

About caffeine...

Hi everyone!

What do you do when you want a cup of tea but can’t drink it because of caffeine?

I sometimes would like to drink some pu or black tea but can’t do it because I’m quite sensible to caffeine and that would mean not sleeping.

35 Replies
AllanK said

There are some decent decaf teas out there. I don’t know where you are located but Simpson and Vail has some good ones. Then there are caffeine free herbals and rooibos teas. I prefer the green rooibos to the red rooibos myself. Unfortunately there really is no such thing as decaf puerh but a variety of decaf black teas are sold. I once asked Scott at Yunnan Sourcing if there was any such thing as decaf puerh. He looked into it and reported back that if it existed he couldn’t find it so it probably doesn’t exist.

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Seems a bit obvious to even mention it, but tisanes / herb teas are an option. I’ve drank sage, rosemary, and papaya leaf “tea” over the last year, lots more when I was younger but I was out of the habit for awhile.

Hojicha is the only real tea type that comes to mind described as lower in caffeine but I’m not so sure about that, and it’s not exactly in the same range as other tea types, being roasted differently and based on stems in addition to leaves.

Rasseru said

maybe one of the teas made from just stems like the malawi antlers that what-cha sells would be a good choice? I’m yet to try (out of stock both times ive wanted to buy) but heard nice things about it. Also sweetness resides there doesnt it, so a pretty nice taste I think.

AllanK said

There’s always tea made from tea flowers, extremely low in caffeine. Very different taste though.

Rasseru said

Yeah its a hard balancing act for us isnt it. All the tea with less caffeine in loses the tea taste.. Maybe just eat tonnes of broccoli every day hahahaha

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AllanK said

There is also an expensive tea Verdant Tea is selling. Tea made from the Camellia Crassicolumna plant. A close relative of the tea plant. It is caffeine free. I tried the sheng and the black tea. I liked the sheng, didn’t much like the black tea, but it is caffeine free so it would be an option although not a cheap one.

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t-curious said

I’m in the same boat as you. One thing you might try is Kukicha. It’s made mostly of stems which are lower in caffeine. Plus it’s high in theanine which has a calming effect. I don’t know for a fact it’s something that would work for you, but it might be worth a try. I’ve got some incoming from Den’s. Once I’ve tried it I’ll post back here and let you know how it worked for me.

stock man said

so, then white tea will have more theanine than green tea?

t-curious said

High theanine is due to shading the tea plants before harvest. Karigane is Kukicha made from Gyokuro. Gyokuro is shaded before harvest. I’m no expert about this stuff but unless the white tea is shaded, then it won’t be high in theanine.

For reference, this is the tea I’m talking about:

http://www.denstea.com/kukicha-karigane-gyokuro-kukicha-1150-c-112_665.html

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stock man said

I’ll try some english breakfast decaf teas and the kuicha.

I’m also having panic attacks so maybe the kukicha will help due to the high theanine.

AllanK said

If you are having panic attacks you really should see a doctor. They will give you something for that.

stock man said

I’m on it Allan, but tea is a hughe part of my daily routine and I can’t see myself without taking it (actually I did it for a week and I was feeling like if it was missing something in my life).

TeaLife.HK said

Moderation is key—too much caffeine makes me anxious, too, even with the theanine

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carol who said

Harney and Sons has a decaf black tea called Vanilla Comoro. It’s quite taste but not particularly “bold”. Makes a very nice evening tea.

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Zack S. said

Lupicia’s Orzo Caramel & Honey is the closest thing I’ve found that can satisfy my craving for black tea late at night. It’s not black tea, but its deep flavor is bold enough to do the trick for me. Love the taste of it too.

Lynxiebrat said

Lupicia’s Caramel & Rum has a pretty bold taste too.

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MrQuackers said

You drink Rooibos of course!

Seriously, do you people even read my reviews? ;)

stock man said

don’t like it

MrQuackers said

I’m surprised I had one that was smooth like a Ceylon tea the other day, with no bitterness. Is it possible that you had a lower quality one?

TeaLife.HK said

Is it possible that people may not like the same things you do? :)

carol who said

Ditto

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You could try a decaf black or one of the many varieties of herbal tea. If you like black tea, you could try: roasted barley, brewing cocoa, pau d’arco (also called lapacho), honeybush, or a blend marketed as herbal chai or herbal coffee. There is an incredible variety of herbal tea available, but these particular ones are more similar to black tea than most.

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MrQuackers said

Green tea is very low in caffeine as well. Remember the whole volume of water to leaf thing as well. You can alter the caffeine level by playing with the proportions.

AllanK said

It is a myth that green tea is lower in caffeine. Caffeine content depends not so much on the processing, although I understand roasting tea can lower caffeine, but whether the tea is heavy in buds which have the most caffeine, small leaves will have more caffeine than large leaves, and stems the least. Tea made from tea flowers will have even less than this. A green tea can be very high in caffeine or very low in caffeine according to factors such as these.

Mackie said

I think I heard oxidation has an effect on caffeine level as well? Like less oxidation = more caffeine?

AllanK said

@Mackie I have not heard that? where did you get your information?

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