Barista Life Blog · 1 min read

brewed black tea vs English breakfast tea: which has more caffeine?

brewed black tea has more caffeine than English breakfast tea: 47mg vs 47mg in the same 8 oz cup. That is a 0mg gap, and since the cans match, the per-serving number is the whole story.

brewed black tea vs English breakfast tea: the numbers

brewed black tea English breakfast tea
Caffeine per serving 47mg per 8 oz cup 47mg per 8 oz cup
Caffeine per fl oz 5.9mg 5.9mg
Servings to reach 400mg (FDA context) 8.5 8.5

Sources: brewed black tea's figure is verified in our brewed black tea caffeine guide against USDA FoodData Central (source); English breakfast tea's figure is verified in our English breakfast tea guide against Twinings published figure (source).

Which one should you pick?

Pick English breakfast tea when you want the lighter dose or a slower ramp, and brewed black tea when you actually need the bigger hit and know your tolerance. If you are stacking either with other caffeinated drinks through the day, run the math against the 400mg reference rather than guessing.

For context, the FDA cites 400mg of caffeine a day as an amount generally not associated with negative effects in healthy adults. Tolerance and health vary, so treat these numbers as information, not advice.

Related reading

FAQ

Does brewed black tea or English breakfast tea have more caffeine? brewed black tea: 47mg per 8 oz cup versus 47mg per 8 oz cup for English breakfast tea.

Which is stronger per ounce? brewed black tea, at about 5.9mg per fluid ounce versus 5.9mg for English breakfast tea.

Comparing caffeine? The caffeine comparison tool puts hundreds of drinks side by side, and the caffeine curfew calculator can check your cutoff time for tonight.

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