decaf tea vs brewed decaf coffee vs brewed black tea: which has more caffeine?

brewed black tea has the most caffeine of the three at 47mg per 8 oz cup, brewed decaf coffee sits in the middle at 5.6mg, and decaf tea has the least at 4mg. The servings are identical, so the per-can numbers settle it outright: a 43mg spread from top to bottom.

decaf tea vs brewed decaf coffee vs brewed black tea: the numbers

Sources: decaf tea is 4mg per 8 oz cup per Caffeine Informer (source), and the figure is carried in our decaf tea guide; brewed decaf coffee is 5.6mg per 8 oz cup per Caffeine Informer (source), and the figure is carried in our brewed decaf coffee guide; brewed black tea is 47mg per 8 oz cup per USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy 173227, 20mg per 100g times 237g (source), and the figure is carried in our brewed black tea guide.

Why the three numbers are not measured the same way

Canned drinks list an exact figure because caffeine is a measured ingredient, so the number on the label is the number in the can. Brewed drinks are averages: grind, dose, water temperature and steep time move a cup of coffee or tea by tens of milligrams either way. When you compare across those categories, treat the canned figures as fixed and the brewed ones as a center point with real spread around it.

The three head-to-head pages

Each pairing has its own page with the full math:

• decaf tea vs brewed decaf coffee, head to head
• decaf tea vs brewed black tea, head to head
• brewed decaf coffee vs brewed black tea, head to head

Which one should you pick?

Take decaf tea when you want the smallest dose of the three, brewed decaf coffee when you want a middle number without thinking about it, and brewed black tea when you actually want the 47mg and know how you handle it. If you drink more than one caffeinated thing a day, the useful move is adding the day up against the 400mg reference rather than judging each drink alone.

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

• The verified caffeine database
• Every drink compared: the comparisons index
• Compare any two of 120+ drinks

FAQ

Which has the most caffeine, decaf tea, brewed decaf coffee or brewed black tea? brewed black tea, at 47mg per 8 oz cup. brewed decaf coffee has 5.6mg per 8 oz cup and decaf tea has 4mg per 8 oz cup.

Which of the three is strongest per ounce? brewed black tea, at about 5.9mg per fluid ounce, ahead of brewed decaf coffee at 0.7mg and decaf tea at 0.5mg.

How many brewed black tea servings reach the FDA 400mg reference? About 8.5 of them, at 8 oz cup each. The FDA cites 400mg a day as an amount generally not associated with negative effects in healthy adults. This is information, not advice.