Barista Life Blog · 1 min read

brewed green tea vs Starbucks Chai Latte: which has more caffeine?

Starbucks Chai Latte has more caffeine than brewed green tea on both counts: 95mg per 16 oz grande against 28mg per 8 oz cup, and about 6mg per fluid ounce against 4. The serving sizes differ, so the table below shows both ways of counting.

brewed green tea vs Starbucks Chai Latte: the numbers

brewed green tea Starbucks Chai Latte
Caffeine per serving 28mg per 8 oz cup 95mg per 16 oz grande
Caffeine per fl oz 3.5mg 5.9mg
Servings to reach 400mg (FDA context) 14.3 4.2

Sources: brewed green tea's figure is verified in our brewed green tea caffeine guide against USDA FoodData Central (source); Starbucks Chai Latte's figure is verified in our Starbucks Chai Latte guide against Starbucks nutrition listing (source).

Which one should you pick?

Pick brewed green tea when you want the lighter dose or a slower ramp, and Starbucks Chai Latte 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 green tea or Starbucks Chai Latte have more caffeine? Starbucks Chai Latte: 95mg per 16 oz grande versus 28mg per 8 oz cup for brewed green tea.

Which is stronger per ounce? Starbucks Chai Latte, at about 5.9mg per fluid ounce versus 3.5mg for brewed green 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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