How much caffeine is in brewed oolong tea?

How much caffeine is in brewed oolong tea?

As an Amazon Associate, Barista Life earns from qualifying purchases.

brewed oolong tea has 37mg of caffeine per 8 oz cup, per USDA FoodData Central. That works out to about 4.6mg per fluid ounce, well under brewed coffee at 11.9mg per ounce. Against the two standards everyone actually knows, one 8 oz cup equals about 0.4 cups of brewed coffee or 0.6 shots of espresso.

brewed oolong tea vs coffee and espresso

Drink Serving Caffeine Per fl oz Servings to reach 400mg
brewed oolong tea 8 oz cup 37mg 4.6mg 10.8
Brewed coffee 8 oz cup 95mg 11.9mg 4.2
Espresso 1 oz shot 63mg 63.0mg 6.3

How the number behaves

Brewed tea has no single true number: leaf amount, water temperature, and steep time all move it, so the 37mg figure is a compiled average for a standard 8 oz cup rather than a label guarantee. brewed oolong tea brewed strong with more leaf lands higher; a short, cooler steep lands lower.

The mistake people make is treating every cup as identical. The same leaves steeped five minutes instead of two can carry meaningfully more caffeine, so treat 37mg as the midpoint of a range, not a fixed dose.

Where to find it

Check brewed oolong tea prices on Amazon

Compare it

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.

More on this

FAQ

How much caffeine is in brewed oolong tea? 37mg per 8 oz cup, per USDA FoodData Central. That is about 4.6mg per fluid ounce.

Is brewed oolong tea stronger than coffee? No. brewed oolong tea carries 37mg per 8 oz cup versus 95mg in an 8 oz cup of brewed coffee, and per ounce it is 4.6mg versus 11.9mg.

How many servings of brewed oolong tea reach 400mg of caffeine? About 10.8 of the 8 oz cup servings reach the 400mg daily amount the FDA cites for healthy adults.

Sources: the brewed oolong tea figure (37mg per 8 oz cup) is USDA FoodData Central (source). Brewed coffee (95mg per 8 oz) and espresso (63mg per 1 oz) reference values are from USDA FoodData Central (source).

Barista Life runs on coffee people. Browse the Barista Life shop to support the site.

Get the good coffee stuff

One email a week: what we verified, what is worth buying, and what is not. No spam, unsubscribe any time.

Back to blog