A standard 18.5 fl oz bottle of Pure Leaf black iced tea holds about 54mg of caffeine, and most flavors in that size land between 33mg and 54mg. Those numbers come straight off PepsiCo's own product facts listings, which publish caffeine per bottle for each Pure Leaf SKU. So a bottle of Pure Leaf sits well under a brewed cup of coffee and roughly in line with a strong cup of home-brewed tea.
Why the number moves around
Pure Leaf is real brewed tea, not a syrup base, so caffeine tracks with how much black or green tea leaf ends up in the bottle and how long it steeps. Black tea flavors carry the most, green tea carries less, and the zero sugar and lemon versions come in a touch lower than the full sweet tea. Bottle size matters too. The 18.5 fl oz bottle is the one you see most in singles, but Pure Leaf also sells 16.9 fl oz multipack bottles, and a smaller bottle means a smaller total dose even at the same flavor.
One thing worth flagging: some third-party caffeine sites list Pure Leaf black tea as high as 84mg. PepsiCo's official per-bottle listings do not back that up. The numbers below all come from PepsiCo product facts pages pulled this session, so treat those as the ones to trust.
Pure Leaf caffeine by flavor and bottle size
| Flavor | Bottle size | Caffeine |
|---|---|---|
| Unsweetened Black Tea | 18.5 fl oz | 54mg |
| Sweet Tea | 18.5 fl oz | 54mg |
| Peach | 18.5 fl oz | 54mg |
| Lemon | 18.5 fl oz | 52mg |
| Unsweetened Black Tea with Lemon | 18.5 fl oz | 47mg |
| Zero Sugar Sweet Tea | 18.5 fl oz | 46mg |
| Unsweetened Green Tea | 18.5 fl oz | 33mg |
| Sweet Tea | 16.9 fl oz | 49mg |
Sources for each figure: PepsiCo product facts for Unsweetened Black Tea 18.5oz, Sweet Tea 18.5oz, Peach 18.5oz, Lemon 18.5oz, Black Tea with Lemon 18.5oz, Zero Sugar Sweet Tea 18.5oz, Unsweetened Green Tea 18.5oz, and Sweet Tea 16.9oz.
How it stacks up against coffee
Put a Pure Leaf next to what you pull behind the bar and it reads as a light lift. A single shot of espresso runs roughly 63 to 75mg, and an 8 oz drip coffee sits north of 90mg, so even the strongest Pure Leaf black tea gives you less caffeine than one espresso shot. That is the useful frame for anyone asking whether a bottle of iced tea will keep them up. It is closer to a moderate cup of hot tea than to a coffee. The tradeoff is sugar in the sweet versions, so if you are watching that, the unsweetened black or the zero sugar sweet tea gives you the same rough caffeine range without the sugar load.
For context, the FDA cites 400mg of caffeine a day as an amount generally not associated with negative effects in healthy adults. How caffeine affects you depends on your own tolerance and health, so treat these numbers as information, not advice.
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Related caffeine breakdowns
- Arizona iced tea caffeine by can and bottle
- Twisted Tea caffeine content per can
- The full Barista Life caffeine database
FAQ
Does Pure Leaf have more caffeine than coffee? No. A full 18.5 fl oz Pure Leaf black tea tops out around 54mg, while an 8 oz drip coffee runs past 90mg and an espresso shot is roughly 63 to 75mg.
Which Pure Leaf flavor has the least caffeine? Of the widely sold 18.5 fl oz bottles, Unsweetened Green Tea is lowest at 33mg per bottle, per PepsiCo product facts.
Is Pure Leaf caffeine free in any version? The standard black and green tea lineup all contain caffeine. If you need zero caffeine, check the specific bottle's PepsiCo product facts page, since herbal or decaf variants are the only ones that would read as caffeine free.