CAFFEINE VS DECAFFEINATED OR CAFFEINE FREE

Many people are sensitive to caffeine or choose not to drink caffeinated beverages. Others insist on having caffeine in their beverages. Tea offers something for everyone.

Every variety of tea made from the tea plant (camellia sinensis) has caffeine. This includes black, oolong, puerh, green, yellow and white teas. Black tea has a little more caffeine than green and white tea, but they all have close to the same amount. All tea has significantly less caffeine than the same amount of a cup of coffee.

If your special tea drinker cannot have caffeine at all do not gift him/her with black, oolong, puerh, green, yellow or white tea unless it is labeled decaffeinated.

Herbal tea is also called a Tisane. Rooibos tea, also called red tea*, and honey bush tea are both naturally caffeine free. These are not true tea in the sense that their leaves do not come from the camellia sinensis plant, but we know them as ‘tea’ nonetheless.

In the search box type ‘no caffeine’ to find Tea Lover Gift Baskets that have decaffeinated or caffeine free teas.

*red tea can sometimes refer to a black tea that infuses a reddish color – especially Chinese teas. The tea label should make it clear what the tea actually is, if not, the list of ingredients will.