How much caffeine is in Matcha (1 tsp)?

70 mg — that is the amount of caffeine in a 240 ml serving of Matcha (1 tsp), as recorded in the dataset and in USDA FoodData Central (source: USDA FoodData Central).

Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant; this sentence is a definition for the first appearance of the concept (source: Mayo Clinic). In practical terms, 70 mg in 240 ml equals about 29.2 mg per 100 ml (calculation: 70 mg ÷ 240 ml × 100 ml = 29.17 mg per 100 ml; source: USDA FoodData Central), which makes this single 240 ml cup roughly 0.7 times a standard 240 ml cup of drip coffee at 96 mg (comparison: 70 mg vs 96 mg; source: TrackCaffeine dataset /dataset/).

A 70 mg dose commonly produces mild stimulant effects for many people within 15–45 minutes and peaks within about 30–120 minutes after ingestion (typical onset and peak described in pharmacokinetic overviews; source: Mayo Clinic), but sensitivity varies widely by genetics, recent sleep, and habitual intake (variation reported in pharmacology literature; source: Drake et al. 2013). Use the built-in calculator to see how this cup fits into a day: Caffeine half-life calculator (internal tool).

How long Matcha (1 tsp) stays in your system

The TrackCaffeine decay model uses first-order elimination with a population-average half-life of 5.7 hours (definition: elimination half-life is the time it takes for the body to remove half of the substance from the bloodstream; model parameter: 5.7 hours; source: Drake et al. 2013 and pharmacokinetic literature summary).

With a 70 mg dose the remaining caffeine after a given number of hours is calculated as remaining = 70 mg × 0.5^(hours / 5.7) (formula stated and used here; source: TrackCaffeine decay model parameter, 5.7-hour half-life, cited to Drake et al. 2013). Applying that formula gives: after 3 h: remaining = 70 mg × 0.5^(3/5.7) = 70 mg × 0.6947 ≈ 48.6 mg (rounded ≈ 49 mg; source: TrackCaffeine decay model); after 6 h: remaining = 70 mg × 0.5^(6/5.7) = 70 mg × 0.4827 ≈ 33.8 mg (rounded ≈ 34 mg; source: TrackCaffeine decay model); after 9 h: remaining = 70 mg × 0.5^(9/5.7) = 70 mg × 0.3349 ≈ 23.4 mg (rounded ≈ 23 mg; source: TrackCaffeine decay model); after 12 h: remaining = 70 mg × 0.5^(12/5.7) = 70 mg × 0.2325 ≈ 16.3 mg (rounded ≈ 16 mg; source: TrackCaffeine decay model).

Example timing: if this cup is consumed at 15:00, roughly 8 hours later at 23:00 the model predicts remaining = 70 mg × 0.5^(8/5.7) = 70 mg × 0.3779 ≈ 26.5 mg (rounded ≈ 26 mg), which is the amount still active at that time (source: TrackCaffeine decay model and Drake et al. 2013).

The commonly cited safe daily upper limit for healthy adults is 400 mg per day (explicit guidance: 400 mg/day) and this 70 mg matcha cup represents 18% of that 400 mg figure (calculation: 70 mg ÷ 400 mg = 0.175 → 17.5% rounded to 18%; source and guidance: FDA 400 mg/day for healthy adults, linked: https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/spilling-beans-how-much-caffeine-too-much [source: FDA]).

Pregnancy and some special populations need lower intake: the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recommends a maximum of 200 mg/day during pregnancy (pregnancy guidance: 200 mg/day; source: EFSA Scientific Opinion on the Safety of Caffeine, 2015). For adolescents and people who experience sensitivity or arrhythmia, even lower intakes or medical guidance may be appropriate (clinical precaution: consult a clinician; source: Mayo Clinic).

For sleep timing, experimental evidence shows that a large 400 mg dose taken 6 hours before bedtime can reduce total sleep time by about an hour in some people (sleep effect: 400 mg causing >1-hour sleep cost at 6 hours pre-bed; source: Drake et al. 2013). Using that study as context, a single 70 mg matcha at 17:00 is a much smaller load but still leaves non-negligible caffeine at 23:00 (8 hours later the model predicts ≈ 26 mg remaining; source: TrackCaffeine decay model and Drake et al. 2013). To estimate the latest reasonable time for your last cup before bed, try the internal tool: latest cup before bedtime (internal tool).

Within the tea category, a 70 mg matcha cup sits above common brewed green tea at 28 mg per 240 ml and above black/earl/English Breakfast teas around 47–50 mg per 240 ml, but below yerba mate at 85 mg per 240 ml (numbers and comparisons from the TrackCaffeine dataset; source: TrackCaffeine dataset /dataset/ and linked pages such as Green tea, 28 mg). Those values reflect different ways the beverages are made: matcha uses powdered leaf suspended in water, which typically concentrates caffeine relative to an infused steep of whole leaves (mechanism and dataset values; source: USDA FoodData Central).

Against coffee, this single matcha cup at 70 mg is about 0.7 times a 240 ml drip coffee at 96 mg, so it delivers a meaningful but smaller caffeine dose than a standard brewed coffee (70 mg vs 96 mg; source: TrackCaffeine dataset /dataset/). If the goal is a caffeine boost comparable to drip coffee, two similar matcha servings would exceed one 240 ml drip cup (simple arithmetic of 2 × 70 mg = 140 mg vs 96 mg; source: TrackCaffeine dataset).

What changes the number for Matcha (1 tsp)

The stated figure, 70 mg per 240 ml for Matcha (1 tsp), assumes one level teaspoon of powder prepared as a single 240 ml serving (source: USDA FoodData Central as represented in the TrackCaffeine dataset /dataset/). Actual caffeine in any cup of matcha varies because the powder itself concentrates the whole leaf: tea leaf cultivar, leaf part, and how finely it is ground all shift caffeine content (mechanism: whole-leaf ingestion concentrates leaf compounds; source: USDA FoodData Central and general tea chemistry summaries).

Preparation matters: using more than 1 teaspoon, whisking with additional powder, or making a double-strength serving raises the milligram amount in direct proportion to the weight of powder used (principle: mg of caffeine scales with grams of powder; source: TrackCaffeine dataset /dataset/). Similarly, using less powder or diluting the drink lowers the mg per cup in proportion, so the single 70 mg figure is an average for the specified 1 teaspoon measure (source: USDA FoodData Central).

There is also product-level variation: ceremonial-grade matcha and culinary-grade matcha can come from different harvests and leaf positions, and commercial blends may combine leaves with fillers, which changes concentration without changing the serving volume (reason: composition and manufacturing differences; source: USDA FoodData Central and tea industry analyses).

• Compare nearby category values from the dataset: Green tea (240 ml) — 28 mg; Yerba mate (240 ml) — 85 mg; White tea (240 ml) — 16 mg (values and links: Green tea, 28 mg and Yerba mate, 85 mg; source: TrackCaffeine dataset /dataset/).

Decaffeinated or specially processed matcha exists, but the listed 70 mg applies only to a conventional, caffeinated serving; if a product is sold as decaf, rely on the manufacturer labelling or independent lab results rather than this value (guidance: check labels or lab reports; source: USDA FoodData Central).

Where this figure comes from

The 70 mg value shown on this page comes from USDA FoodData Central as represented in the TrackCaffeine open dataset and is presented alongside other entries in the dataset (primary data source: USDA FoodData Central; dataset listing: /dataset/). Published values disagree because laboratories use different samples, different leaf lots, different preparation protocols (powder weight, dilution, steep time), and some manufacturers report measured lab values while others provide averaged or rounded estimates (reasons for variation; source: USDA FoodData Central and general laboratory practice overviews).

We will update this value if new primary laboratory analyses or manufacturer-supplied lab reports appear in FoodData Central or in peer-reviewed publications, or if a reliable manufacturer specifies a different mg for a named product (update triggers: new USDA FDC entries, manufacturer lab certificates, or peer-reviewed studies; source: USDA FoodData Central and TrackCaffeine dataset policies /dataset/).

Bottom line

Bottom line: one 240 ml serving of Matcha (1 tsp) contains 70 mg of caffeine (source: USDA FoodData Central). That equals about 29.2 mg per 100 ml (calculation: 70 mg ÷ 240 ml × 100 ml = 29.17 mg per 100 ml; source: USDA FoodData Central), is roughly 0.7× a 240 ml drip coffee at 96 mg (comparison: 70 mg vs 96 mg; source: TrackCaffeine dataset /dataset/), and uses about 18% of the FDA-referenced 400 mg daily guidance (calculation and guidance: 70 mg ÷ 400 mg = 17.5% → 18%; source: FDA).