Green Tea vs Coffee: Caffeine Content Compared

Caffeine basics: how matcha and coffee differ

Matcha is powdered green tea made from whole ground leaves; the powder means you ingest the leaf, not just an infusion, so a 240 ml serving of matcha (1 tsp prepared) delivers 70 mg of caffeine. By contrast, a standard 240 ml cup of brewed drip coffee contains 96 mg. Steeped green tea (240 ml) is much lower at 28 mg.

Average caffeine content in green tea and matcha

Standard brewed green tea (240 ml) in the dataset is 28 mg (11.7 mg/100 ml). White and oolong are lower or similar: white tea 16 mg/240 ml, oolong 37 mg/240 ml. Matcha (1 tsp, prepared to 240 ml) is listed at 70 mg because the leaf material is consumed whole, concentrating caffeine and L-theanine together.

Average caffeine content in coffee (by common servings)

Coffee caffeine ranges widely by method and size. Representative values from the dataset:

Why numbers vary: brewing, form, and portion

Major drivers of caffeine per cup:

• Method: cold brew concentrates caffeine (200 mg/240 ml) while instant coffee is lower (62 mg/240 ml).
• Leaf vs infusion: matcha powder provides more caffeine per cup than steeped green tea because you consume the leaf.
• Grind and contact time: pour over in the dataset is 145 mg/240 ml while French press is 107 mg/240 ml — grind, water temperature and extraction time change yield.

Caffeine decay: how much remains after hours

Population-average half-life for caffeine is about 5.7 hours, so caffeine roughly halves every ~5.7 hours. Common approximations: after 3 h ≈ 69% remains, after 6 h ≈ 48%, after 9 h ≈ 33%, after 12 h ≈ 23%.

Use these decay figures to plan timing: a 200 mg cold brew consumed at 6 PM still leaves ~96 mg at midnight by this average model. Individual metabolism varies (see factors below).

Health considerations and safe limits

Authoritative guidance: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration advises up to ~400 mg/day of caffeine for healthy adults; many authorities (including EFSA and obstetric guidance summarized by Mayo Clinic) recommend limiting caffeine to about 200 mg/day during pregnancy. The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages caffeine for adolescents.

Symptoms of excess include jitteriness, heart palpitations, disrupted sleep, and digestive upset. Severe toxicity is rare but can occur with very high doses (caffeine pills or concentrated pre-workouts). For personalized advice consult a clinician.

Practical guidance: choosing between matcha and coffee

If you want a smaller, steadier lift with L-theanine benefits, a 240 ml matcha at 70 mg may fit. For a stronger stimulant effect, a 240 ml drip coffee at 96 mg or cold brew at 200 mg is typical. Espresso shots (63 mg/30 ml) are compact ways to control dose.

Tracking doses and timing

Track beverages by exact serving to manage daily totals and sleep timing — for example, two 240 ml coffees (2 × 96 mg = 192 mg) plus a matcha (70 mg) equals 262 mg. CoffeeLog and similar trackers make logging servings, sizes, and time easy so you can see total mg and residual caffeine going into bedtime.

Summary

Matcha (70 mg/240 ml) sits between steeped green tea (28 mg) and brewed coffee (96–200+ mg) in caffeine content. Brewing method, portion, and whether you consume leaf versus infusion determine where a drink falls. Use the half-life approximations above and daily limits (FDA ~400 mg; pregnancy ~200 mg) to plan intake and protect sleep.

This page is informational, not medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional for personalized recommendations.

If I drink a Starbucks Pike Place Grande (473 ml, 310 mg) at 4 PM, how much caffeine is left by 11 PM?

If you drink a Starbucks Pike Place Brewed (Grande, 473 ml, 310 mg) at 4 PM, about 132 mg of caffeine will remain at 11 PM using the page's population-average half-life of 5.7 hours (342 minutes). Calculation: 310 × 0.5^(7/5.7) = 310 × 0.427 ≈ 132 mg, where 7 is the hours between 4 PM and 11 PM and 0.427 is 0.5^(7/5.7).

Residual caffeine is the mg left in your bloodstream after a given time.

That remaining ~132 mg is a population-average figure derived from the decay model on this page; individual clearance can differ with genetics, smoking status, liver function and medications. If reduced sleep is your concern, Drake et al. (Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2013) showed that doses in this range, taken within six hours of bedtime, can shorten objective sleep by more than an hour, so use our last cup before bed tool to plan timing.

How do I add matcha and cold brew and estimate what's left later in the evening?

Add the milligrams from each drink to form a starting total, then apply the page's half-life math separately for each dose and sum the remainders; for example, a 240 ml matcha (70 mg) at 9 AM plus a 240 ml cold brew (200 mg) at 2 PM leaves about 90 mg at 10 PM. Dose math: matcha remainder = 70 × 0.5^(13/5.7) = 70 × 0.205 ≈ 14.4 mg (13 hours from 9 AM to 10 PM); cold brew remainder = 200 × 0.5^(8/5.7) = 200 × 0.378 ≈ 75.6 mg (8 hours from 2 PM to 10 PM); total ≈ 14.4 + 75.6 = 90.0 mg.

Dose addition is summing milligrams from separate drinks to get a total.

Calculate each drink separately because different timing matters: the earlier matcha contributed little raw milligrams at night (≈14 mg), while the later cold brew still contributes most of the residual load (≈76 mg). Use our caffeine half-life calculator to plug in your own times and servings, and consult the specific drink pages—see our matcha guide and cold brew guide—to verify starting mg values.

Can portion swaps keep me under the FDA 400 mg/day limit and how much do I save?

Yes: replacing a higher-caffeine serving with a lower one can easily trim hundreds of milligrams; for example, swapping a 240 ml cold brew (200 mg) for a 240 ml matcha (70 mg) saves 130 mg and moves you closer to the FDA's ~400 mg/day guidance (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). Simple arithmetic: 200 mg − 70 mg = 130 mg saved, and the FDA guidance is cited as ~400 mg/day by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Portion swap is replacing one caffeinated serving with another to change total milligrams.

Other practical swaps: a Starbucks Pike Place Grande (473 ml, 310 mg) swapped for a 240 ml drip coffee (96 mg) reduces intake by 214 mg (310 − 96 = 214 mg). If you normally drink the Pike Place (310 mg) plus a single espresso (63 mg) your total is 373 mg (310 + 63), still under the FDA ~400 mg/day but much closer; use the safe daily limit tool or our caffeine dosage guide to tune swaps by body weight and goals.

If I pair coffee with an energy drink, could I exceed EFSA's 200 mg single-dose guidance?

Yes: combining a caffeinated coffee with a high-caffeine energy drink can exceed both single-dose and daily limits — for example, a 240 ml cold brew (200 mg) taken with a Bang (473 ml, 300 mg) equals 500 mg consumed at once, which exceeds EFSA's 200 mg single-dose guidance and the FDA's ~400 mg/day. The European Food Safety Authority's opinion sets 200 mg as a reference for single doses and 200 mg/day for pregnancy, and EFSA is cited here (EFSA 2015).

Single-dose limit is the amount of caffeine consumed at one time that some authorities flag as risky.

Concrete caution: energy drink labels and pre-workout powders can hide large mg counts — Bang is listed at 300 mg per 473 ml in the dataset — so when you add coffee (even a single espresso at 63 mg) you can push an acute total above recommended single-dose thresholds. If acute effects (palpitations, nausea) are a concern, avoid stacking two high-mg products in the same hour and consult our Bang Energy and energy-drink comparison pages for exact mg values.

Why might matcha feel stronger than coffee for some people even though it has less caffeine?

Matcha often feels different because it pairs ~70 mg of caffeine per 240 ml with L-theanine and other tea compounds that change subjective experience and perceived steadiness of the lift. L-theanine is an amino acid in tea that modulates caffeine's subjective effects.

The combination can blunt the jittery spike and extend a smoother alertness window even at a lower mg total; if you value steadier mental focus rather than a sharp stimulant peak, a 240 ml matcha (70 mg) may feel stronger or more useful to you than a 96 mg drip coffee. For people using caffeine for workouts or study, consider the L-theanine evidence summarized in our L-theanine pre-workout guide and compare starting mg with our half-life calculator to choose timing that matches your goals.

Bottom line

Matcha (240 ml) contains 70 mg of caffeine; drip coffee (240 ml) contains 96 mg and cold brew (240 ml) contains 200 mg — these dataset values let you add starting mg, then apply the page's population-average half-life of 5.7 hours (342 minutes) to estimate residuals. For example, 200 mg cold brew consumed at 6 PM leaves about 96 mg at midnight by the model: 200 × 0.5^(6/5.7) = 200 × 0.48 ≈ 96 mg. Use the arithmetic above for your drinks and times and our caffeine half-life calculator or last-cup-before-bed tool for fast checks.

Respect authoritative limits when planning cups: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cites ~400 mg/day as a reference for healthy adults (FDA), and the European Food Safety Authority gives 200 mg as a single-dose reference and 200 mg/day guidance for pregnancy (EFSA). To stay safe and preserve sleep, use portion swaps (e.g., replace 200 mg cold brew with 70 mg matcha to save 130 mg), avoid stacking multiple high-mg products at once, and consult tools like safe daily limit and our dosage pages to match intake to your body and schedule.