Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through one of them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Caffeine figures are approximate and vary with the tea, the amount of leaf and how you brew it. If you need to limit caffeine for medical reasons, check with your doctor.
“Is green tea low in caffeine?” is one of the questions I hear most, and the honest answer is: it depends enormously on which Japanese tea you mean. A cup of gyokuro can rival a strong coffee, while a cup of bancha has only a fraction of that, and mugicha has none at all. They’re all sold as “Japanese tea,” which is exactly why the confusion happens.
This chart ranks the main Japanese teas by caffeine, using the official figures from Japan’s Standard Tables of Food Composition wherever they exist, and explains why the numbers vary so much.
The Problem You’re Actually Trying to Solve
You want to drink Japanese tea but keep an eye on caffeine – maybe in the evening, maybe because coffee makes you jittery, maybe because a doctor told you to cut back. Most online lists either give one vague number for “green tea” or contradict each other. The reason is that caffeine depends not only on the tea, but on how much leaf you use and how hot and long you brew it.
Who This Article Is NOT For
- If you need to avoid caffeine completely, skip straight to the bottom of the chart, or read my caffeine-free Japanese tea guide.
- If you’re mainly comparing matcha with coffee, my matcha vs. coffee caffeine comparison goes into more detail on that one question.
- If you’re looking for medical advice about caffeine limits, this isn’t it.
The Chart
The figures below are caffeine per 100ml of brewed tea, from Japan’s official food composition tables, which use set brewing conditions for each tea. Matcha is listed per gram of powder, because you drink the whole leaf.
| Rank | Tea | Caffeine (per 100ml) | Official brewing conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gyokuro | ~160mg | 10g leaf, 60ml water at 60°C, 2.5 min |
| 2 | Matcha | ~32mg per 1g of powder (≈64mg in a typical 2g bowl) | Whole powdered leaf, whisked |
| 3 | Black tea (incl. Japanese wakocha) | ~30mg | 5g leaf, 360ml boiling water, 1.5-4 min |
| 4 | Sencha | ~20mg | 10g leaf, 430ml at 90°C, 1 min |
| 4 | Hojicha | ~20mg | 15g leaf, 650ml at 90°C, 30 sec |
| 6 | Bancha | ~10mg | Standard brewing |
| 6 | Genmaicha | ~10mg | 15g leaf, 650ml at 90°C, 30 sec |
| 6 | Kamairicha | ~10mg | Standard brewing |
| – | Kukicha (stem tea) | Low (not listed officially; stems contain less caffeine than leaves) | – |
| – | Mugicha, sobacha, kuromamecha | 0mg | Not made from the tea plant |
For comparison, the same tables list brewed coffee at about 60mg per 100ml.
What That Means for a Real Cup
Per-100ml figures are useful for comparison, but nobody drinks exactly 100ml. Here’s a rough idea of what a typical serving contains, using the figures above. Treat these as ballpark estimates, not precise measurements.
| Tea | Typical serving | Approximate caffeine |
|---|---|---|
| Matcha (usucha) | 2g powder in one bowl | 60-70mg |
| Gyokuro | A small cup of about 30-40ml | 50-65mg |
| Sencha | A 150ml cup | ~30mg |
| Hojicha | A 150ml cup | ~30mg or less, depending on brewing |
| Bancha / genmaicha | A 150ml cup | ~15mg |
| Kukicha | A 150ml cup | Lower than sencha |
| Brewed coffee | A 150ml cup | ~90mg |
Seen this way, a regular cup of sencha has roughly a third of the caffeine of a similar-sized cup of coffee, while matcha and gyokuro sit much closer to coffee – even though they’re served in smaller amounts.
Why Gyokuro Tops the Chart
Gyokuro’s number looks shocking – more than double coffee per 100ml. Two things explain it:
- Shading. Gyokuro is shaded for around three weeks before harvest. Shaded leaves tend to keep more caffeine, as well as more of the amino acid theanine that gives gyokuro its sweetness.
- Concentration. Gyokuro is brewed with a lot of leaf and very little water – the official method uses 10g of leaf in just 60ml. The result is a tiny, very concentrated cup.
In practice, you drink only a few sips of gyokuro at a time, so a single serving contains less caffeine than the per-100ml figure suggests. But ounce for ounce, it’s the strongest Japanese tea.
Matcha: More Than It Looks
Matcha powder contains around 3.2g of caffeine per 100g – roughly 32mg per gram. Because you whisk and drink the whole leaf rather than steeping it, all of that ends up in your cup. A typical bowl of usucha (thin matcha) uses about 2g, giving around 60-70mg, and a strong bowl or a large latte with more powder can easily go higher. That’s why matcha can feel nearly as energizing as coffee.
The Surprising Truth About Hojicha
Hojicha has a reputation as a “low-caffeine” tea, and many sources give it very low numbers. But in Japan’s official tables, hojicha comes out at about 20mg per 100ml – the same as sencha.
The difference is in how it’s brewed and served. Hojicha is often made from bancha or stems, which start lower in caffeine, and it’s usually brewed quickly with lots of water. A typical home cup can be gentler than sencha – but it isn’t caffeine-free, and a strong hojicha latte made with plenty of powder can contain a fair amount. My matcha vs. hojicha comparison explains this in more detail.
The Gentle End: Bancha, Genmaicha, Kamairicha and Kukicha
At around 10mg per 100ml, bancha, genmaicha and kamairicha are the lowest-caffeine teas in the official tables.
- Bancha is made from older, later-harvest leaves, which contain less caffeine than young spring buds.
- Genmaicha is diluted by roasted rice – part of what’s in the pot isn’t tea at all.
- Kukicha isn’t listed officially, but because it’s made from stems and twigs, which contain much less caffeine than leaves, it’s one of the gentlest true teas you can drink.
These are good choices for the afternoon or early evening if you want real green tea with a light touch.
How Brewing Changes Caffeine
The chart uses fixed brewing conditions, but your cup can be very different. Four things matter most:
- Water temperature. Caffeine dissolves more readily in hot water. Cooler water extracts less.
- Steeping time. Longer steeps pull out more caffeine.
- Amount of leaf. More leaf means more caffeine.
- Which infusion. Caffeine comes out quickly, so most of it is in the first infusion. Second and third cups contain noticeably less.
How to Cut Caffeine Without Giving Up Green Tea
- Cold brew it. Cold water extracts far less caffeine than hot water, while still giving you plenty of sweetness and flavor.
- Drink the second infusion. If you’re sensitive, pour away or share the first cup and drink the later ones.
- Choose low-caffeine teas. Bancha, genmaicha, kukicha and lightly brewed hojicha are the gentlest options.
- Use less leaf and a shorter steep. Small changes add up.
- Switch to a caffeine-free cha in the evening. Mugicha, sobacha and kuromamecha give you the ritual of a hot cup with zero caffeine.
A Few Things People Ask Me
Which Japanese tea has the most caffeine? Gyokuro, per 100ml, followed by matcha. In a typical serving, matcha often delivers the most, because you drink the whole leaf.
Which has the least? Among true teas, kukicha, bancha, genmaicha and kamairicha. For zero caffeine, mugicha, sobacha and kuromamecha.
Does Japanese green tea have more caffeine than coffee? Most Japanese teas have much less per cup. Gyokuro and strong matcha are the exceptions that can come close.
Is decaf Japanese green tea available? It exists but is uncommon. Most people find it easier to switch to a naturally low-caffeine tea or a caffeine-free grain tea.
What should I buy for low-caffeine drinking? Nio Teas’ kukicha is one of the gentlest true green teas, and hojicha tea bags on Amazon are an easy, mellow option for the afternoon.
Where I Landed
“Green tea” covers a huge range of caffeine. Gyokuro and matcha are genuinely strong, sencha sits in the middle, and bancha, genmaicha and kukicha are gentle enough for the afternoon. Once you know where your favorite tea sits on the chart – and how brewing shifts it – you can drink Japanese tea at any time of day without guessing.