Two glasses filled with Iced Match and Iced Coffee

Green Tea | August 14, 2020 | C. Xu

The Caffeine Content in Matcha Green Tea versus Coffee

How does caffeine content in Matcha green tea compared to coffee? It’s important to understand how caffeine affects the body. Caffeine, a naturally occurring compound that’s found in around 60 types of plants including tea and coffee, is a central nervous system stimulant that most of us rely on to boost energy. Indeed, caffeine has been known to help with focus and reaction time, along with providing more energy, endurance, and strength for physical activities. It’s even a gastric stimulant which is why you may find yourself running to the washroom after a cup of coffee in the morning. Additionally, it’s a vasoconstrictor, meaning it narrows the blood vessels and increases blood pressure.

The effects of caffeine may be enjoyable and beneficial for some people and challenging for others. We compared coffee versus matcha green tea caffeine below, to help you decide whether a green tea like matcha is a healthier source of caffeine in comparison to coffee. As most of us are aware, coffee contains a high amount of caffeine content. While caffeine may be beneficial, especially for those who feel lethargic or are in need of a quick energy boost, the caffeine in coffee can also have some negative effects. A healthy alternative is to consider different types of tea for the time of day that you want a pick-me-up.

Barista pouring steamed milk into white cup of coffee with caffeine to make coffee latte art

Caffeine Content in Coffee

A cup of coffee contains about 120 milligrams of caffeine which is a significant amount. Caffeine from coffee spreads quickly through the body, which gives a short burst of renewed energy, but with the nuisance of not-so-great effects later. Common side effects of drinking too much coffee are nervousness, jitteriness, headaches, insomnia, and a racing heart.

two hands holding matcha latte with caffeine content creating a beautiful leaf latte art

Caffeine Content in Matcha Green Tea

Matcha, on the other hand, also contains caffeine, but it’s quite different from that found in coffee. Matcha green tea has about 50% less caffeine than coffee. Unlike coffee, matcha compromises certain phytonutrients, such as L-theanine, which helps the body to absorb caffeine in the matcha more slowly, some of the many health benefits of matcha. This means that rather than a huge caffeine spike that you experience from drinking coffee, matcha green tea gives you the advantage of caffeine’s awakening effects over a long period of time. The effect of caffeine in matcha has been described by many people as calming. That’s a great way to begin your day!

Now you know why more and more people are switching from coffee to matcha. The calming alertness that you get from drinking matcha green tea may be a better way to begin your day than the rapid spike of coffee caffeine. What are your thoughts?