Caffeine is all over the map when it come to caffeine. The assumptions are that black tea has more caffeine while green and white tea have less. However, may factors come into play when it comes to caffeine and tea, including the concept of terroir. Research shows that caffeine is affected by terroir, a combination of soil characteristics and climate, as well as when the tea leaves are picked. Culture is also included in terrior as this influences how tea is processed and how often it’s picked. In Tea : History, Terroirs, Varieties (Marchand, et al 2011), 35 teas of varying types are compared for caffeine content.  The highest caffeine content is a black tea, seconded by a green tea, which then appears again later in the list because it was picked at a different time of year. Two other teas appear twice with different rankings, each coming from different estates. The bottom line is caffeine is all over the map when it comes to caffeine content and tea.

We’ve had a whirlwind of a start for Lake Missoula Tea Company!

We attended the World Tea Expo in Las Vegas in June. We met a lot of people at the same stage of the tea business as ourselves. This was a great opportunity to sample many teas from around the world. We tasted single origin teas, including black tea, green tea, white tea, puerh tea and oolong teas. We also learned about the new Kenyan tea, purple tea! We tasted many flavored blends that we think our customers will really like. The presenters were very informative and shared their frank experiences in the tea business with us. We know we are much more prepared to launch Lake Missoula Tea Company and that tea offerings will be appreciated.

A few years ago I switched from drinking coffee to tea entirely. I stopped drinking coffee because it me made feel jittery and anxious. Plus, it really upset my stomach. The caffeine in tea releases in a much steadier pace and I never experience the “caffeine drop” when I drink tea. With the wide variety of blends, I never seem to run out of something to crave and my daily hydration level has greatly improved.

Since dropping coffee from my daily routine, I am going through about 50 grams of tea a week. I find myself drinking tea throughout the day. I start with caffeinated teas in the morning such as, Willy Wonka, Mammoth Red and Creamy Coconut Oolong. In the late afternoon I like to switch to our rooibos and botanical blends. Some of the ones I like include Cape Town Grey, Sassy Citrus and Spice and Evening Chai.

If you experience jitters, anxiety or an upset stomach when drinking coffee, it might be time for you to explore the tasty world of tea.

Written by Gunilla Gillette