Many tea lovers adore jasmine tea for its floral aroma and smooth taste. But if you’re watching your caffeine intake, you might wonder: does jasmine tea have caffeine? The short answer is yes, most jasmine tea does contain caffeine. However, the amount can vary. In this article, we’ll explore how much caffeine is typically in jasmine tea, what factors affect its caffeine content, and how it compares to other popular teas like green, black, and herbal teas.
Jasmine Tea and Caffeine: The Basics
Yes, jasmine tea contains caffeine in most cases. That’s because jasmine tea is usually a blend of regular tea leaves (from the Camellia sinensis plant) infused with the fragrance of jasmine flowers. The jasmine blossoms themselves are caffeine-free, but the tea leaves do contribute caffeine. In other words, if your jasmine tea is made with green, white, oolong, or black tea as the base, it will have caffeine just like those teas. Jasmine green tea is the most common, so think of it essentially as green tea with extra scent.
There are exceptions: if you find a pure jasmine flower tisane (an herbal infusion with no actual tea leaves), that would be naturally caffeine-free. Likewise, some companies offer decaffeinated jasmine tea, which has only a trace (<5–10 mg) of caffeine. But in general, any standard jasmine tea (scented green tea) will have a moderate amount of caffeine similar to other brewed teas.
How Much Caffeine Is in Jasmine Tea?
The caffeine content of jasmine tea is usually in the low-to-moderate range for tea. A typical 8-ounce (237 ml) cup of jasmine green tea contains around 20–30 milligrams of caffeine. If the jasmine tea is made with a black tea base instead, the caffeine can be higher – roughly 45 mg per cup. In general, expect jasmine tea to have a similar caffeine level to the base tea it’s made from.
Of course, the exact amount can vary, depending on factors like the type of tea leaves used and brewing time. Using a shorter steeping time or fewer leaves will be on the lower end of that range, while a strong brew can push it toward the higher end. Even at its strongest, a cup of jasmine tea typically has less caffeine than a cup of coffee. (An 8 oz coffee often contains around 95 mg or more of caffeine, for comparison.) So, while you’ll get a gentle caffeine pick-me-up from jasmine tea, it’s not as jolting as coffee.
Jasmine Tea vs. Other Teas: Caffeine Comparison
How does jasmine tea stack up against other popular teas in terms of caffeine? Let’s do a friendly comparison:
- Jasmine Tea (Green Tea Base) – As mentioned, usually about 20–30 mg caffeine per cup on average. This is on par with typical green tea. In fact, jasmine green tea is green tea, so its caffeine content (around 28 mg per 8 oz in many cases) is virtually the same as a cup of plain green tea. The fragrant jasmine scent doesn’t add caffeine; it just adds flavor.
- Black Tea – Black tea generally has more caffeine than jasmine green tea. An 8 oz cup of plain black tea averages around 45–50 mg of caffeine. So if you’re drinking a jasmine black tea (less common, but it exists), expect roughly similar caffeine to any other black tea – likely almost double what’s in jasmine green tea.
- White Tea – White teas can vary, but they often contain somewhere in between green and black tea caffeine levels. For instance, a cup of white tea might have about 30–40 mg of caffeine. Some jasmine teas use white tea as a base; those would have caffeine comparable to a mild green tea.
- Oolong Tea – Oolong falls between green and black tea in oxidation, and its caffeine is also mid-range. A cup of oolong might be in the 30–50 mg range. Jasmine oolong tea (if you come across one) would be similar. In general, jasmine oolong isn’t very common, but it would have moderate caffeine.
- Herbal Tea (Tisane) – Herbal teas like chamomile, peppermint, rooibos, or hibiscus are caffeine-free. If you happen to drink a jasmine herbal blend (for example, jasmine flowers blended with herbs and no actual tea leaves), it would have no caffeine. Likewise, a pure jasmine flower infusion has no caffeine at all. This makes herbal tisanes a great caffeine-free alternative for evening sipping.
In summary, jasmine green tea is lower in caffeine than black tea, and higher in caffeine than completely caffeine-free herbal teas. Many tea drinkers consider it a nice middle ground – it provides a gentle alertness without as much buzz as coffee or strong black tea.