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Step 1
Choose loose leaf green tea leaves.
As a generalization, loose leaf green tea leaves will have lower caffeine levels than green tea brewed from tea bags. As a bonus, it's usually less expensive to purchase green tea in loose leaf form than it is to purchase it in tea bags. There are a variety of tea pots and accessories available to help you brew loose leaf tea easily with minimal cleanup. Generally, you're generally going to get a tea richer in polyphenols if you brew loose leaf as opposed to brewing from a tea bag. -
Step 2
Choose a lower quality green tea.
Higher end green teas such as gyokura are made from younger tea leaves and buds picked from the top of the tea plant. This gives these teas a higher caffeine content. Green teas that are lower in caffeine include Bancha and Genmai cha which are made from larger tea leaves harvested from the lower parts of the plant. Higher end teas such as gyokura are usually grown in the shade which also increases their caffeine levels. If you want to reduce green tea caffeine levels in your prepared tea, stick with Bancha and Genmai cha. -
Step 3
Prepare your green tea properly.
One way you can reduce green tea caffeine levels in your own kitchen is to steep the tea leaves for thirty seconds and discard the water. Using this method you should pour around eighty percent of the caffeine down the sink. You can then proceed to steep two more times before the leaves are spent. The caffeine level should drop with each steeping and you should end up with green tea with a very low caffeine content. -
Step 4
Avoid decaffeinated green tea.
Although decaffeinated green tea has lower green tea caffeine levels, usually less than 5 mg, it also has lower levels of polyphenols so you'll get less health benefits. It also may not taste as good as caffeinated green tea. For this reason, it's best to avoid decaffeinated green teas and lower the green tea caffeine levels in your own kitchen.
