How to Naturally Remove Caffeine From Tea

You can remove roughly 80% of the caffeine in tea by removing the water after the first 30 seconds of brewing.

Even though tea contains less than half the amount of caffeine that coffee does, a small dose of caffeine can still cause anxiety, increased blood pressure and difficulty falling asleep for many people. While some may enjoy the increased energy, uplifted mood and increased focus that caffeine offers, for those who would rather enjoy their tea without the side-effects, there is a simple way to naturally remove most of the caffeine from loose-leaf tea.

Things You'll Need

• Loose-leaf tea
• Tea pot
• Boiled water

Instructions

1. Place loose-leaf tea leaves into a teapot. It is important to use loose-leaf tea, instead of teabag, if you are attempting to naturally removing the caffeine from the tea. Teas made with loose leaves can be used more than once without losing any of their flavor, producing two, three or even more cups of tea from the very same leaves. Teabag, on the other hand, lose their flavor more quickly.

2. Boil enough water to make yourself two cups of tea. Pour half the boiling water over the leaves in the teapot. Let the tea steep for about 30 seconds and discard the liquid. Since approximately 80% of the water-soluble caffeine contained in the tea is released during these first 30 seconds of brewing, the remaining leaves will not yield nearly as much caffeine in future steeping.

3. Pour fresh hot water into the teapot, over the same tea leaves used earlier and let steep for as long as you would usually brew tea.

Tips & Warnings

• The amount of caffeine found in a tea depends on where the leaves were grown and the type of tea. It may surprise you that green tea does not always contain less caffeine than black tea.

References

• Gayot: How to Decaffeinate Your Own Tea