How to Decaffeinate Tea

  • Posted by veritas
  • August 19, 2008

Decaf Earl Grey TeaReal teas (not herbal tisanes) come from the Camellia sinensis plant. And all real teas are naturally caffeinated in varying amounts; black teas have the most, white teas have the least. So what’s a tea-drinker to do?

First, you could drink herbal teas when you don’t want caffeine. Most herbal teas, with the big exception of Mate teas, don’t have caffeine since they aren’t made from Camellia sinensis. But you also lose some of the health benefits by not drinking a true tea, since herbal teas have differing health benefits than real teas.

Another option is to drink naturally decaffeinated teas. Teavana offers a handful of decaf teas. Be sure the teas you choose are decaffeinated through a natural CO2 process, if possible. There are three methods of decaffeinating teas: CO2 (Carbon Dioxide), Methylene Chloride, and Ethyl Acetate. The last two leave a residue on the leaves that makes them a problematic choice for tea. It’s important to note that decaffeinated teas still have a bit of caffeine. It’s impossible to remove all of the caffeine, but these teas have just a small amount compared to the regular tea.

But usually only a few teas are offered as decaffeinated options – and they are typically black teas. How can you lower the caffeine content of your teas? Do-it-yourself decaffeination might be your best choice and it’s easy to do. Caffeine is very water soluble:

To Decaffeinate your Tea: Steep your tea leaves at the temperature suggested for 20 seconds. Then drain the liqueur and resteep the leaves in fresh hot water for the recommended time. This first steeping removes the majority of the caffeine (it will still have a small amount).

I personally resteep at a slightly higher temperature for a shorter period of time, but you should try it a couple of ways to discover what works best with the specific tea you’re trying to decaffeinate. This is a great trick when you usually drink caffeinated teas, but really want a cup late at night. You can enjoy the tea while washing away the caffeine content!

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August 19th, 2008
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Comment Number:
1
Written by:
Evz
Posted on:
August 19, 2008 at 11:52 pm

I think you mean 20 seconds instead of minutes. ;)

Comment Number:
2
Written by:
paula
Posted on:
August 21, 2008 at 6:03 pm

Does this decaffeination process take away the flavor of the tea?

Comment Number:
3
Written by:
veritas
Posted on:
August 29, 2008 at 3:32 pm

The 20 second decaf steep (thank you Evz for the correction) should not noticeably take away very much of the flavor.

Comment Number:
4
Written by:
Nick
Posted on:
September 5, 2008 at 2:55 pm

If you don’t like caffeine because of the way it makes you feel and you don’t want to drink pre steeped tea then I would recommend staying with the green and especially the white teas. They both contain the highest levels of L-Theanine which disables the affect of caffeine. This was written by Dr. Perricone in his latest book. It also has the highest levels of antioxidants so the greens and white are a win win for people who like create teas without the side affects caffeine can have on some people.

Comment Number:
5
Written by:
Nick
Posted on:
September 5, 2008 at 2:58 pm

great teas not “create” teas. sorry about that

Comment Number:
6
Written by:
Understanding Caffeine in Teas | Heaven of Tea
Posted on:
January 6, 2009 at 3:23 pm

[...] First, it’s important to note that there are teas and there are tisanes. Teas include the Camellia sinensis plant whereas tisanes do not (tisanes are often called ‘herbal teas’). All true teas contain some caffiene although at varying levels. Decaffeinated teas still have a small amount of caffeine content, but most of it has been removed (learn how to decaffeinate your own tea here). [...]

Comment Number:
7
Written by:
Kathleen
Posted on:
March 25, 2009 at 4:50 pm

Thanks for sharing how to decaf tea. i am hypersensitive, and was always relegated to the herbals or whites. When you decaf your own, should you use the full amount of water? For example, when I have tea for 4 cups, should I 30-second steep it in 4 cups, or would less, work?

Comment Number:
8
Written by:
veritas
Posted on:
April 9, 2009 at 8:14 am

In a 4 cup pot, or Perfect tea maker, you could probably get away with using 2 cups of hot water to decaffeinate, discard the short brew, and then resteep as usual with the 4 cups of water.

Comment Number:
9
Written by:
Maggie Dressler
Posted on:
December 13, 2010 at 9:33 am

This is a great tip. I’ve been spending a fortune on decaffinated tea! I read somewhere that if you buy loose tea leaves and do this it works the same and you can use tea leaves over again a few times before they lose their flavor.

Comment Number:
10
Written by:
ButterandLard
Posted on:
October 12, 2011 at 10:47 pm

Thank you for the info. I just found your site, since I was sitting here wishing for a cup of hot tea, and figuring I shouldn’t bother since it’s almost 8:00 :) Now I will go and enjoy one!