looseTman said

Favorite Shou for those who are Caffeine-sensitive or prone to migraines?

For Shou-lovers who are caffeine-sensitive or prone to migraines:

Which full-flavored shou are your favorites?

Thanks!

22 Replies
looseTman said
Dr Jim said

I’m not sure how much help this is. I did a random survey of their site and every tea that was rated for caffeine was “low”.

looseTman said

Among their shou, the majority are rated as low caffeine.
Several specifically state, “Low caffeine (less than 10% of a cup of coffee)”
There are a small number w/o a caffeine rating.

Dr Jim said

Their 4 most popular green teas have the same rating. Most blacks I looked at were unrated.

looseTman said
AllanK said

I have heard the general theory that shou has less caffeine than sheng. However I don’t believe this to be true. I did not used to be caffeine sensitive and would drink shou puerh until 11pm or 12 midnight and have no problems sleeping. Then suddenly I was caffeine sensitive and late night shou will keep me awake. This is why I have switched to herbals and decaf teas after about 2 pm.
My favorite local tea store used to sell several loose ripe blends that I liked before they had a fire. They listed the caffeine content on all these teas as high so I don’t think you can make any assumptions about caffeine in tea. Unless of course you have the money to buy a tea and send it to a lab for analyzing.

looseTman said
AllanK said

Yes I see they estimate their teas as medium caffeine but I wonder if this is from testing or observation. If it is from observations after drinking the tea it is an inaccurate way to get the caffeine content. Somehow I don’t think they actually tested these teas.

looseTman said

“If it is from observations after drinking the tea it is an inaccurate way to get the caffeine content.” – Agreed.

AllanK said

I also wonder if when Teavivre says their shou has 1/10th the caffeine in a cup of coffee, are they testing or guessing. I do not think there is a statement on Teavivre’s website saying they actually test for caffeine so I would take theier claims with a grain of salt. To my knowledge the only one who actually tests their teas is Teavana, but of course they do not sell puerh. If you notice on their website each tea is rated to a specific range of caffeine. Not just low medium and high.

AllanK said

I also think their is another factor of caffeine in puerh. When steeping gongfu style I routinely steep the tea twelve or more times. By that point I have probably consumed 90% of the caffeine in the leaves at least where a tea steeped for two minutes western style will probably extract less caffeine. If you steep gongfu style and have the willpower to stop at three or four very short steeps you will on the other hand extract less caffeine.

Sarararah said

Caffine of almost all types of tea is lower than coffee. But the content of caffine is different from tea to tea.

AllanK said

The unfortunate fact is there really is no way to predict how much caffeine will be in any tea unless you buy from one of the few sellers that test for caffeine content and tell the consumer. The only seller that I know does this is Teavana. It is too bad their teas are so overpriced and just generally not as good quality as I would like. They do get a few right mind you but they are not as good as they seem to think they are. I guess the problem is they need everything in enough quantity for some 100 stores and a web operation so quality suffers somewhat.

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looseTman said

Caffeine and tea web search results:

The following articles are informative and well-reasoned.

https://www.teamuse.com/article_100702.html
ON PU ERH, THE OTHER TEA
July 01, 2010 by LaRoi Zavier

“Though it contains the least amount of caffeine of all the black teas, it is surprisingly invigorating, yet at the same time balancing, so no jitters like coffee. Strategists and leaders historically would drink pu erh when making important decisions that required focus. Business leaders continue this practice today, enjoying a pot of pu erh prior to meetings and negotiations. As a morning boost to start off the day, pu erh is so naturally smooth that no additives are required to enjoy a cup, unlike coffee, which few people actually enjoy plain.”

https://www.teavivre.com/info/caffeine-in-tea/

Caffeine in Tea
“Some kinds of tea, such as oolong and black tea, contain higher level of caffeine than most other teas.”

“But many studies found that the caffeine content varies more among individual teas than it does among broad categories. Generally, the levels of caffeine content in different parts of one tea plant can vary much. Because caffeine is a natural substance the younger leaves have more caffeine than the more elder tea leaves.
Different parts of tea parts have different levels of caffeine content, tender leaves and buds contain more caffeine than elder leaves and stems.

Taste of caffeine
One outstanding feature of caffeine lies in its intolerable bitter taste. "

“1. Teas made form tender young leaves or buds tend to have more caffeine content, in other words, more mature leaves are low in caffeine.
2. It was investigated that tree species also make a big difference. Large leaves teas accumulate more caffeine when they grow.
3. Temperature: Tea plants grow fast in hot summer days and accumulate a large amount of caffeine. So it is no surprise that teas harvested in summer have a bitter and taste somewhat like bitter coffee”

https://www.arborteas.com/tea-caffeine/

Tea With the Least and Most Caffeine
""Which tea has the least (or most) caffeine?" is one of our most popular questions. The answer is complicated, to say the least. "

“The amount of caffeine that is transferred from that leaf into your cup depends on many things: varietal, age of leaf, method of manufacture, production techniques, steeping time, and the water temperature used during steeping.

Because there are so many variables, no one can tell you the exact amount of caffeine in your cup unless a caffeine counter is used immediately before you drink from it. "

“Despite all of this, here are a few rules of thumb when it comes to understanding how much caffeine is in your tea:

- NO tea from the plant Camellia sinensis is caffeine-free; even decaffeinated teas have a small amount of caffeine
- When brewed at our recommended serving size, any variety of tea (black, green, oolong, white and pu-erh) will have less caffeine than coffee
- Generally speaking, green tea brewed with 180-degree water has less caffeine than black, oolong, white and pu-erh tea. Because a lower water temperature is used during steeping, less caffeine will be extracted from the tea leaf
- Within the green tea options, Hojicha Green Tea is reputed to have lower caffeine than other green teas because of the unique roasting technique that is part of its manufacturing process."

https://ratetea.com/topic/caffeine-content-of-tea/21/
Caffeine Content of Tea
Wikipedia: Caffeine
Last Updated: Mar. 30, 2014

How much caffeine is in tea?
“The caffeine content of tea varies widely from one tea to the next, and depends on how the tea is brewed, but tends to be within the range of 15-70mg per 8 ounce cup.”

" In most cases, tea has much less caffeine than coffee; a typical cup of coffee contains 80-135 mg of caffeine. However, it is important to note that these figures are per cup, not per serving, and in the case of large serving sizes, and also with espresso and other heavily-caffeinated drinks, the caffeine per serving can be considerably higher."

Do black, green, or white teas contain more or less caffeine?

“You cannot generalize about caffeine content by tea type. Many tea companies, and even some reputable entities such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture, have made misleading generalizations about the caffeine content of broad classes of tea. It is a widespread myth that black tea contains more caffeine than green tea, and another myth that white tea contains the least caffeine of all teas.

Studies that have actually measured the caffeine content of a large number of different teas have consistently found that caffeine levels vary more among individual teas than across broad categories of tea such as black, white, green, oolong, or pu-erh. A study published in 2005 in the Journal of Food Science listed, among other things, the caffeine content of 77 different teas, and found a broad range of caffeine content among both green and black teas.4 Surprisingly, the tea in this study that was found to contain the most caffeine was a white tea, solidly dispelling the myth about white tea’s caffeine content.

A more recent study in the 2008 Journal of Analytical Toxicology examined the caffeine contents of a number of teas, and found that they ranged from 14 to 61 mg per 6 or 8 oz serving, with “no observable trend in caffeine concentration due to the variety of tea”.5 Few tea companies have examined the caffeine content of a large number of samples of their teas; one that has, Camellia Sinensis Tea House, found similar results, that the caffeine level varies widely from one tea to the next, and does not show clear trends of caffeine levels across different varieties of teas.6

One possible exception to this observation is that matcha is known to contain high levels of caffeine, consistently much higher than other teas. This is due in part to higher caffeine levels in the leaf used to produced matcha, but it is also due to the fact that, because matcha is a powdered tea, the entire tea leaf is consumed when brewing, so a cup of prepared matcha contains 100% of the caffeine in the leaf."

https://www.teaclass.com/lesson_0112.html

The Truth About Caffeine
lesson #12

" While the caffeine in tea and coffee are, technically, identical, the experience is different due to three key factors:
1. There is significantly less caffeine in the average cup of tea – especially when including green and white teas brewed at shorter times and cooler temperatures.
2. L-theanine, an amino acid found only in tea, reduces stress and promotes relaxation. It works with caffeine in a synergistic way to calm the body without reducing caffeine alertness.
3. The high levels of antioxidants found in tea slow the absorption of caffeine – this results in a gentler increase of the chemical in the system and a longer period of alertness with no crash at the end.

The biggest myth about the caffeine content between coffee and tea is that tea contains more caffeine than coffee. While this is true when measuring coffee and tea in their dry forms, this is false when comparing brewed coffee and tea. After all, one normally uses 2 grams of tea per 8 ounce cup, and 10 grams of coffee for the same quantity of water. A widely cited 2004 British study looked at 200 cups prepared by consumers going about their normal brewing routines. It found that the average caffeine level in the cups of tea (black English style teas) was 40mg vs 105mg in the average cup of drip coffee.
The amount of caffeine in coffee or tea depends on a number of factors, including the method and length of brewing or steeping. With tea, studies also sbyhow that leaf location on the tea plant affects content of caffeine in that tea. The youngest leaves, highest on the plant, contain the greatest concentration of caffeine AND antioxidants.
The greatest impact on caffeine content is the water temperature and length of steeping time. Black, Oolong, Green and White tea leaves themselves have surprisingly similar caffeine content. But a tea steeped for five minutes in boiling water is going to transfer a LOT more caffeine to the cup than a tea steeped for two minutes at 180 degrees Fahrenheit."

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-1169-pu-erh%20tea.aspx?activeingredientid=1169&activeingredientname=pu-erh%20tea

AllanK said

I think the basic fact for the caffeine sensitive is they must stop caffeine early in the afternoon at the least. It takes caffeine something like seven or eight hours to leave the body.

AllanK said

I think if you are really worried about caffeine in shou the thing to do is look for a cheap brick with a lot of large leaves and stems and very few buds and young leaves. It will have less caffeine than a “high quality” bing of shou made with a lot of buds and tender young leaves.

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AllanK said

Something like this brick which I drank and reviewed this morning. It was pretty good and composed of a certain amount of stems and large leaves. Should in theory have less caffeine.
http://puerhshop.com/usa/index.php?route=product/product&path=18_19&product_id=48

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looseTman said

Agreed, having one’s last cup before 2 PM is a good idea for those who may be caffeine-sensitive.

We watch our intake as we both have migraines and caffeine is a potential trigger. Ironically, caffeine is a common ingredient in migraine abortive medications. I’m not looking for decaf shou (or “rocket fuel”), just a lower-caffeine shou.

We currently split 12 g of shou (four 6 oz cups) each every morning and I have no trouble sleeping. But, migraines are still an issue.

Thanks for your recommendation. I’ll check it out. We’ve sampled a couple of older bricks w/ lots of stems (I reviewed one recently) and they weren’t to our liking.

AllanK said

I find that peppermint tea is a reasonable substitute for real tea at night. I brew it very strong so it almost tastes like tea.

AllanK said

I think if you look for the old standard of a brick you may be better off. Traditionally bricks were where they used up the stems and leaves that were too big and not particularly tender and weren’t good for cakes. Some bricks, however are made to a more modern standard and may have lots of buds and small leaves like some of the pricy 1kg bricks on Yunnan Sourcing.

looseTman said

Understood. Ideally, I’d like to not sacrifice a favorable enjoyable tea experience to reduce the caffeine content.

AllanK said

Unfortunately, it is just that cheap bricks use the parts of the tea with less caffeine and higher quality bings use the parts of the tea with more caffeine. The key is to find the few cheap bricks that are also really tasty. I thought the one I drank this morning was really good although it was not really cheap.

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