# Can I trust that my tea is decaffeinated? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 31, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-trust-that-my-tea-is-decaffeinated/527132 "2010-01-31T18:03:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Diamonds02](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Diamonds02](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diamonds02)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-trust-that-my-tea-is-decaffeinated/527132/1 "2010-01-31T18:03:00Z")
Well, not decaffeinated, but only has 3 mg of caffeine. From what I understand is that green tea has about 30 mg of caffeine per cup, typically. I’m really sensitive to caffeine and try to avoid its consumption. However, I bought some new tea Rishi’s powdered Sencha. On the back of the box it claims it only has 3mg of caffeine. This goes against my previous knowledge about caffeine content in green tea, plus there was no mention that it was decaffeinated. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2010, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-trust-that-my-tea-is-decaffeinated/527132/2 "2010-01-31T18:31:40Z")
The Rishi website makes the same claim > [@](#): > > Low Caffeine > > Contains just 3mg of caffeine per serving, compared to 85mg in your average cup of coffee. Short of conducting your own independent chemical analysis, what else can you do? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2010, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-trust-that-my-tea-is-decaffeinated/527132/3 "2010-01-31T20:05:10Z")
I think it’s possible - the [Rishi website](http://www.rishi-tea.com/store/caffeine-free-botanical-blends/) says they don’t use tea leaves in their tea. I sympathize with you; I’m sensitive to caffeine too, and am very leery of ordering it in restaurants, where your chances of getting decaf coffee are very much a crap shoot (unless I order an actual herbal tea). FYI, chocolate has theobromine in it, not caffeine. I can eat chocolate until the cows come home (but I try not to), without it giving me the hippy shakes at all. I can drink about a third of a cup of regular coffee before I get the jitters. ---
**Author:** ![ataraxy22](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ataraxy22/32/307_2.png) [@ataraxy22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ataraxy22)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2010, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-trust-that-my-tea-is-decaffeinated/527132/4 "2010-01-31T20:09:37Z")
You can hope the guy who invented the [Caffeindicator](http://inthesharktank.com/tag/caffeindicator/) has his idea take off. Scroll about halfway down. (He was on the ABC show **Shark Tank** a few days ago). ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2010, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-trust-that-my-tea-is-decaffeinated/527132/5 "2010-01-31T21:08:06Z")
If you’re concerned, brew the tea for one minute, empty the water, then brew it again. Caffeine comes out of the tea very rapidly, while the flavor takes more time. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2010, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-trust-that-my-tea-is-decaffeinated/527132/6 "2010-01-31T22:01:08Z")
**Cat Whisperer** , that’s not sencha, that’s herb tea. **Diamonds02** , the tea leaf powder is exactly the same as green tea. The difference is in preparation: a packet of powder contains about a tenth of the amount of tea used for brewing, hence one tenth the caffeine. ---
**Author:** ![coffeecat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coffeecat/32/3405_2.png) [@coffeecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coffeecat)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2010, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-trust-that-my-tea-is-decaffeinated/527132/7 "2010-01-31T22:05:47Z")
Much of the stimulating effect of tea comes from theophylline rather than caffeine. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2010, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-trust-that-my-tea-is-decaffeinated/527132/8 "2010-01-31T22:14:09Z")
Ah, [is this the stuff we’re talking about?](http://www.rishi-tea.com/store/sencha-superior-japanese-green-tea.html) Okay, that’s different. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Auntbeast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Auntbeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Auntbeast)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-trust-that-my-tea-is-decaffeinated/527132/9 "2010-02-01T23:54:49Z")
Just a note: I would bet that if you order decaf, chances are, that is what you are getting. I’ve never seen anyone do otherwise. When blending pots, the decaf can be blended into regular, but not the reverse. I for one, would never give someone regular if they asked for decaf. Now, it may be stale as 3 day old fish, but it will be decaf. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-trust-that-my-tea-is-decaffeinated/527132/10 "2010-02-02T03:24:49Z")
You wouldn’t, but I don’t trust other serving staff [(or decaffeinated coffees themselves).](http://www.myproductalert.com/decaf-coffee.html) I had a friend who told me about how she’d just grab whatever pot was closest when she was a young server, and I have no trouble believing that other minimum wage slaves are just as careful. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-trust-that-my-tea-is-decaffeinated/527132/11 "2010-02-02T05:44:11Z")
I don’t know how sensitive you are to caffeine (could 1 ppm harm you? 10? 100? 1000?) Unless it’s crazy low, just brew a cup and drink 1/4th of it. A few days later try 1/2. Then a full cup. Unless of course, even a minute amount of caffeine would harm you. In which case, brew a cup, then find a good analytical chemistry lab to tell you how much caffeine exactly is in it. Don’t drink any of it. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-trust-that-my-tea-is-decaffeinated/527132/12 "2010-02-02T12:52:07Z")
Serve the tea to someone who is as sensitive to caffeine as you, but who does not mind being a guinea pig.