# Meaing of "caffeine-free" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 19, 2010, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaing-of-caffeine-free/539975 "2010-05-19T05:06:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaing-of-caffeine-free/539975/1 "2010-05-19T05:06:35Z")
Does anyone here know the minimum amount of caffeine that can be in a product that is labeled caffeine-free (in the U.S.)? I know that other x-free products can contain trace amounts. The reason I ask is I have an instant tea mix that says it is caffeine free, but it says it used decaffinated tea, which, when I looked online, still can contain a fairly substantial amount of the substance. Oh, and I’m on a caffeine-free diet, and have been for over a year. Even if I wanted to go back on caffeine, I wouldn’t want to do it too quickly. ---
**Author:** ![IAmNotSpartacus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@IAmNotSpartacus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IAmNotSpartacus)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaing-of-caffeine-free/539975/2 "2010-05-19T05:38:44Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Does anyone here know the minimum amount of caffeine that can be in a product that is labeled caffeine-free (in the U.S.)? I submit the minimum amount is none. Maybe they’ve found a way to put less in but I haven’t heard. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaing-of-caffeine-free/539975/3 "2010-05-19T05:40:41Z")
It depends on the product. For instance, according to _Science Daily_ one cup of instant Folger’s decaf has 8.6 milligrams to 13.9 milligrams. A cup of regular Folgers instant has 85mg Also from _Science Daily_ > [@](#): > > In the study’s second phase, scientists analyzed 12 samples of Starbucks decaffeinated espresso and brewed decaffeinated coffee taken from a single store. The espresso drinks contained 3 milligrams to 15.8 milligrams of caffeine per shot, while the brewed coffees had caffeine concentrations ranging from 12 milligrams to 13.4 milligrams per 16-ounce serving. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaing-of-caffeine-free/539975/4 "2010-05-19T06:08:00Z")
What’s the name of the product? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaing-of-caffeine-free/539975/5 "2010-05-19T11:55:55Z")
It’s Great Value Instant Peach Tea. It’s ingredients include decaffeinated instant tea. The mayo clinic has that as having at least 1 milligram of caffeine. But the box says caffeine-free. Anyways, I wasn’t asking about a specific product, really. Are you guys telling me that the term “caffeine free” isn’t regulated? That seems like a bad thing. Also, I’ve never seen neither decaf tea nor decaf coffee say they are caffeine free. They have a lot more than 1mg. Heck, if there’s no regulation, how do we know that caffeine-free Coke isn’t just regular Coke? I drink that all the time. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaing-of-caffeine-free/539975/6 "2010-05-19T12:54:08Z")
US regulations for decaf coffee stipulate that at least 97.5% of the caffeine must have been removed from the coffee in order to call it “decaffeinated”. [Cite](http://www.ehow.com/how-does_5421088_much-caffeine-decaf-coffee.html). Whether this is the same for tea, I haven’t been able to find out, but I’d say you can safely assume that at least 97.5% of the caffeine that would be in normal tea has been removed from your product. I assume the same regulations also refer to caffeine-free Coke, i.e. it can contain no more than 2.5% of the amount of caffeine as regular Coke. In practice I wouldn’t have thought it need contain any at all. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaing-of-caffeine-free/539975/7 "2010-05-19T19:12:05Z")
I can’t speak for your product, but generally, “decaffeinated” tea is not the same as “caffeine-free” tea. Decaffeinated means that the caffeine was removed. All “true” tea (tea made from the _Camellia sinensis_ plant) has caffeine, and it must be removed by processes similar to what’s used with coffee. As **Colophon** said, you will still have residual caffeine, but it will be a small percentage of what it started with. Caffeine-free means that it never had caffeine in the first place (e.g., rooibos, the African red bush tea). Most herbal teas made from flower blossoms and spices have no caffeine. The expected caffeine level in a true “caffeine-free” product is zero. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaing-of-caffeine-free/539975/8 "2010-05-20T01:20:45Z")
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:7, topic:539975”] I can’t speak for your product, but generally, “decaffeinated” tea is not the same as “caffeine-free” tea. Decaffeinated means that the caffeine was removed. All “true” tea (tea made from the _Camellia sinensis_ plant) has caffeine, and it must be removed by processes similar to what’s used with coffee. As **Colophon** said, you will still have residual caffeine, but it will be a small percentage of what it started with. Caffeine-free means that it never had caffeine in the first place (e.g., rooibos, the African red bush tea). Most herbal teas made from flower blossoms and spices have no caffeine. The expected caffeine level in a true “caffeine-free” product is zero. [/QUOTE] That’s what I would expect, but my product contains “Decaffeinated instant tea” which, as I’ve read, is not completely caffeine free. So this leads me to believe that there must be a trace amount allowed. Plus there’s the fact that, after drinking it, I felt what I seem to remember a really small caffeine rush feels like.