We Need to talk about… Caffeine
Caffeine is a naturally occurring stimulant found in tea, coffee and cacao plants and is consumed worldwide.
Caffeine helps you to stay awake and alert by connecting to adenosine receptors in the brain without activating them. This blocks the effects of adenosine, leading to reduced tiredness. It is also rumoured to improve mood and brain function.
We have had a lot of queries and questions recently about the caffeine content of our teas. All tea, Green, White, Oolong, Pu-erh and Black come from the leaves and buds of the amazing Camellia Sinensis plant, the difference between them is produced from the variety in the processing of the leaves and buds. Different processes create different characteristics, depths and flavours.
We deal with just one group of tea farmers, meaning our tea is essentially single estate and the caffeine content will vary between harvests. To learn more about our process visit our website
A few years ago, we tested our green teas against other brands to find out the caffeine content comparable with others on the market. Our green tea consistently had less caffeine than others available. This is due to the way we operate - we have reduced the amount of time between picking and initial processing which means there is less time for fermentation to occur in the leaves.
We have our own purpose-built facility close to the tea gardens, so once the tea is picked, it is blended and packed straight away, retaining all the goodness of the fresh leaf, which is of paramount importance to our brand ethos, there is no long-term storage by tea brokers as there is with many other brands.
Some people are highly sensitive to the effects of caffeine and choose not to have it in their diet, this is why we produced our decaffeinated green tea, so that those not consuming caffeine could still benefit from the copious wonders of green tea, without the caffeine. We've decaffeinated our green tea without the use of chemicals, instead by supercritical carbon dioxide extraction, thereby retaining the natural goodness of the fresh leaf.
Top Qi Teas Tip - It is also worth knowing that caffeine is highly soluble in water, this means that it is the first compound released into the water when you are brewing your favourite Qi brew. You can effectively remove a high percentage of caffeine from your brew by covering the bag with a small amount of hot water, letting it steep for 60 seconds and discarding the water before re brewing a full cup with fresh water and the same tea bag.
In conclusion, whether you need a caffeine boost with your morning brew or you are avoiding it all together, we have got you covered with the Qi Tea’s range! Never compromise on ethics or taste.
Stay Safe Tea Lovers!
