Goodbye Tea Jitters: How to Decaffeinate your Tea Naturally

by Christine Chan — April 20, 2008

Curling up with an evening mug of green tea may sound delightful... until you consider the 3AM caffeine buzz and all the tossing and turning that goes with it. Never fear--there's an easy and natural way to decaffeinate any tea.

A cup of black tea, on average, contains half the caffeine of a cup of drip coffee while green tea contains slightly less. Decaffeinated tea has less than 20% of the caffeine content of a cup of regular tea. However, the commercial process for decaffeinating uses potentially harmful chemicals.

Many commercially decaffeinated teas are drenched in ethyl acetate solvent to soak up the caffeine. The ethyl acetate-caffeine solution is then drained away, and remaining amounts of ethyl acetate are removed by high heat and evaporation. In this process, large amounts of antioxidants are washed away while some of the solvent can linger. For these reasons, I prefer to decaffeinate tea on my own.
A one-minute process can naturally remove up to 80% of a tea's caffeine content:

1. Steep the tea in hot water for 40 seconds and then pour out the liquid. Add more water and drain immediately.
2. Add hot water again to the now decaffeinated leaves, steep until you reach the desired strength and enjoy!

For best results, do not exceed 40 seconds, as you may lose too much of the flavor and health benefits.