Is There a Decaf Green Tea?

Yes, you can buy decaf green tea. It starts as ordinary green tea, and then most of the caffeine is taken out of the leaves before they’re packed. Bigelow, for example, sells a Green Tea Decaf.

How is green tea decaffeinated?

Bigelow says there are two common methods for tea: ethyl acetate and carbon dioxide (CO2). It says the process it uses depends on the type of tea. For green tea, Bigelow uses CO2, because it says this keeps the delicate flavor of the cup. For black tea, it uses ethyl acetate.

Here is how Bigelow describes its green tea process:

1. The leaves are moistened with water.
2. They’re treated with heat and pressure.
3. CO2 is introduced and binds to the caffeine.
4. The caffeine is separated from the leaves through evaporation.

Bigelow says no CO2 remains in the leaves afterward. So, to answer a common question, Bigelow’s decaf green tea isn’t described as “water processed.” Water is used to moisten the leaves, but the method Bigelow names is CO2. For more detail, see how Bigelow decaffeinates its green tea.

Ethyl acetate, used for Bigelow’s black tea, occurs naturally in tea leaves and in fruit, Bigelow says. It says its process leaves about the same level as the original leaf. Other brands may use other methods. Twinings says only that moistened tea is mixed with a substance that removes the caffeine and evaporates as the tea dries.

How much caffeine is left in decaf green tea?

A little. Twinings says it isn’t possible to remove 100% of the caffeine from tea. Here is what the sources say:

Source	Caffeine	Serving
Mayo Clinic, regular brewed green tea	About 29 mg	8 oz
Mayo Clinic, brewed decaf black tea	About 2 mg	8 oz
Bigelow, decaffeinated teas	1 to 8 mg	8 oz
Lab study, decaffeinated teas	Under 12 mg	6 or 8 oz

Bigelow’s 1 to 8 mg range covers its decaf teas as a group. Its caffeine guide names Green Tea Decaffeinated in that row, but we found no separate figure for that box. Bigelow’s FAQ also says decaffeination removes about 99.6% of the caffeine on average. Those two figures don’t line up neatly: removing 99.6% from the 25 to 50 mg Bigelow lists for a cup of green tea would leave well under 1 mg. Bigelow doesn’t explain the gap, so plan around 1 to 8 mg. Both are the brand’s own numbers. The Mayo Clinic decaf figure is for black tea.

If you drink a lot of decaf, the small amounts can add up. The FDA cites 400 mg a day as an amount not generally linked to negative effects for most adults, but sensitivity varies a lot. If you’re pregnant or take medicine, ask your health care provider about limiting caffeine.

Does decaf green tea have the same benefits?

We don’t know. We didn’t find a strong study that compares the health effects of decaf and regular green tea in people.

Decaffeination can lower catechins, the polyphenols that include EGCG. A 2003 UCLA lab study found 21.2 to 103.2 mg of total flavanols (catechins) per gram in regular teas and 4.6 to 39.0 mg per gram in decaf teas. Its abstract doesn’t separate green tea from other types. Bigelow says its CO2 process retains most of the polyphenols in its decaf green teas, but it doesn’t publish numbers. Losses likely depend on the method and the product, so we won’t give one figure for all decaf green tea.

The wider picture for green tea is cautious too. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says definite conclusions can’t yet be reached on whether green tea helps with most of the things people use it for. It also says liver injury has been reported with green tea extract tablets and capsules. A tea bag is not the same product as an extract.

What decaf does reliably is lower the caffeine. If caffeine gives you jitters, trouble sleeping or a racing heart, which the FDA lists as signs of too much, decaf is a way to keep drinking green tea. For regular tea’s levels, see caffeine in Twinings green tea or jasmine green tea.

Can you cut the caffeine at home?

Bigelow’s FAQ gives a method. Pour boiling water over a tea bag, steep 60 seconds, throw out the water, then steep the same bag again for 1 to 2 minutes. Bigelow says this removes up to 60 to 65% of the caffeine. Its blog gives a similar tip with a 30-second first steep and says the result isn’t as low as commercial decaf. These are brand claims. We found no independent testing, and the two pages don’t agree on the timing.

Boiling water is also hotter than the 170°F to 180°F Salada suggests for green tea, so expect a different taste from a gentler brew.

How do you find decaf green tea?

Look for the word “Decaffeinated” on the box. Bigelow says that a tea that has been decaffeinated is labeled that way on its packaging. Herbal teas are naturally caffeine free, according to Bigelow, but they aren’t green tea.

More on brands and caffeine is in our green tea caffeine guides.