What Is Oolong Tea? What Factors Affect The Caffeine Content?

by Jill D. Welcome to Doused In Pink!

Are you a tea lover? If yes, then most probably you will be familiar with oolong tea. It is the perfect drink for most tea enthusiasts. Oolong tea is best known for its complex aroma and right flavor. However, like all other teas, it also contains caffeine that can affect the person’s mind and body.

Oolong is a semi-oxidized Chinese traditional tea. It can also be called a mixture of black and green tea because black tea is fully oxidized, and green tea is unoxidized. Oolong tea leaves are also produced by the camellia plant, which produces green, black, and white teas. Remember to buy tea from reputed sellers because a professional tea taster tests their tea.

How Much Caffeine Does Oolong Tea Have?

Almost every tea produced from the camellia plant contains some caffeine sound. However, the exact quantity depends on the type of tea. Averagely, oolong tea content caffeine is between 37-55 milligrams per 8-ounce serving.

Factors affecting the caffeine content

The caffeine content in oolong tea depends on the cultivar of the tea that used to produce it. However, other factors affect the caffeine content one must know about.

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Harvest Time

Harvest times play a vital role in influencing the caffeine content in tea. You may get surprised to know that tea harvested in spring has higher caffeine than the tea harvested at the end of the year. This is why harvesters prefer harvesting the tea in mater months of the year.

Growing Practices

According to several studies, teas grown in the shade always have higher levels of caffeine. This process includes a stress response in the plant that increases the thiamine, chlorophyll, and caffeine to condensate the lack of direct sunlight.

Water Temperature

Water temperature also affects the caffeine content in a significant way. It is observed that hot water increases the caffeine content in the tea. This is why teas like black tea, prepared under boiled water, have higher caffeine content than other cool water teas such as green or white tea.

Sleep Time

When tea leaves are infused for a longer time, they get higher content of caffeine. We all know black teas are steeped for longer periods. Therefore they are rich in caffeine as compared to green and white tea. Also, the higher the number of tea leaves, the higher the caffeine content.