Caffeine Free Green Tea
As the decaffeinating process can not take out all of the caffeine, teas which claim to be caffeine free are in reality not completely devoid of it. As any other type of tea, green tea also contains caffeine naturally.
There are several types of tea, black tea which has been fully fermented during processing, green tea which has not been fermented at all, oolong tea which is somewhere in the middle of the two, and white tea which is similar to green tea in that it has undergone very little processing and no fermentation. But all tea comes from the same plant. Black tea contains the most caffeine, green tea contains less cafffeine than black tea and white tea contains even less caffeine than green tea. Generally speaking, a cup of tea only contains around one half to a third as much caffeine as a cup of coffee does.
The amount of caffeine in tea depends on a number of factors, including the variety of tea leaf, where it is grown, and the method and length of its processing. As a rule it can be said that the smaller the tea leaf, the stronger the caffeine it contains; the longer the tea leaves have fermented, the greater their caffeine content.
Does the decaffeination process affect the health benefits of green tea? The answer is yes and no depending on the decaffeination process. While for people who have a problem with caffeine, decaffeinated green tea will be the best choice, it should be remembered that caffeine free green tea is not completely devoid of caffeine. So for those people who are not allowed any caffeine at all, herbal infusions can be an option.
Herbal infusions are often mislabeled as teas, in fact they do not contain any tea whatsoever. Instead herbal infusions contain herbs or flowers that are brewed in tea bags or tea balls just like teas. An example of such a herbal infusion is chamomile which is a flower.
For those of us who are trying to limit their caffeine intake, caffeine free green tea is a good choice. The health benefits of green tea will always outweigh any negative effects from the small amount of caffeine left in the tea.