Does Oolong Tea Have Caffeine In It?
The fact is, all tea, even herbal teas, contain caffeine unless they have been decaffeinated. The amount of caffeine it contains depends on the plant variety and how long the leaves have aged.
Oolong tea is mostly grown in China and Taiwan. It is semi-fermented and has an earthy flavor. It is lower in caffeine than other teas like black tea but higher in caffeine than green tea. The content of the caffeine varies based on how long the tea is brewed and what temperature it is brewed. In general, oolong tea contains around 60 milligrams of caffeine per cup.
Different types of oolong tea have different amounts of caffeine on average. Exotica Champagne oolong has the most caffeine per 8 ounces cup at 55.4 milligrams; Pu-erh oolong contains about 41.6 milligrams of caffeine in an 8 ounces cup; China oolong has 33.4 milligrams; while Tea ren oolong is the lowest in caffeine with just 16.6 milligrams per cup.
On average, people brew their tea for 3 minutes and for up to 5 minutes if they prefer a strong cup of tea. If you prefer your oolong tea to be lower in caffeine, then brew it for just 1 to 2 minutes. A 1996 study found that oolong tea made from tea bags had twice the amount of caffeine than loose leaf tea. This is due to the fact that loose tea can be infused as much as 3 times while an oolong tea bag can be used but just once.
By throwing away the first infusion, you can greatly reduce the amount of caffeine in your oolong tea. If you soak the tea leaves in hot water for as many as 5 minutes and then throw away the first infusion, you will remove as much as 70% of the caffeine content in oolong tea.
As oolong tea is more concentrated than other teas, the second and third infusions are still usable, just with less caffeine. In China, this method is often practiced and is referred to as tea washing. It is used there to wash away pesticides and dust that might still be found amongst the tea leaves. Tea washing only works if you are drinking a good quality oolong tea that can be infused as many as 3 to 5 times, so try and find the best quality oolong tea that you can. This usually means a loose oolong tea that has been harvested from a high altitude. An example of a good quality oolong tea grown at a high altitude is Wuyi rock tea or Tieguanyin oolong tea.
Oolong tea is made from the Camellia sinensis plant, the tea leaves are oxidized and withered by sunlight, causing them to twist and curl. Oolong means black dragon tea’ in Chinese. A few years ago, oolong tea grew in popularity as it was claimed that it had weight loss properties. But this has not been proven to be better for weight loss than drinking black tea or green tea.
The UK Tea Council has recommended that people should not drink more than 6 cups of tea (which works out to be 300 milligrams caffeine of tea) per day.