English breakfast tea is delicious and popular with morning tea drinkers. However, if you’re sensitive to caffeine or want to drink less, you may wonder about English breakfast tea caffeine content and how much to expect per cup.
Here, we’ll give you a quick breakdown of how English breakfast tea compares to other warm morning beverages in terms of caffeine.
What Are English Breakfast Teas?
English breakfast teas are black tea blends made from infusing the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant in hot water.
What makes a tea an English breakfast tea is the blend of leaves. The variety of leaves used in the blend will determine the tea’s overall flavor profile.
But every English breakfast tea has a classic taste of smooth, malty robustness, perfect when paired with a splash of milk and sugar or sipped on its own.
English breakfast teas are typically a blend of black teas from China, Sri Lanka, India, and Africa. Each region’s tea brings unique qualities to the blend:
China: Softer, slightly smoky notes.
Sri Lanka: Brightness, briskness, a bit lighter.
India (Assam): Malty taste, richness.
Africa: Bold, robust flavor, and earthy.
English Breakfast Tea Caffeine Content
English breakfast tea caffeine content is variable. This is true of all caffeinated beverages. The exact caffeine content depends on the processing of the tea leaves (or coffee beans if we’re talking about coffee), how you prepare your English breakfast tea, and brew time.
There are, however, approximations that serve as estimates for how much caffeine you can assume is in each cup of your preferred beverage.
Here are some of the most common:
English Breakfast Teas Compared to Coffee
Many people are most interested in English breakfast tea caffeine content as it compares to coffee.
Black tea does have a generous dose of caffeine in it, but it is still less than coffee.
According to Mayo Clinic, an 8-ounce cup of drip coffee has 96 milligrams of caffeine. One shot of espresso (1 oz) has 64 mg. So for you latte and cappuccino lovers, a standard 12 oz espresso usually has two shots, averaging 128 mg of caffeine per beverage.
Compare this with an 8-ounce cup of English breakfast tea, which has 47 mg of caffeine. You will still get a caffeine boost with black tea in the morning, but it will be less significant.
English Breakfast Teas Compared to Green Teas
Some find it surprising to hear that green tea contains caffeine, though its caffeine content is less than black tea and coffee.
Some types of green tea (like matcha) have more caffeine, but the average cup of brewed green tea contains 28 mg of caffeine.
English Breakfast Teas Compared to Chai Teas
Chai’s vibrant taste may deceive you into thinking it is mystical and unique among tea blends, but it is simply black tea blended with warming spices and prepared with milk.
A chai blend is often made from black tea — usually Assam and Darjeeling — and additional spices like:
- Cinnamon
- Cardamom
- Nutmeg
- Ginger
- Cloves
Because the spices round out the depth of flavor, there is less black tea in the blend, decreasing the caffeine content per cup of chai tea, but not by much. You can expect an average cup of chai to have about 40-60 mg of caffeine.
English Breakfast Teas Compared to Other Black Teas
All types of black tea have comparable amounts of caffeine, with the exception of some fermented teas like pu-erh. Depending on the processing method, a cup of pu-erh tea can have as much as 100mg of caffeine per cup. This is because of the leaves' natural fermenting process.
However, unless you specifically seek out fermented teas, you can expect most black teas you drink to have a similar caffeine content to English breakfast.
Choose the Perfect Blend
If you worry about English breakfast tea caffeine content, choose a light and fragrant green tea for your morning routine. You will enjoy mental clarity and an energy boost without quite so much caffeine.
If you want a bolder tea, try a fermented pu-erh or a high-grade matcha
If you’re ready to explore the delicious world of English breakfast teas, the Magic Hour Shop offers a wonderful hand-selected variety.
Whatever your specific tastes or needs, there is a perfect tea blend for you, and we’re here to help you find it!
