Is decaffeinated black tea really free of caffeine? If not, how much caffeine does "decaffeinated" tea contain!


Question: Is decaffeinated black tea really free of caffeine? If not, how much caffeine does "decaffeinated" tea contain?
Answers:

Decaffeinated tea is allowed to contain 0.5% caffeine by weight - if it's 99.5% caffeine free, it's "decaffeinated". (Regular tea has about 3% caffeine by weight, more than coffee, although this varies wildly with cultivar, season, and growing practices.) This translates into 2-10 mg of caffeine in your cup, or about a tenth of regular tea.

Don't believe in the urban legend that you can decaffeinate your tea with one 30-45 second infusion. Research has shown that a 30-second infusion removes 10% of the caffeine, leaving you with 90% caffeinated tea! If you want to decaffeinate your own non-black tea, make a standard first infusion and discard it. Then make a second infusion. This second infusion shouldn't have more than 75% of the caffeine of the first infusion. If you drink black tea, or you're very caffeine sensitive, it's better to just drink decaf.

A note for the decaf drinker - methylene chloride has a reputation as the decaffeinating solvent that produces the best-tasting coffee and tea, but in the USA methylene chloride-processed teas are against FDA regulations. Methylene chloride is allowed as a decaffeinating solvent for coffee because coffee beans are roasted for several minutes at over 400 F, far above its boiling point of 104 F, before they reach the consumer, and all residue should be gone. Methylene chloride-processed teas are sold in Europe.

http://chadao.blogspot.com/2008/02/caffe…



Please read this article fully as the percentage varies according to the process used and the manufacturer.
Notice that you can also do it yourself( green or black tea)

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA300785/de…



According to celestial seasonings decaf tea still has caffeine. Not sure of the actual amount. But check their website they may have actual amounts. Herbal tea, which is actually not tea at all is the only "tea" that is decaf.



decaf does still contain caffeine, but it's a very small amount, about a few mg




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