Browsing Tag

caffeine content

Tea Health Benefits

Does Tea Dehydrate You? (It Isn’t What You Think)

January 17, 2023

Tea has been a long-standing favorite worldwide and is packed with powerful nutritional benefits. It’s a major part of the fabric of hundreds of cultures, and a favorite drink for millions to incorporate into their morning routines. However, there’s been one pervasive myth that’s undermined the tea drinking experience for decades – and we’re here to debunk it. 

Does tea dehydrate you?  The answer might not be what you think! 

Does tea dehydrate you? 

The answer is actually very simple, tea does not dehydrate you like people may tell you or the myths you might here. We know, this goes against probably everything you read! Here’s why: While many fitness enthusiasts and working professionals enjoy their daily cuppa, others have come forward warning the general public about the dangers of excessive tea drinking. However, their proof may have been faulty at best. 

Healthline has found that anything past 8 cups of tea per day, or an average of 1,920 mL at one time, may begin to cause dehydration in the body – but any level of dehydration caused by this excessive amount would be negligible. 

The entire reason that dehydration has the potential to occur is the presence of caffeine in tea, which acts like a natural diuretic in the human body. However, the intake amount in tea is exceptionally low, especially when you compare it to many favorite energy drinks or coffee drinks you’re likely to consume in a given month. 

Plus, the health benefits you’re likely to gain from hydrating with your favorite tea (compared to lessened overall hydration if you weren’t drinking tea) outweigh any minor dehydration that you may run into with excessive drinking – at least in most cases. 

So, no: Tea does not dehydrate you, unless you are drinking an excess and absurd amount of black teas in the tens of cups daily.. That means that you’re free to enjoy multiple cups of your favorite blend with no ill-effects: and we’ve got some fantastic suggestions. 

Teas to help reduce dehydration:

If you’re truly worried about dehydration, you’ll want to select teas without caffeine content in them, or generally herbal loose leaf teas. While you won’t be facing any significant (or bad) effects, you may want to avoid the diuretic effect or the jolty “buzz.” 

Here’s our list of some specialty brews to give you all of the benefits while lessening your risk of dehydration: 

1. Sweet Dreams Tea 

Sweet Dreams tea is the perfect drink to reach for if you’re looking to truly destress and decompress, reaching a state of complete bliss. This transformation is made possible with the addition of dried apple chunks, lemon balm essence, fennel, St. John’s Wort, and soothing chamomile – all of which are processed in an organic compliant way for the benefits without the worry. You’ll get a powerful boost of cancer-resistant antioxidants while enjoying a perfect sleepy-time caffeine-free tea, keeping you soothed and ready for some deep restoration and relaxation. 

2. Lemon Ginger Herbal Tea

Looking for a refreshing herbal tea with a big bold flavor and many health benefits? Lemon Ginger Herbal Tea really tantalize your senses, with the refreshing lemongrass notes and the inviting ginger kick, it is truly one of a kind. This tea is made from a flavorful blend of ginger, lemongrass, lemon peel, licorice and spearmint. This tea will definitely not dehydrate you, but rather, will reduce inflammation and relax your senses to calm your busy lifestyle and get some rest.

3. Evening Comfort Herbal Tea 

This tea blend focuses on rejuvenation and calming, and is the perfect blend to enjoy at any time of the day. We craft our Evening Comfort blend with peppermint leaves, lemon peel essence and dried ginger, giving you a refreshing, zingy cup that will hydrate and soothe you without the harsh feeling of a rise and crash. It’s comfort in a cup, formulated with additions that offer powerful antioxidant, anti aging and anti-inflammatory effects. Let this tea work overtime to offer you complete rest and restoration as you end your busy days. There’s no better way to unwind! 

Tea Health Benefits

Caffeine Content in Tea and How It’s Determined

March 21, 2022
how much caffeine is in tea

Each day, billions of people rely on caffeine to wake up, or to get through a work shift or that dreaded 3 pm afternoon slump. In fact, this natural stimulant is one of the most commonly used ingredients in the world. Eighty percent of the world’s population consumes a caffeinated product each day, and this number goes up to 90% for adults in North America. So what is caffeine and how does caffeine in tea effect us?

What is caffeine?

Caffeine is a natural stimulant most commonly found in tea, coffee, and cacao plants. When you consume caffeine, it blocks the effects of adenosine, which is a neurotransmitter that relaxes the brain and makes you feel tired. Adenosine levels build up throughout the day, making you increasingly more tired and causing you to want to go to sleep. Caffeine helps you stay awake by connecting to adenosine receptors in the brain without activating them. This blocks the effects of adenosine, leading to reduced tiredness.

What is the difference in tea and coffee?

Put simply, the caffeine in tea and coffee are digested differently. The caffeine in tea binds with an amino acid called L-theanine. This bond is what makes tea caffeine act in a slower, more controlled way. Instead of a relatively short, intense burst of energy like you would get from coffee, you get a prolonged, slow-release form of energy. You won’t notice a burst of energy, sweaty palms or jitters. But you’ll become much calmer, and focused.

The way coffee works is that it gives you a nice jolt of energy a couple of minutes after ingesting it, and you will almost suddenly feel awake. You’ll notice the coffee is working if you’re starting to get a bit jittery, possibly a bit sweaty, and feel like you have to do everything at once. This is because the caffeine from coffee passes right into the bloodstream, and has a very powerful direct effect. There is no gentleness, just a direct need to get up and do something.

What determines the caffeine content in tea?

There are a handful of factors that determine how much caffeine is in each cup of tea you make. They range from steep time, water temperature, the amount of tea leaf used, harvest time and type of leaf used. Any tea that is a true tea that comes from the Camellia Sinensis plant will have some level of caffeine in it. Additionally, the shorter time you steep your tea, the less caffeine you will have in that cup.

Which teas have the highest and lowest levels of caffeine?

Black tea typically has the most caffeine of all the tea types. One of the reasons for this is a longer infusion time versus green along with higher steeping temperatures, typically boiling. Because black tea is oxidized, it allows more caffeine to be extracted from the leaf versus other types of tea. Matcha is another tea that is high up on the list of most caffeinated tea drinks due to the fact that you consume the entire leaf. Herbal teas (which are teas that are not from the Camellia Sinesis plant) will have little to no caffeine in them.

Daily caffeine consumption.

Daily recommended caffeine should be about 400 milligrams, which is 4 “cups” of coffee, but cups being 8 ounces, it really means 2 large cups to a lot of people. With black tea coming in around half the caffeine as coffee (45 per cup versus 90 for coffee) you can enjoy a lot more tea throughout the day.