A LOT of people who drink or study tea ask how much caffeine is in their cup.

Now, of course, this would vary from tea type to tea type and heavily depends also on the strength and size of your cup.

But yes, there is caffeine in tea.

Another question which commonly comes up is, what is the difference between caffeine and theine?

Well, chemically speaking, they are both alkaloids. But, the way they affect us can be quite different.

This is because the antioxidants found in tea – which are known as polyphenols – can join forces with caffeine and change our body’s experience of it. This partnership is called theine.

Caffeine mostly affects our cardiovascular systems and theine mostly affects our nervous system.

That explains why coffee, which is without tea’s polyphenols, gives us that lift – and subsequently can let us down with a thump.

Tea, on the other hand, gives us a genter, more mild lift and also the ability to calmly focus over long periods of time.