Caffeine in Pu'er and When to Drink It During the Day

Many tea drinkers wonder: does pu'er contain caffeine? Will drinking it at night keep me up? The answer depends a lot on how you brew it and when you drink it.

Pu'er Contains Caffeine

Every tea made from the leaves of the tea plant, including green tea, oolong, black tea, and pu'er, contains caffeine. Pu'er is no exception, and that goes for both raw (sheng) pu'er and ripe (shou) pu'er.

How much caffeine ends up in a cup depends on many factors:

• Amount of leaf: The more tea you use, the more caffeine.
• Water temperature: The hotter the water, the more caffeine is extracted.
• Steeping time: The longer it steeps, the more is extracted.
• Infusion number: The first few infusions release more, and later infusions gradually release less.

Does Ripe Pu'er Have Less Caffeine?

You often hear that "ripe pu'er is lower in caffeine," but in reality it varies from tea to tea. Wet piling (wodui) fermentation changes many compounds, but caffeine is relatively stable, so ripe pu'er doesn't necessarily have less than raw. What really determines how much caffeine is in a cup is mainly how you brew it.

Ways to Get Less Caffeine

• Cold brew: Steep slowly in cool drinking water in the fridge. Far less caffeine is extracted than with hot brewing, and the tea tastes sweeter too. See how in Cold-Brewed Pu'er.
• Brew it lighter: Use less leaf and shorten the steeping time.
• Drink the later infusions: The first few infusions release more caffeine; the later ones contain less.

How Much to Drink in a Day

Taiwan's Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) recommends that adults keep their caffeine intake to no more than 300 mg per day. If you also drink coffee, cola, or other caffeinated drinks during the day, count those too.

The recommendations differ for pregnant women, teens, and children: the TFDA recommends no more than 200 mg per day for pregnant women and no more than 100 mg for teens aged 12 to 18, while children under 12 should avoid caffeine.

When to Drink Tea During the Day

• Morning: A cup of hot tea perks you up to start the workday. A raw pu'er with a bright, lifted aroma is a good pick.
• After lunch: The smooth, mellow body of ripe pu'er suits an after-meal cup; it aids digestion and cleanses the palate after rich food.
• Afternoon: Around three or four o'clock, a cup of pu'er with a small snack makes a great break.
• Evening: If you're sensitive to caffeine, drink less from the afternoon on, or switch to cold brew or a lighter cup.

Everyone responds to caffeine differently. Finding the rhythm that feels most comfortable for you is what matters most.

Small Tea-Drinking Habits

• Brew it lighter on an empty stomach: Or pair it with a little snack; it feels more comfortable that way.
• Don't drink it too hot: Let freshly brewed tea sit a moment until it's pleasantly warm.
• Drink same-day tea the same day: Hot-brewed tea left sitting too long loses its aroma and flavor.

Roughly How Much Caffeine Is in a Cup?

Caffeine content in tea drinks varies widely. Bottled tea drinks contain roughly a dozen or so milligrams per 100 ml, while loose-leaf tea you brew yourself varies a great deal depending on the amount of leaf, water temperature, and time. Rather than memorizing a fixed number, remember the principle: more leaf, longer steeping, and hotter water mean more caffeine; the reverse means less.

Drinking Tea With the Family

• Older family members: Brew it lighter, not too hot, and serve with a little snack.
• Children: The TFDA recommends that children under 12 avoid caffeine. If kids want to join the tea table, give them warm water or juice so they can share in the fun of brewing tea.
• People sensitive to caffeine: Choose cold brew, brew it lighter, or drink only the later infusions.

Brewing Methods for Less Caffeine

If you'd like a cup in the afternoon without having too much, adjust how you brew:

• Cold brew: Cold water extracts caffeine more slowly than hot water, so with the same amount of leaf, cold-brewed tea usually has less caffeine than hot-brewed.
• Less leaf, more water: The brew is lighter, so you take in less overall.
• Drink the later infusions: Caffeine dissolves quickly in hot water, so the first few infusions release more. In the afternoon, drink the later infusions from tea you brewed in the morning, or simmer the spent leaves into a pot of light tea.
• Choose ripe pu'er: Ripe pu'er is smooth and mellow, and many people prefer it in the afternoon, but it contains caffeine too, so adjust the amount to suit your own habits.

A Daily Tea Rhythm

A Sense of How Much

Pu'er holds up to many infusions: one 8 g dragon pearl brewed in a gaiwan gives about ten infusions. You don't have to drink all ten at once; spreading them out over the day makes for a very comfortable pace. Tea bags are the same; one bag can be re-steeped 2–3 times. Gauging the amount by your own habits matters more than memorizing numbers.

Family Members Sensitive to Caffeine

If someone at home is sensitive to caffeine, you can arrange things like this:

• Drink during the day, not at night;
• Brew the tea lighter, or switch to cold brew;
• Put plain water or other caffeine-free drinks on the table too, so everyone can choose.

Pu'er and Other Drinks

Many people compare pu'er with coffee. The nice thing about pu'er is that one serving of leaf can be split into many infusions, sipped one after another, at a much gentler pace than a cup of coffee. And you can adjust the strength to taste: short steeps for a lighter cup, a few extra seconds for a stronger one. Making pu'er part of your daily routine is a comfortable kind of companionship.

FAQ

Can I drink pu'er at night? Everyone responds to caffeine differently. If you have trouble falling asleep, drink less from the afternoon on, or switch to cold brew or a lighter cup.

Do tea bags and loose leaf have the same caffeine? The leaves in tea bags are more finely broken, so they release flavor faster and may release more in the same amount of time. Controlling the steeping time lets you adjust the strength.

Does cold brew have less caffeine? Cold water extracts caffeine more slowly than hot water, so with the same amount of leaf and time, cold-brewed tea usually has less caffeine than hot-brewed.