Does matcha have caffeine?
A 2 g serving of matcha has approx. 38-89 mg of caffeine, from less than half to roughly a whole espresso. We work out how many servings fit within the EFSA levels and how much L-theanine matcha contains.
Yes, matcha contains caffeine: according to a review of studies by Kochman et al. (2020), 1 g of powder contains 18.9 to 44.4 mg of caffeine. A typical 2 g serving therefore has about 38-89 mg, which ranges from less than half of an espresso to roughly the same as an espresso according to EFSA (approx. 80 mg in 60 ml). The exact amount depends on the specific matcha and on how many grams you use.
Key points
- 1 g of matcha has 18.9-44.4 mg of caffeine (Kochman et al., 2020), so a 2 g serving has approx. 38-89 mg.
- Koicha, thick matcha made with 4 g of powder, has approx. 76-178 mg of caffeine in one bowl.
- According to the USDA, brewed green tea has approx. 12 mg of caffeine per 100 ml, or approx. 24 mg in a 200 ml mug.
- EFSA: up to 400 mg of caffeine a day and up to 200 mg in a single dose raise no safety concerns for healthy adults; during pregnancy and breastfeeding, up to 200 mg a day.
- For children and adolescents, EFSA proposes a level of 3 mg per kg of body weight a day, which is 150 mg at 50 kg.
- The L-theanine content of 7 matchas tested by Unno et al. (2018) ranged from 2.5 to 44.7 mg per gram, almost an eighteenfold difference.
- There is no naturally caffeine-free matcha, because the tea leaf itself contains caffeine.
This article describes caffeine content and the safety levels published by EFSA. It is not medical advice. If you are pregnant, take medication or have health problems, ask your doctor about caffeine.
How much caffeine is in 1 g of matcha and in a serving?
According to the review by Kochman et al. (2020), which cites an analysis by Koláčková et al. (2020), matcha contains 18.9-44.4 mg of caffeine per gram. For a 1 g serving that is approx. 19-44 mg, for 2 g approx. 38-89 mg, and for 4 g (koicha) approx. 76-178 mg.
Other measurements give a similar picture. In the study by Unno et al. (2018), six of the seven matcha samples had 37-44 mg of caffeine per gram. One sample had just 6 mg/g, which shows how much the raw materials sold under the name "matcha" can differ. In the review by Unno et al. (2026), three groups of matcha averaged 31.6-39.6 mg of caffeine per gram.
Why so much? Because you do not steep matcha: you drink the whole ground leaf. With ordinary green tea, only part of the caffeine in the dried leaf passes into the water. With matcha, all the caffeine in the powder ends up in the cup. You can read more about how matcha differs from loose-leaf tea in the article what is matcha.
How many grams is that in practice?
The Japanese tea house Ippodo says that 4 g of matcha is roughly 2 level teaspoons, so 1 level teaspoon is approx. 2 g. Ippodo uses 2 g per serving of usucha (thin matcha) and 4 g for koicha. The Mild recipe uses 1-2 g for a hot drink and 2 g for a latte. If you use a heaped teaspoon, you may have noticeably more than 2 g in your cup. It is worth weighing a serving once on a kitchen scale.
Matcha vs coffee and other drinks: caffeine table
A 2 g serving of matcha has anywhere from less than half the caffeine of an espresso to roughly the same as an espresso or a mug of filter coffee. Ordinary brewed green tea has noticeably less. Below is a comparison, each row with its own source.
| Drink | Serving | Caffeine (approx.) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matcha, small serving | 1 g of powder | 19-44 mg | Kochman et al., 2020 |
| Matcha, latte or usucha serving | 2 g of powder | 38-89 mg | calculated from Kochman et al., 2020 |
| Koicha (thick matcha) | 4 g of powder | 76-178 mg | calculated from Kochman et al., 2020; serving size per Ippodo |
| Espresso | 60 ml | approx. 80 mg | EFSA |
| Filter coffee | 200 ml | approx. 90 mg | EFSA |
| Black tea | 220 ml | approx. 50 mg | EFSA |
| Brewed green tea | 200 ml | approx. 24 mg (12 mg/100 ml) | USDA FoodData Central |
| Energy drink | 250 ml can | approx. 80 mg | EFSA |
| Cola | 355 ml can | approx. 40 mg | EFSA |
EFSA notes that the values for coffee, tea and other drinks are approximate, because caffeine content and serving sizes vary between countries and products. The same applies to matcha: the range of 19-44 mg per gram is wide, and you will rarely find a specific figure on the pack.
Does matcha have more caffeine than green tea?
Yes, for two reasons. Per gram of dried leaf, matcha has more: 18.9-44.4 mg/g compared with 11.3-24.67 mg/g in loose-leaf green teas (data from the review by Kochman et al., 2020). On top of that, you drink matcha whole, whereas with loose-leaf tea you drink only the infusion.
How much caffeine passes into the infusion? The review by Unno et al. (2026) reports that when sencha is steeped, over 50% of the caffeine in the leaves passes into the water after 1.5 minutes, and approx. 80% after the second infusion. So according to the USDA a mug of green tea has approx. 24 mg of caffeine, while a 2 g serving of matcha has 38 to 89 mg.
What affects the amount of caffeine in matcha?
The biggest factor is the number of grams per serving, followed by the raw material itself: harvest time and growing method. How you serve it (with water or with milk) does not change the amount of caffeine, because in both cases you drink all of the powder.
- Grams per serving. The relationship is simple: 4 g means twice as much caffeine as 2 g. This is the biggest variable you can control.
- Shading. According to Unno et al. (2026), bushes for matcha are shaded for more than 20 days before harvest. In the shade, the leaf produces fewer catechins and breaks down less theanine. For comparison: in that review, shaded gyokuro had 35 mg of caffeine per gram, and unshaded first-harvest sencha 24.7-31.0 mg/g.
- Harvest time. In the same review, sencha from the earliest spring harvest had 31.0 mg of caffeine per gram, second-harvest sencha 21.3 mg/g, and autumn bancha 22.8 mg/g.
- Latte or usucha. Milk does not remove caffeine. A latte made with 2 g of matcha has as much caffeine as usucha made with 2 g of matcha, just in a larger volume.
- Matcha for baking. Cheaper raw materials, often from later harvests, may have a different composition from drinking matcha. Without laboratory analysis it is impossible to say exactly how much.
Where the leaves come from and how growing practices differ between regions is covered in the article where matcha comes from.
How much matcha a day fits within the EFSA caffeine levels?
For a healthy adult, EFSA considers that up to 400 mg of caffeine a day from all sources raises no safety concerns. That is from approx. 4.5 servings of 2 g of matcha (for the strongest matcha in the range, 89 mg per serving) to approx. 10 servings (for the weakest, 38 mg). All sources count together, however.
The 2015 EFSA scientific opinion gives the following levels:
| Group | EFSA level | Number of 2 g matcha servings (38-89 mg) |
|---|---|---|
| Healthy adults, per day | up to 400 mg (approx. 5.7 mg/kg) | approx. 4.5-10 servings |
| Healthy adults, single dose | up to 200 mg (approx. 3 mg/kg) | approx. 2-5 servings at once |
| Pregnancy and breastfeeding, per day | up to 200 mg | approx. 2-5 servings |
| Children and adolescents, per day | 3 mg/kg body weight | at 50 kg: 150 mg, or approx. 1.7-4 servings |
The lower values in the last column apply to matcha at the top of the caffeine range. Since you usually do not know how much caffeine your matcha has, it is safer to calculate using the upper limit, approx. 89 mg per 2 g.
Add up your day
Example: a morning latte with 2 g of matcha (up to 89 mg), a 200 ml filter coffee at work (approx. 90 mg), a can of cola in the afternoon (approx. 40 mg). The total is up to approx. 219 mg, a little over half the 400 mg level for a healthy adult, but already above the 200 mg that EFSA gives for pregnant women. A single koicha made with 4 g of powder can provide up to 178 mg, almost as much as EFSA gives as a single dose for an adult.
What is L-theanine and how much is in matcha?
L-theanine is an amino acid found in the tea plant that is responsible for, among other things, the umami taste. The amount in matcha varies greatly: in the 7 samples tested by Unno et al. (2018) it ranged from 2.48 to 44.65 mg per gram, or from approx. 5 to approx. 89 mg in a 2 g serving.
This range comes down to the raw material. In the same study, the authors analysed matchas on the market: 50 of 76 samples bought in Japan and 6 of 67 samples bought outside Japan had more than 17 mg of theanine per gram. Shading before harvest limits the breakdown of theanine in the leaves, and the amount falls in later harvests. According to the review by Unno et al. (2026), sencha from the earliest harvest had 20.4 mg of theanine per gram, and autumn bancha 3.3 mg/g.
In some matchas there is roughly as much theanine as caffeine. In the high-theanine matcha group in the review by Unno et al. (2026), the averages were 41.4 mg of theanine and 39.6 mg of caffeine per gram, and in the low-theanine group 8.5 mg of theanine with 33.4 mg of caffeine.
Can you drink matcha in the evening?
EFSA states that even a single 100 mg dose of caffeine may affect sleep duration and patterns in some adults, especially when taken shortly before bedtime. A 2 g serving of matcha can have up to 89 mg, so an evening matcha is close to that threshold.
How long before bed should you stop caffeine? In the study by Drake et al. (2013), 400 mg of caffeine given 0, 3 or 6 hours before usual bedtime disrupted sleep in all three conditions compared with placebo. That is more than four times a serving of matcha, but the study shows that a 6-hour gap is not always enough. If caffeine makes it harder for you to fall asleep, a simple option is matcha in the morning or before noon, and a smaller serving (1 g) or none in the afternoon.
Can teenagers drink matcha?
EFSA does not set a separate level for matcha, but for children and adolescents it proposes 3 mg of caffeine per kilogram of body weight a day. For 50 kg that is 150 mg, for 60 kg 180 mg. One 2 g serving of matcha (38-89 mg) is therefore from approx. a quarter to more than half of that level.
Teenagers often get caffeine from several sources at once: a matcha latte at a café, an energy drink (approx. 80 mg in a 250 ml can according to EFSA), cola (approx. 40 mg in 355 ml). Add everything up, and if in doubt, talk to a doctor.
Is there caffeine-free matcha?
There is no naturally caffeine-free matcha, because the leaf of the tea plant itself contains caffeine. Green tea can be decaffeinated: the USDA database has a separate entry for "green tea, brewed, decaffeinated" with a caffeine content of 0 mg per 100 g. If you see "decaf matcha", read the ingredients: it is either decaffeinated dried leaf or a blend with other plants, which is not matcha in the Japanese sense.
If you want to cut down on caffeine but stick with matcha, reduce the serving. 1 g instead of 2 g means half the caffeine. The flavour will be lighter, and less pronounced in a latte.
Common mistakes when counting caffeine from matcha
- Counting teaspoons, not grams. A heaped teaspoon can hold twice as much powder as a level one. Weigh a serving once and remember how many teaspoons it is.
- Assuming matcha has little caffeine because it is tea. 2 g of matcha can have as much as an espresso. You steep loose-leaf tea, but you drink matcha whole.
- Ignoring other sources. The EFSA levels apply to the total for the whole day: coffee, tea, cola, energy drinks, chocolate.
- Not knowing how much powder a café drink contains. You do not know how much powder went into the latte. If you are counting caffeine, ask the barista.
- Counting koicha like usucha. Thick koicha is 4 g of powder, or up to approx. 178 mg of caffeine in one bowl, almost as much as the 200 mg single dose in the EFSA opinion.
How to measure and prepare a serving is shown in the article how to make matcha step by step, and what matcha contains besides caffeine is described in what is in matcha. For an everyday latte, Mild has Matcha Daily: 50 g, or 25 servings of 2 g.
Frequently asked questions
How much caffeine is in 1 teaspoon of matcha?
According to Ippodo, a level teaspoon is approx. 2 g of matcha, which is approx. 38-89 mg of caffeine based on the range in the review by Kochman et al. (2020). A heaped teaspoon can hold noticeably more.
Does matcha have more caffeine than coffee?
It depends on the serving. 2 g of matcha has approx. 38-89 mg, a 60 ml espresso approx. 80 mg according to EFSA, and a 200 ml filter coffee approx. 90 mg. A strong serving of matcha is comparable to coffee; a weak one has less than half that amount.
Does a matcha latte have less caffeine than matcha with water?
No. Milk does not change the amount of caffeine; all that matters is how many grams of matcha you use. A latte made with 2 g of matcha has as much caffeine as usucha made with 2 g.
Can you drink matcha during pregnancy?
EFSA considers that during pregnancy and breastfeeding, up to 200 mg of caffeine a day from all sources raises no safety concerns for the child. A 2 g serving of matcha has up to 89 mg, so it needs to be added to coffee, tea and other sources from the same day. Discuss the decision with your doctor.
How much caffeine does matcha have compared with green tea?
According to the USDA, a 200 ml mug of brewed green tea has approx. 24 mg of caffeine, while a 2 g serving of matcha has approx. 38-89 mg. The difference comes mainly from the fact that you drink matcha whole.
What is the latest time to drink matcha?
EFSA states that 100 mg of caffeine shortly before bedtime may affect sleep in some adults. In the study by Drake et al. (2013), 400 mg of caffeine disrupted sleep even when taken 6 hours before bed. If you sleep worse after caffeine, drink matcha in the morning or before noon.
Is the caffeine in matcha natural?
Yes. Caffeine is a component of the tea leaf, and matcha is the ground leaf with no additives. Caffeine-free matcha does not exist naturally.
Sources
- Kochman J. et al., Health Benefits and Chemical Composition of Matcha Green Tea: A Review, Molecules, 2020
- Unno K. et al., Stress-Reducing Function of Matcha Green Tea in Animal Experiments and Clinical Trials, Nutrients, 2018
- Unno K. et al., Compositional Diversity and Functional Interactions of Bioactive Compounds in Japanese Green Tea: Focus on Matcha, Sencha, and Gyokuro, Molecules, 2026
- EFSA, Caffeine (topic page and summary of the 2015 scientific opinion)
- USDA FoodData Central, Beverages, tea, green, brewed, regular (SR Legacy 171917)
- Ippodo Tea, How to brew koicha
- Drake C. et al., Caffeine effects on sleep taken 0, 3, or 6 hours before going to bed, J Clin Sleep Med, 2013
