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There are few things cozier and more comforting than curling up in your favorite chair on a cold evening with a warm blanket and a hot cup of tea. But as bedtime approaches, you might not want that caffeine buzz keeping you up. If you reached for decaffeinated tea instead, would it impact its health benefits or even be unhealthy on its own?
We'll get to that, but first, let's start with the basics.
First Of All, What Exactly Is Decaffeinated Tea?
Decaffeinated tea, or decaf tea, has had at least 97.5% of the natural caffeine of the tea removed through a process before it ends up in your hands to brew. However, it's important to note that decaf tea still contains trace amounts of caffeine. Additionally, the decaffeination process can reduce beneficial compounds like polyphenols and antioxidants, potentially affecting the quality and benefits of drinking tea.
(This isn’t the same as “caffeine-free” or “herbal teas.” Why? Those don’t actually contain tea leaves and typically never had any caffeine in them to remove in the first place.)
The caffeine is removed by soaking it in either liquid carbon dioxide or some other chemical solvent.
What Are The Methods Of The Decaffeination Process, And Which Are Healthiest?
All tea is soaked in something to decaffeinate it; the only difference is which liquid is used and the varying effects it has on the tea. Decaffeinated green tea, for instance, retains many of the health benefits of regular green tea, such as protecting against diseases, improving memory, and aiding in weight loss, but with reduced caffeine content. Studies have shown that decaffeinated green tea can positively impact fat oxidation, body composition, and cardio-metabolic health.
Let’s discuss the four ways tea is decaffeinated and which one is optimal for taste and health purposes.
Methylene Chloride
When tea leaves are soaked in methylene chloride, the caffeine molecules bind to the solvent and then get eliminated.
For a long time, this method was the standard for preserving the taste of tea. But since methylene chloride is considered unsafe for human consumption by many countries, tea treated with it is sometimes barred from import. Still, this method remains common, and it's not very expensive compared to better, safer methods.
So, do your best to avoid tea decaffeinated this way.
Ethyl Acetate
Often called "naturally decaffeinated" tea, this method is done the same as methylene chloride by soaking the leaves in the solvent to draw out the caffeine.
Ethyl acetate is naturally present in many fruits and other plants, but it's much harder to properly remove from tea leaves. As a result, many find their tea has a chemical taste when treated this way. Still, it's not any less healthy than unprocessed tea.
CO2
At very high pressures and temperatures, carbon dioxide becomes a liquid and is extremely effective at removing caffeine from tea.
It's forcefully passed through the tea, where it binds to the caffeine and removes it from the leaf as it exits. This is completely healthy and is generally regarded as the best way to preserve flavor without compromising safety when decaffeinating.
Water
Using water, tea is essentially brewed once. Then, the caffeine is filtered out of the resulting brew before the water is returned to the leaves to be reabsorbed. This is a healthy way to make decaffeinated tea, but as you might expect, it lessens the flavor you’d expect from the tea.
Does Decaffeinated Tea Have Fewer Health Benefits?
One reason tea is so treasured by its fans is the great supply of flavonoids it provides! The benefits of green tea, including boosting the immune system, reducing the risk of chronic diseases, and providing antioxidants and polyphenols, are well-known.
Decaf green tea benefits include easing headaches and offering potential health perks similar to regular green tea.
Flavonoid is a chemical often linked to numerous health benefits. Exact numbers are hard to come by, but it’s generally accepted that you’ll lose most of these beneficial chemicals during the decaffeination process. However, of the available methods, the water process is best for retaining as many of these polyphenols as possible, ensuring that decaf green tea retains many of the same health benefits as its caffeinated counterpart.
So, To Sum Up: Is Decaffeinated Tea Unhealthy?
With the possible exception of tea treated with methylene chloride, there’s nothing unhealthy about drinking decaffeinated tea.
Just keep in mind that you’re very likely to lose many of the health benefits you enjoy from drinking untreated green tea, making it more like a tasty drink than something you’d go to as part of a healthy lifestyle. However, decaf green tea extract has been discussed for its potential weight loss benefits, including boosting fat metabolism, promoting a feeling of fullness, and aiding in calorie burning, although larger-scale research is still needed to establish these correlations in humans.
If you’re hypersensitive to caffeine, it’s also important to know that no process removes all of it. You’ll always have about 2% caffeine when you brew your cup of tea.
But if you’re mostly looking to sleep a little better after your evening mug, you might find some benefit from drinking decaffeinated tea instead.
Are you interested in learning more about the health benefits of different teas? We talk about the power of Benifuuki tea for allergies and more in this post.
Frequently Asked Questions About Decaffeinated Tea
1. Does decaffeinated tea have the same health benefits as regular tea?
Decaffeinated tea retains many of the health benefits of regular tea, such as antioxidant properties and potential health perks. However, the decaffeination process can reduce the levels of beneficial compounds like polyphenols and flavonoids. Among the decaffeination methods, the water process is best for preserving these health benefits. Despite this, decaf tea still offers some of the advantages associated with regular tea, like aiding in relaxation and potentially assisting with weight management.
2. Is decaffeinated tea completely caffeine-free?
No, decaffeinated tea is not entirely caffeine-free. Even after the decaffeination process, about 2% of the caffeine remains in the tea. While this is a small amount, it might still affect individuals who are highly sensitive to caffeine. For most people, the reduced caffeine content is sufficient to avoid the stimulant effects of caffeine, making decaffeinated tea a suitable choice for those looking to limit their caffeine intake.
3. Is the Japanese Green Tea Company’s Green Tea decaffeinated?
No. We do not carry decaffeinated tea. That means you don't have to worry about which process we use in regards to your health benefits.
Our teas are naturally low in caffeine, and we do not process any of them for decaffeination!
Are you ready to shop for your new favorite tea or buy Benifuuki tea online? Click here to get started.
This post was first published in 2022, but it was updated 30.7.2024 just for you.
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About the author
Kei Nishida
Author, CEO Dream of Japan
Certification: PMP, BS in Computer Science
Education: Western Washington University
Kei Nishida is a Japanese green tea enthusiast, a writer, and the founder and CEO of Japanese Green Tea Co., a Dream of Japan Company. His passion for introducing America to the tea of his homeland was the catalyst for creating the only company that brings high-quality tea from Arahataen Green Tea Farms to the rest of the world. Learn more about Kei
