Evidence guide · Caffeine

How much caffeine is in matcha?

Matcha has real caffeine, and because you drink the whole leaf, it counts by the gram. Japan's official numbers, a straight comparison with coffee and other teas, and a planner to check your own day.

AArabella L.Evidence guides, TeafyPublished 11 November 20266 min read

A bowl of matcha, a cup of black coffee and a cup of pale hojicha side by side on a wooden table

The short answer

Yes. Matcha powder contains about 3.2 g of caffeine per 100 g, or 32 mg per gram (Japan Standard Tables of Food Composition). A typical 2 g bowl or latte has about 64 mg, a little under a 250 ml cup of brewed coffee at about 80 mg. Healthy adults are commonly advised to stay under 400 mg a day from all sources, and 200 mg during pregnancy.

In this guide
  1. The short answer, graded
  2. The official Japanese numbers
  3. Caffeine per serve of matcha
  4. Plan your own day
  5. Matcha vs coffee
  6. What the limits are, and where they come from
  7. Lower caffeine swaps
  8. Questions people ask
  9. Sources

The short answer, graded

Question
Answer
Confidence
Does matcha have caffeine?
Yes, about 32 mg per gram
Strong: official food tables
More than coffee?
Per typical serve, usually less
Strong
Smoother than coffee?
Many people say so
Limited: small studies only
Slow release caffeine?
Not shown
Not supported

The official Japanese numbers

Tea
Caffeine
Basis
Matcha powder
3.2 g per 100 g, 32 mg per g
The powder itself; you drink all of it
Gyokuro, brewed
160 mg per 100 ml
10 g leaf, 60 ml at 60°C, 2.5 min
Black tea, brewed
30 mg per 100 ml
Standard brew
Sencha, brewed
20 mg per 100 ml
Standard brew
Hojicha, brewed
20 mg per 100 ml
Standard brew
Genmaicha, brewed
10 mg per 100 ml
Standard brew
Coffee, brewed
60 mg per 100 ml
Standard brew

Japan Standard Tables of Food Composition, 8th edition, 2023 supplement, via Zennoh and the MEXT database (matcha 16035).

Japan's Food Safety Commission works through its own example: 1.5 g of matcha in 70 ml of water carries about 48 mg of caffeine. That matches the 32 mg per gram figure exactly.

Caffeine in one typical serve
Gyokuro, 60 ml cup
96 mg
Brewed coffee, 250 ml
80 mg
Espresso, one shot
80 mg
Matcha, 2 g
64 mg
Instant coffee, 250 ml
60 mg
Sencha, 150 ml
30 mg
Hojicha, 150 ml
30 mg
Genmaicha, 150 ml
15 mg
Tea from Japan's food tables. Coffee: Australian Institute of Sport (brewed, instant) and EFSA (espresso). Brew strength changes the real number.

Caffeine per serve of matcha

Serve
Matcha used
Caffeine, approx.
Usucha, thin tea
2 g
64 mg
Matcha latte
2 g
64 mg
Strong cafe latte
4 g
128 mg
Koicha, thick tea
4 g
128 mg
Teafy Ceremonial, our lab
2 g
60 to 70 mg
Teafy Hojicha Powder
2 g
16 to 30 mg

Calculated at 32 mg per gram unless noted.

The amount of matcha changes everything. Cafes vary from about 1.5 g to 4 g a latte. If you buy your matcha out, ask how many grams they use.

Plan your own day

The bedtime curve uses caffeine's half life, the time your body takes to clear half of it. EFSA puts it at about 4 hours on average in healthy adults, with a range of 2 to 8 hours, and up to about 16 hours late in pregnancy.

Matcha vs coffee

A 2 g matcha and a 250 ml brewed coffee
Matcha
VS
Coffee
About 64 mg
Caffeine
About 80 mg
Yes, raised by shading
Theanine
None
1.5 g to 4 g a serve
Range
About 40 to 110 mg a cup
Often described as smoother
Felt as
Often described as sharper
Japan food tables; Australian Institute of Sport.

Many people say matcha feels smoother. Matcha contains L theanine, an amino acid that shading increases, and some small studies suggest theanine and caffeine together affect attention differently from caffeine alone. The evidence is limited, so treat claims of slow release caffeine with caution. Caffeine is caffeine, and it all counts toward your daily total.

What the limits are, and where they come from

Who
Level
Source
Healthy adults
Up to 400 mg a day; single doses up to 200 mg
EFSA 2015, referred to by FSANZ
Pregnant or breastfeeding
No more than 200 mg a day
EFSA 2015; Pregnancy, Birth and Baby
Children and teenagers
About 3 mg per kg of body weight a day
FSANZ expert group, EFSA
How strong is the evidence behind each limit?

How strong the evidence is, graded by us from the study types: 5 is strong, 1 is very limited.

400 mg, healthy adults
200 mg, pregnancy
3 mg per kg, children
Matcha is slow release

Lower caffeine swaps

  1. Hojicha: roasted and stem forward; 16 to 30 mg in a 2 g serve of ours.
  2. Genmaicha: about 10 mg per 100 ml brewed, half of sencha.
  3. Cold brew sencha: cold water draws out less caffeine than hot.
  4. Less matcha: 1 g in a latte still tastes of matcha and halves the caffeine.
  5. Decaf matcha: rare and hard to find; decaffeinated green tea exists, but the process also strips some flavour.
How often Australians ask about matcha caffeine

Monthly Google searches in Australia.

OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSep
does matcha have caffeine · about 9,900 at peakmatcha caffeine · about 1,900 at peak

Peak month for does matcha have caffeine: Nov. Quietest: May.

Google Ads Keyword Planner, Australia, all languages, Google Search. Monthly figures are Google estimates, rounded into ranges.

Questions people ask

Does matcha have caffeine?
Yes. Matcha has about 32 mg of caffeine per gram, so a 2 g bowl or latte carries about 64 mg (Japan Standard Tables of Food Composition).
How much caffeine is in a teaspoon of matcha?
A level teaspoon is about 2 g, which carries roughly 64 mg of caffeine.
Does matcha have more caffeine than coffee?
Per serve, usually less. A 2 g matcha has about 64 mg; a 250 ml brewed coffee about 80 mg. A 4 g cafe matcha latte can pass a coffee.
Does green tea have caffeine?
Yes. Brewed sencha has about 20 mg per 100 ml, gyokuro about 160 mg, and genmaicha about 10 mg, in Japan's official tables.
Does matcha keep you awake?
It can. It contains real caffeine, and the average half life is about 4 hours, so treat a late matcha like a late coffee.
How many matcha lattes can I drink a day?
At 2 g each, six lattes would reach about 384 mg, near the 400 mg adult level, before counting any other caffeine.
Is there decaf matcha?
It is rare. For a low caffeine Japanese tea, hojicha and genmaicha are the usual choices.
A

Arabella L.

Evidence guides, Teafy

Arabella writes the Teafy evidence guides. She reads the trials and the official tables, grades how strong the evidence is, and says plainly what it does and does not show.

Sources

  1. MEXT Food Composition Database, matcha (16035): caffeine 3.2 g and tannin 10.0 g per 100 g
  2. Japan Standard Tables of Food Composition, 8th edition, 2023 supplement, via 全農 茶ガイド
  3. Food Safety Commission of Japan, 食品中のカフェイン
  4. EFSA, Caffeine explained, and Scientific Opinion on the safety of caffeine, EFSA Journal 2015;13(5):4102
  5. FSANZ, P1056 caffeine safety assessment, and caffeine consumer guidance
  6. Australian Institute of Sport, caffeine content of common foods and drinks
  7. Google Ads Keyword Planner, Australia, searches October 2025 to September 2026, checked 11 November 2026

We update this page when the numbers change, and date every change here.

Teas in this guide

Ceremonial Grade MatchaFrom our family farm in Shizuoka. Stone milled, first flush, 25 bowls a pouch.From $31.99Hojicha PowderRoasted to our own recipe in Shizuoka. Low caffeine, warm and nutty.From $25.99GenmaichaSencha from our family farm, 50/50 with roasted brown rice.From $25.99

Keep reading

A pregnant woman holding a cup of pale tea beside a window with soft morning lightMatcha in pregnancyBy Arabella L.A bowl of vivid green matcha on a light wooden table with a few fresh tea leaves beside itL theanine and matchaBy Arabella L.A hot hojicha latte with caramel coloured foam in a speckled stoneware cup beside a dish of reddish brown hojicha powderHojicha latte recipeBy Melissa TzountzourkasA steaming cup of pale green tea held in two hands in a warm knitted sleeve on a cold morningIs matcha good for you?By Arabella L.