How Much Caffeine Is in Yaupon Tea vs. Coffee?

If you’re reaching for a cup of coffee in the morning, chances are you’re not actually craving coffee. You’re looking for something very specific: awareness, alertness, focus and that feeling of being ready to take on the day.

Most of us have been taught to associate that feeling with one thing: caffeine.

But what if caffeine isn’t the whole story?

Yaupon tea is naturally caffeinated, and it can provide the morning lift many people are looking for. But yaupon also contains theobromine, another naturally occurring compound that contributes to the overall experience of drinking the tea.

At Rise Yaupon, we’re certainly not anti-caffeine. In fact, we love that yaupon is naturally caffeinated. But after years of working with yaupon and hearing from our customers, we think there’s a better question to ask than simply, “How much caffeine is in this?”

The better question may be: What should you be drinking to feel the way you want to feel?

How Much Caffeine Is in Coffee?

The amount of caffeine in coffee can vary quite a bit depending on the type of coffee, how it is brewed and how much you drink. As a general benchmark, an 8-ounce cup of brewed coffee contains around 95 milligrams of caffeine, although some coffees can contain considerably more.

And that number is important if you're trying to monitor your caffeine intake.

But I think people sometimes get too caught up in the milligrams.

I know I have.

When I drink a strong cup of coffee, I can feel it almost immediately. And sometimes that's exactly what I'm looking for. But other times, especially if I haven't eaten, that strong caffeine hit can leave me feeling anxious and jittery. My stomach can hurt, and instead of feeling energized and ready for the day, I just feel off.

The high of caffeine that I wanted isn't necessarily giving me the experience I was looking for.

That's one of the reasons I appreciate yaupon.

How Much Caffeine Is in Yaupon Tea?

Yaupon generally contains less caffeine than coffee. A typical cup of yaupon is often in the range of green tea in terms of caffeine, or roughly one-third the caffeine content of a typical cup of coffee.

The exact amount will vary depending on how much yaupon you use, how you brew it and how long you steep it.

But here's where yaupon gets really interesting.

When we're talking about the caffeine content of a cup of yaupon, we're generally talking about that first steep.

That's because roughly 90% of the caffeine is released during the first steeping. So if you're looking for a lower-caffeine experience, you don't necessarily have to switch to a completely different beverage. You can simply keep steeping the same tea.

And that's something yaupon does exceptionally well.

Yaupon Can Be Steeped More Than Once

One of my favorite things about yaupon is that you don't have to throw your tea bag away after one cup.

Because yaupon naturally lacks tannin, it doesn't develop that bitter, astringent taste you can get from repeatedly steeping traditional teas.

At Rise Yaupon, we generally tell people to expect two to three servings from each tea bag.

You can steep it, drink it, add more water and steep it again.

By the second and third cup, you've extracted most of the caffeine from that original tea bag. That makes those later cups a great option for someone who wants something flavorful to drink without getting a significant caffeine hit.

So when people tell us they're looking for a decaf option, we sometimes tell them: Don't throw away your yaupon tea bag after the first cup.

Your second and third cups may be exactly what you're looking for.

Or start with your first cup in the morning and then drink it all day and by evening, you're decaf and ready for bed!

But Caffeine Isn't the Whole Story

This is where I think the conversation gets really interesting.

Caffeine gets almost all of the credit for that feeling of being awake and alert. And caffeine absolutely plays an important role. Yaupon is caffeinated, and that's part of why people enjoy it as a morning or afternoon beverage.

But yaupon contains other naturally occurring compounds, too.

One of those is theobromine.

Theobromine is also found in coffee and traditional teas made from Camellia sinensis, as well as in cacao and dark chocolate. But yaupon has a particularly high theobromine-to-caffeine ratio compared with other commonly consumed caffeinated beverages.

That combination is one of the reasons I believe yaupon has such a unique effect.

What Is Theobromine?

Theobromine is a naturally occurring compound in the same broad family of compounds as caffeine. It is especially well known because it is found in cacao and is associated with some of the pleasurable qualities people experience when eating dark chocolate.

I often describe it at markets as part of the reason yaupon feels different from coffee.

Caffeine is the compound most of us associate with that immediate wake-up feeling. Theobromine is different. It is often described as contributing to a feeling of alertness and well-being rather than simply delivering a hard jolt of stimulation.

And this is where my personal experience with yaupon really matters.

When I drink yaupon, I still feel that awareness come on relatively quickly. I'm not drinking something completely free of caffeine. I am drinking a naturally caffeinated tea.

But I don't get the same jittery feeling I sometimes get from a strong cup of coffee.

I don't get the bitter aftertaste.

And I don't experience the same unpleasant crash that can come after a strong caffeine hit.

For me, that makes a big difference.

Caffeine vs. Theobromine: It's About the Experience

I think we tend to think about caffeine as if it were the entire equation.

More caffeine must mean more energy.

But that's not necessarily how our experience with a beverage works.

Caffeine and theobromine interact with the body differently, and yaupon naturally brings both of these compounds to the cup.

One of the things that makes yaupon particularly interesting is its relatively high ratio of theobromine to caffeine. In fact, yaupon has been reported to have a theobromine-to-caffeine ratio roughly 15 times higher than other caffeinated beverages.

That has an impact on how it interacts with your body.

The result, in my experience and in what we've heard from many of our customers, is a different kind of lift.

Not necessarily a bigger one.

A different one.

Why I Prefer Yaupon When I Want a Lift Without the Jitters

I'll give you a very personal example.

When I drink coffee, I often find myself adding creamer and sugar.

Part of that is because I enjoy the taste. But honestly, sometimes I'm also trying to soften the strength of the coffee. I'm trying to balance the bitterness and the way it feels in my stomach.

With yaupon, I don't feel like I need to do that.

I can drink it straight.

I get the flavor. I get the natural caffeine. I get the awareness I'm looking for. And I don't feel like I need to load it up with sugar and creamer to make it enjoyable.

That's one of the reasons I think the conversation around caffeine needs to expand.

Instead of asking only, “How much caffeine is in this?” we should also be asking, “How does this beverage make me feel?”

My Uncle's Coffee-to-Yaupon Switch

My uncle is a great example of this.

He used to be an avid coffee drinker. He wanted that morning pick-me-up, just like so many of us do.

Eventually, he switched to yaupon.

He's a purist, so his favorite is Rise Yaupon America's Classic, which is 100% yaupon holly. It's also the most caffeinated of our blends because there are no other ingredients diluting the yaupon.

But he has taken the multiple-steeping concept to another level.

He puts one tea bag in his cup in the morning and leaves it there all day.

He adds hot water as he goes.

Five steeps. Six steeps. Sometimes seven.

He gets that initial caffeine from the first cup, and then he's able to continue enjoying the same tea throughout the day without continually introducing a full dose of caffeine into his system.

By the time he's ready for bed, he's essentially drinking a very low-caffeine—or functionally decaffeinated—cup of tea.

And because yaupon doesn't have tannin, it doesn't become overwhelmingly bitter as it sits and steeps.

Now, we don't necessarily tell everyone to leave their tea bag in their cup for seven steeps!

But it demonstrates just how versatile yaupon can be.

So Which Has More Caffeine: Yaupon or Coffee?

The short answer is coffee.

If you're comparing a typical cup of brewed coffee with a typical cup of yaupon, coffee generally contains significantly more caffeine.

But I don't think that's the end of the conversation.

Here's the bigger picture:

• Coffee generally contains more caffeine per cup.
• Yaupon has both caffeine and theobromine and contains more theobromine per cup.
• Yaupon generally contains less caffeine, closer to the range of green tea.
• Most of the caffeine in a yaupon tea bag is released during the first steep.
• Yaupon can be steeped multiple times without developing the bitterness associated with tannin.
• Later steeps provide a way to continue enjoying the flavor of yaupon with progressively less caffeine.

So if your only goal is to consume the maximum amount of caffeine possible, coffee may win that contest.

But I'm not convinced that's the contest most of us should be trying to win.

What Should You Be Drinking?

At Rise Yaupon, we're pro-caffeine.

Yaupon is a naturally caffeinated plant, and we love that about it.

But I think it's important to recognize that caffeine isn't the only compound contributing to the experience you're looking for when you reach for that morning cup.

That's where I think yaupon has something special to offer.

You get the caffeine. You also get theobromine. And you get a beverage that you can drink multiple times throughout the day without the bitterness that often comes with repeatedly steeping tea.

For me, that's the real advantage.

I'm not interested in chasing the highest number of milligrams of caffeine.

I'm interested in how I feel.

Listen to Your Body, Not Just the Caffeine Number

We all respond to caffeine differently.

Some people can drink a giant cup of coffee and go straight to sleep. Others can drink half a cup and feel jittery for hours.

That's why I don't think there's one universally correct answer to the question, “What should I drink?”

Pay attention to your own body and how quickly you feel the effects.

Maybe coffee is exactly what works for you.

Or maybe, like me and so many Rise Yaupon customers, you'll discover that yaupon gives you the awareness and alertness you're looking for without the experience you don't want.

Because at the end of the day, the question isn't simply:

“How much caffeine should I drink?”

The better question is:

“How do I want to feel?”

And that is where yaupon tea deserves a place in the conversation.