If you're thinking about switching to energy tea — or just curious about what you're actually putting into your body — caffeine content is one of the first questions people ask. It's a fair one. So let's answer it properly.
Does herbal tea contain caffeine?
This is where it gets nuanced. True herbal teas — made entirely from plants, flowers, and roots that aren't tea (Camellia sinensis) — are naturally caffeine-free. Think chamomile, peppermint, hibiscus, rooibos.
But energy teas are a different category. They're specifically formulated to provide a focus and energy boost, which means they either contain tea-plant ingredients (like green tea or black tea, which naturally contain caffeine), added botanical stimulants, or a combination of both.
So when people ask "how much caffeine is in herbal energy tea?", they're usually asking about these blended energy teas rather than a pure herbal infusion.
How much caffeine do energy teas typically contain?
Caffeine content in energy teas varies widely depending on the blend and how it's brewed, but here are some useful reference points:
| Drink | Typical caffeine per serving |
|---|---|
| Pure herbal tea (e.g. chamomile) | 0mg |
| Green tea | 25–45mg |
| Black tea | 40–70mg |
| XP Brew | 100mg |
| Filter coffee | 80–120mg |
| Mainstream energy drink (250ml can) | 80mg |
| Large energy drink (500ml can) | 160mg |
A well-formulated energy tea typically lands in a similar range to a cup of coffee — enough to be genuinely effective, without the extreme doses found in some pre-workout or high-caffeine energy drinks.
Why caffeine amount alone doesn't tell the whole story
Here's what the numbers don't capture: how caffeine is delivered matters as much as how much you consume.
Energy teas naturally contain L-theanine — an amino acid found in tea leaves that modulates caffeine's stimulant effect. L-theanine promotes calm alertness, reduces the jittery edge that caffeine can cause, and helps extend the duration of focus rather than creating a sharp peak and crash.
This means that 80mg of caffeine in an energy tea will typically feel different — smoother and more sustained — than 80mg from a carbonated energy drink without L-theanine.
How much caffeine is in XP Brew?
Our blends are designed to sit in a focus-friendly range — effective enough to sharpen your attention for a gaming session or work sprint, without tipping into the territory where you're counting ceiling tiles at 3am. Each serving contains 100 mg of caffeine, check out the full ingredient information so you always know what you're brewing.
Explore our range and find the right caffeine level for your routine:
- Carry Me Cranberry — refreshing and focused.
- Spicy Passion Power-Up — bold and warming.
- Dark Choc Cherry — smooth and rich, great for evenings.
- Gamer's Tears — the fan favourite for long sessions.
- Sweet Not Salty — easy-drinking and balanced.
- Ghostkai's Midnight Cherry — intense and dark.
Want to try before you commit? The Mana Mix Taster Pack is the perfect starting point.
How to control your caffeine intake with energy tea
One underrated advantage of loose-leaf or bagged energy tea over canned drinks: you have more control. Brew it shorter for less caffeine, longer for more. Use cooler water to extract less. Adjust the amount of tea used. This flexibility makes energy tea a much more tuneable caffeine source than cracking open a can.
Is energy tea safe?
For most healthy adults, moderate caffeine consumption — up to around 400mg per day according to the NHS and European Food Safety Authority — is considered safe. A couple of cups of energy tea per day sits well within that range for most people. If you're pregnant, sensitive to caffeine, or on certain medications, it's worth checking with your GP.
The bottom line: energy tea gives you real, effective caffeine in a form that's easier on your system than most conventional energy drinks. Brew smart, focus better.