Caffeine & Sleep
Tea

Caffeine in Black Tea

47mg
per 8 oz
≈ 1 Red Bull12% of FDA daily max

Is that a lot?

Black Tea is 12% of the FDA’s recommended daily maximum, in a single 8 oz.

Green tea
28 mg
Black Tea
47 mg
Espresso
63 mg
Red Bull
80 mg
Coffee
95 mg
FDA daily max · 400mg
Before bed

When can I drink Black Tea and still sleep?

Your Black Tea cutoff
You drink it at
Bedtime
Black Tea · 47 mg · assuming an average ~5 h half-life
At bedtime
16 mg
close to optimal
Latest safe Black Tea: 11:00 PM

How much caffeine is in Black Tea?

A cup of black tea brings around 47 mg of caffeine, about half what a typical coffee delivers. Steep it longer and the number climbs, but it generally stays the gentler, slower cousin of coffee.

ServingCaffeineSugar
8 oz47 mg0 g

Varies ~40–70 mg with steep time.

Will Black Tea affect your sleep?

From 47 mg, black tea is already near the 50 mg threshold and falls below it within an hour or so. An afternoon cup is usually clear by night, making it a friendlier evening option than coffee.

Source: USDA FoodData Central

Related drinks

Black Tea & sleep — FAQ

At roughly 47 mg, black tea is mild enough that a cup in the late afternoon rarely keeps people up, though a long steep right before bed might bother sensitive sleepers.

Black Tea has 47 mg per 8 oz — about 12% of the FDA’s 400 mg daily maximum for healthy adults.

It depends on your bedtime and how fast you clear caffeine. Use the calculator above to see when Black Tea drops below the ~50 mg “ok to sleep” threshold for your bedtime.

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