Getting rid of caffeine. Does this work?

[GB]

I was watching Jeopardy the other day and the answer was this:

To remove this from tea, pour hot water over the leaves, dump the water, then refill to steep.

The question was: "What is caffeine"?

My question is...is this really true? Can you really get rid of the caffeine in tea by pouring hot water over the leaves and then dumping that batch out (note: you don't let it steep. You just pour it on then dump it right away) and then refilling and steeping? I find this very hard to believe, but it was on Jeopardy so it HAS to be true

 

[AndreainDC]

I hadn't heard this before, but I read this on qualiteas.com
I never would have thought it.

How to Remove Caffeine from Tea[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-2]

The biggest surprise is that approximately 80% of the water soluble caffeine in tea is released during the first 30 seconds of brewing. So, to remove most of the caffeine from your tea, simply pour boiling water over the loose-leaf tea leaves in your teapot, allow the tea to steep for 30 seconds, and then discard the liquid. Use the same tea leaves with fresh hot water to brew a close to fully decaffeinated cup of tea for drinking.

You will find this process highly effective, allowing you to enjoy the originally caffeinated teas you love without major concern over caffeine content. Test it for yourself and you will see that it works.

Be sure to use only loose-leaf, premium-grade teas instead of the tea in teabags. Unlike teabags loose-leaf teas can be brewed over and over again until you have depleted the leaves of their wonderful natural flavor. This means that the same teaspoonful of tea can produce two, three or more cups of tea all from the same leaves. It is nearly impossible to brew a second worthwhile-tasting cup of coffee from the same grounds, or a good second cup of tea from most of the off-the-shelf supermarket teas sold in teabags. [/SIZE][/FONT]

 

[GB]

Wow that is so cool!!! I am so happy to know that this actually works. Thanks for finding that excerpt Andrea. My brother gave me a cast iron teapot for Channukah and I have been drinking a lot of loose leaf tea. I try not to drink a lot of caffeine though and most of the tea places have a ton of great full test stuff, but only a handful of decaf teas. I will be trying this method for sure

 

[Constance]

I just buy de-caf (Louisianne is my fave, but Lipton's is fine), use one family sized bag and one small bag of Constant Comment for a half-gallon pitcher of iced tea. I drink mine with lots of ice, a slice of lemon, and no sugar or sweetener of any kind. I drink about 1-1/2 quarts of that a day. Green tea or fruit flavored teas may also be used.

 

[purrfectlydevine]

Is green tea lower in caffeine than black tea?

 

[GB]

Yes I believe green is generally lower in caffeine than black.

 

[Constance]

Is green tea lower in caffeine than black tea?

I don't know, but it's delicious! I do know it's supposed to be very healthy.

 

[GB]

Yeah green tea is quite healthy. The new thing now is white tea which has some even greater health benefits than green supposedly.

 

[corazon]

I've known about the 30 second decaf trick but I feel like in addition to getting rid of the caffeine, it also gets rid of a lot of the flavor. That is just my opinion or maybe my dulled taste buds.

 

[GB]

corazon were you using loose tea or teabags? I was wondering if it would affect the flavor.

 

[corazon]

corazon were you using loose tea or teabags? I was wondering if it would affect the flavor.

loose tea is all I ever use and it probably would affect the flavor. I just like my tea strong!

 

[GB]

Thanks corazon. Most the the teas I have say you can use the same leaves to brew two or three pots, but I have only just done one pot so far so I have not seen how much weaker the flavor will be on subsequent brewings. I think I am like you in that I like it on the strong side. Maybe if I find the 2nd brewing is too weak I could increase the amount of tea leaves I put in the pot initially? Worth a shot at least.

 

[corazon]

I increase the amount of leaves sometimes and I think it helps but it may be just psychological. You'll figure it out, just the way that you like it!

 

[GB]

OK I gave this techniques a shot this morning and I think it worked. I still feel the caffeine a little, but just a very little. instead of using two teaspoons of tea, I used two and a half. The flavor was perfect. I am declaring this experiment a success for me

 

[CharlieD]

Actually black tea is also healthy according to recent studies I've red in a pepper.

As far as removing caffeine from tea I always thought it was obvious, though I never really made that my goal. Using loose leaf teas and brewing some highly concentated tea in the pot and then using it to add some water and make regular tea. Or in my early years using it to get high, shh don't tell anybody I did this.

 

[GB]

OK I gave this techniques a shot this morning and I think it worked. I still feel the caffeine a little, but just a very little. instead of using two teaspoons of tea, I used two and a half. The flavor was perfect. I am declaring this experiment a success for me

OK I spoke way too soon. I am revoking my "approved" status and declaring this experiment a huge failure for me. My jaw is so tight right now if feels like I have been chewing gum for a week straight. I did not notice any reduction in the caffeine at all. Maybe I did it wrong. I am thinking maybe I didn't use enough water on the first brew. I probably used about 4 oz of water. Do you think that might be the problem?

 

[buckytom]

gb, i'm not sure why it didn't work, but when i read this thread, i pictured people all over ireland, the uk, the middle and far east cringing at the thought of americans "rinsing down" their tea. i agree with corazon; you lose so much flavor that way. my thought is why bother.
support new jersey and the petrochemical industry and just go out and buy decaf.
(methylene chloride is commonly used as the solvent to remove caffeine)

here's some info on decaffeinating tea: http://www.globetrends.com/allabouttea/DecaffeinationOfTea.htm

 

[Andy M.]

GB:

If the caffeine in a cup of tea sets you off, how do you manage to drink coffee and not zoom off into space?

 

[GB]

BT I would prefer to just buy decaf. The problem I have is the selection. Thee are sooooo many great looking teas out there, but when it comes to decaf instead if having a choice of hundreds, you have a choice of a small handful. Some sites I have been to have had as few as 3 or 4 decaf choices.

Yeah I agree that people who drink tea in many places outside the US would put a curse on me for even mentioning doing this. I think though that the same people would at least be somewhat happy that even though I am mutilating the tea and tea experience by doing this, at least I am not using tea bags

As for the flavor loss, I was worried about this as well. When I tried it though it made a delicious cup of tea. I honesty did not notice any watered down effect. I did use slightly more tea than I would have, but really the tea tasted great.

 

[GB]

GB:

If the caffeine in a cup of tea sets you off, how do you manage to drink coffee and not zoom off into space?

I quit drinking coffee Andy. I will occasionally have a cup. If we go out for breakfast or it is a weekend and we are with friends or just a nice summer weekend morning sitting with my wife and baby out by the pool enjoying the morning, but it is not a daily occurance anymore for me. I quit about 2 years ago afger NEEDING a cup every morning first thing. The caffeine does not always negatively affect me, but when it does it is really bothersome.