Best Caffeine-Free Tea
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TamaraLast updated:
January 28, 2022
There’s so much to enjoy about tea – it’s not just because of its caffeine pick me up! Tea that tastes good can boost your mood and make you feel refreshed, while it also contains healthy ingredients that are easy to incorporate into your daily diet.
What health benefits are there in tea? Tea contains various antioxidants that protect your health, and many herbal teas can help to keep your digestive system healthy.
It’s important to note that different teas have many different benefits, but if you want to cut down on how much caffeine you’re consuming, caffeine-free tea is a good choice so you can enjoy the delicious taste of tea without the jittery side effects.
Even though decaf tea doesn’t contain caffeine, it still contains health benefits. Here’s our list of the best caffeine-free to buy so that you can reap all the delicious flavors and healthy ingredients.
Best Overall: Harney & Sons
Short summary
If you love tea, you’ll know that it’s not just about the tea bags or tea powder you like to buy – it’s about the experience of drinking it! If that sounds right to you, then you’re clearly a tea lover.
This Harney & Sons decaffeinated Ceylon tea comes in a beautiful orange and black package that looks stylish.
But this tea pack doesn’t only have a beautiful appearance. Harvey & Sons is committed to producing high-quality hand-picked tea that’s sourced from fine tea gardens and estates.
The company provides a large selection of flavored signature teas, but their decaf black tea proves that if you want decaffeinated tea you don’t have to feel left out or like there are no options for you.
In this pack, you’ll get 50 teabags and they contain premium-quality decaffeinated black tea that’s delicious to enjoy, whether alone or with sugar and milk. Of course, if you want to reap the health benefits of black tea, it’s worth skipping both of those as they can bump up your calories.
In case you’re wondering, the decaffeination process for making this tea includes liquid washing over the dry tea and eliminating its caffeine, before the tea is dried. This process is beneficial because it’s said to preserve its flavor.
Quick Facts
- Flavour: Black tea
- Form: Tea bags
- Size: 50 tea bags
Pros
- Since this decaf tea comes in the form of bags, this makes it convenient to make tea whenever you feel like it.
- These teabags are Kosher, so you can enjoy them on a Kosher diet without a problem.
- They provide a strong taste that will make you question if it’s really decaf!
- People who have purchased this tea have said it also makes delicious iced tea.
- While its caffeine content has been removed, this black tea has maintained its delicious flavor.
- When enjoyed with milk, this best tasting caffeine-free tea has an appealing honey flavor.
Cons
- The teabags don’t come in a tin, which might not make it feel as giftable.
- Some people have said that the flavor of these bags is not as strong as expected.
- If you’re used to very strong caffeinated tea, you might have to use two tea bags when brewing a cup of this tea.
Runner-Up: Tazo Herbal Tea
Short summary
You can find a large variety of delicious flavored teas on the market, but sometimes it’s not easy to know which one to buy because there’s a dizzying variety at the supermarket.
If you love strong flavored tea, this one by Tazo is worth trying out. It gives you a lovely burst of citrus flavor.
The teabags have a wild sweet orange flavor that’s naturally unsweetened so this tea is perfect for adding to a low-sugar diet or enjoying when you want to watch your sugar intake.
To achieve its delicious flavor, this tea contains a variety of ingredients such as orange peel, lemon grass, licorice root tea, and citrus herbs. It also contains blackberry leaves, spearmint leaves, hibiscus flowers, and ginger root, which makes it a healthy herbal tea to consume.
As a result of its sweet flavor, this tea can be enjoyed as hot or iced tea, which makes it versatile and appealing to a variety of tea drinker preferences.
This tea is naturally free of caffeine, which makes it safe to drink if you’re trying to avoid caffeinated beverages.
Quick Facts
- Flavour: Citrus
- Form: Tea bag
- Size: 20 tea bags
Pros
- Since this tea comes in tea bags, it’s easy to make. Simply pour boiling water over a bag and let it steep for a few minutes.
- This tea is Non-GMO Project verified so you don’t have to worry about genetically modified organisms in your tea.
- While it’s sweet, this best tasting caffeine free tea has a tangy flavor which makes it the perfect tea to enjoy either hot or cold.
- Some people who have purchased this tea have said that it has a juice-like flavor.
- This tea has a lovely orange color that it gets from riboflavin and turmeric. This is part of the tea’s commitment to being as natural as possible.
Cons
- Some people who have purchased this tea have reported it leaves a bit of a dry aftertaste.
- Others have said they couldn’t enjoy this tea without adding sugar to it.
- Some people have reported that the tea recipe has changed, and it’s not as good as it used to be.
Alternative: Taylors of Harrogate
Short summary
This tea is a blend of African teas that provide a sweet, light flavor so you can enjoy a cup of tea at any time of the day without it leaving a bitter or heavy feeling.
You can enjoy this tea with milk or lemon, or without anything added to it because of its natural flavor.
What’s great about this tea is that it’s decaffeinated in a natural way, via the carbon dioxide method, and this is good for the planet because it uses natural elements to remove the tea’s caffeine.
This tea is sourced from the Rift Valley in south-western Kenya, and the company is committed to keeping communities, where their suppliers, workers, and smallholders are located, remain sustainable and resilient.
The company’s tea is Climate Pledge Friendly, meaning that it uses sustainability certifications to focus on products that preserve the natural world. So, it’s the perfect tea to invest in if you want to make a difference in the world.
Since it’s full of flavor while being free of caffeine, you can enjoy this tea at night without it getting in the way of your beauty sleep. The only ingredients in this tea pack is decaffeinated tea, so you don’t have to worry about any other ingredients or chemicals in your cup.
Quick Facts
- Flavour: Sweet
- Form: Tea bag
- Size: 50 bags
Pros
- This tea has a clean taste without an unpleasant aftertaste found in other decaf teas.
- It has a robust, bold flavor that might make you forget it doesn’t have caffeine in it.
- It can be enjoyed hot or cold, as it maintains its smooth and bold flavor that’s a bit sweet.
- The tea bags are not individually wrapped which makes it easy to grab one from the box.
- Even when enjoyed with milk, this decaf tea maintains its beautiful caramel color and doesn’t become diluted.
Cons
- You will have to transfer the tea bags to an airtight container to prevent them from going stale.
- Some people have reported that the tea was not very strong for them.
- Others have noted loose powder at the bottom of the box.
Alternative: TICK TOCK TEAS
Short summary
If you love green tea but you want to reduce your daily caffeine consumption, you should reach for a green tea such as this one by Tick Tock Teas because it’s naturally free of caffeine without compromising on its taste.
What sets this tea apart from other herbal teas you’ll find on the market is that it’s sourced from plants that don’t contain caffeine.
Rooibos is made from a South African plant called Aspalathus linearis that’s naturally free of caffeine. This means that the tea doesn’t have to go through a chemical decaffeination process before reaching your cup. You can also be guaranteed that it doesn’t contain caffeine.
This tea is not just free of caffeine, but also made in an organic way. It contains a blend of green tea and rooibos tea.
While it’s a soothing blend, you can rest assured it doesn’t contain natural stimulants, so you can enjoy this tea at any time of the day, even before bedtime, without worrying that it will keep you up.
Quick Facts
- Flavour: Mild green tea
- Form: Tea bag
- Size: 40 bags
Pros
- The tea bags are made without polypropylene plastic, which makes them eco-friendly. After using them you can throw them in your compost bin.
- This best caffeine-free green tea is low in tannins, which means that it won’t cause unpleasant side effects such as nausea.
- The tea tastes light and delicate, which makes it perfect for you if you like to drink a lot of tea.
- It doesn’t taste bitter or give you a bitter aftertaste, even if you leave the bag in the water for long.
- The box of tea contains a double-lid design that preserves the tea bag fragrance.
Cons
- Some people have mentioned having to add more than one tea bag to a cup to give it enough flavor.
- Others have said that there aren’t enough leaves in each tea bag.
- There are shipping issues that have been reported with this product.
Alternative: Yogi Tea
Short summary
If you love drinking tea, perhaps you’re bored with the ones you usually drink and want something different from caffeinated and herbal teas. This tea by Yogi has a delicious caramel flavor that’s a game-changer when it comes to innovative tea.
While you might assume it contains lots of artificial flavors, this tea is actually a chamomile and rooibos tea blend that contains vanilla and caramel to give it a burst of extra flavor. It’s delicious when enjoyed warm, as it’s a soothing blend.
This tea is ideal for drinking before bedtime because it contains ingredients such as L-theanine, Skullcap, and chamomile flowers to help you to relax at the end of a busy day.
It’s a great tea to drink if you battle with insomnia. Even if you usually get enough rest, you’ll love that this tea’s natural ingredients will help to encourage better sleep.
It’s completely organic and is Non-GMO Project verified so you don’t have to worry about ingesting harmful ingredients. This tea is not just free of caffeine, but it can accommodate a variety of other diets as it’s gluten-free, vegan, and kosher, which makes it versatile.
You’ll be pleased to know that this tea contains organic ingredients, such as organic caramel and vanilla flavors, organic cinnamon bark oil, organic cardamom seed oil, and organic ginger root oil. This makes it healthier to consume.
Quick Facts
- Flavour: Caramel chamomile
- Form: Tea bags
- Size: 16 bags
Pros
- The tea bags are individually wrapped with compostable bags, so they’re environmentally friendly.
- The tea is sourced from farms that are Rainforest Alliance Certified.
- People have said that this tea offers a lovely burst of sweetness if you need a sweet treat before bedtime.
- This tea has a smooth, velvety consistency.
- It doesn’t taste bitter as is the case with some chamomile teas.
Cons
- If you want a stronger taste of tea, you will have to use two tea bags.
- While listed as caramel, this tea actually tastes more like honey.
- There are only 16 tea bags in the pack, which means it will run out quickly.
Best Caffeine-Free Tea FAQ
If you love drinking tea, you’ll naturally have some questions, such as if drinking caffeine is unhealthy for you or if decaf tea is really decaffeinated – can you trust those caffeine-free labels?
Let’s explore these questions and others to help you when shopping for the best caffeine free tea brands.
Is it OK to drink caffeine-free tea all day?
If you want to try to reduce your caffeine intake, you’ll naturally want to reach for decaffeinated teas. But does this mean you can enjoy an unlimited amount of decaf tea throughout the day?
It’s safe to drink many cups of decaffeinated tea throughout the day – even up to eight cups. The great thing about decaf tea is that it doesn’t contain caffeine that you’ll find in regular tea but it does contain all the same health benefits, so it’s a win-win!
By comparison, you should limit your caffeinated drinks to around three or four cups per day, or even less if you’re sensitive to caffeine.
That said, there are some disclaimers when it comes to decaf tea. You need to scrutinize the way decaf tea has had its caffeine removed.
Some teas that are marketed as being decaffeinated still contain some amounts of caffeine, so your best bet is to choose herbal teas that are naturally caffeine-free.
While it’s generally safe to drink herbal teas throughout the day, even healthy or natural products can cause unpleasant side effects when consumed in large amounts, especially if you’re allergic to any components of them or you’re on certain medications.
For example, you shouldn’t drink chamomile tea if you’re on anticoagulant medications and you should limit your consumption of peppermint tea if you have acid reflux.
What teas are naturally decaffeinated?
If you love drinking herbal teas, you’ll be glad to know that these are naturally decaffeinated. Examples of delicious and soothing herbal teas include chamomile, peppermint, rooibos, and ginger.
Therefore, these are a great choice if you want to continue drinking tea throughout the day but don’t want to worry about trace amounts of caffeine in decaffeinated tea.
This is because herbal teas are not sourced from the camellia Sinensis plant, which is what most teas are made from. They are produced from the dried flower, seeds, leaves, and roots of plants, which are naturally free of caffeine.
Herbal teas can be enjoyed on their own or with some sugar or honey in them. You can also find blends of herbal teas that contain various flavors. These are great if you want a punch of sweetness, such as in the form of vanilla or caramel.
Is all green tea caffeine-free?
Although you might think that green tea is like herbal teas in that it is naturally caffeine-free, the truth is that green tea does have caffeine in it.
However, the amount of caffeine is less than what you’ll find in regular tea.
A cup of green tea contains approximately 25 mg of caffeine which is about a quarter of the amount you’ll find in a cup of coffee and half the amount you’ll find in a cup of black tea.
However, this is not the case for all green tea across the board. Some can have much more caffeine in them than that, so you have to scrutinize the ingredients on the tea products before purchasing them.
Even if you choose a decaffeinated green tea product, bear in mind it will still contain some caffeine but it will contain less caffeine than other green teas. It’s wise to avoid powdered green teas if you want to reduce your caffeine content.
This is because you’ll be drinking the leaf instead of an infusion of the leaf, which means you’ll be consuming all the caffeine it contains.
Is decaf tea actually caffeine-free?
If you want to buy a tea that’s been decaffeinated, you might wonder if it still contains some caffeine. It’s important to differentiate between tea that’s labeled “caffeine-free” versus “decaffeinated” as these mean different things!
When tea is labeled “caffeine-free tea”, this means that the tea doesn’t contain any caffeine because it never did, to begin with. It was naturally free of caffeine, so you won’t find any trace amounts in it.
By comparison, “decaffeinated” is a label that refers to how the caffeine in the tea was removed through a specific process.
However, even though these teas have gone through these processes, most teas will contain some caffeine – usually around 1-2 percent of caffeine.
Even though this seems like a really small amount, it can add up if you’re drinking a lot of decaf tea throughout the day.
This is why if you love tea it’s a good idea to mix up the types of tea you drink, such as by drinking decaf tea and then switching to herbal teas later in the day. It’s a good idea to choose herbal teas closer to the end of the day so that you don’t have to worry about caffeine consumption near bedtime.
Conclusion
If you’re a tea drinker, you have many delicious teas from which to choose.
But many teas on the market contain caffeine, which can have negative side effects, such as nausea and anxiety. If you want to reduce your caffeine consumption, you don’t have to stop drinking tea. You just have to choose decaffeinated or herbal teas.
In this article, we’ve provided you with the best caffeine-free teas to choose from, looking at teas that have undergone a decaffeinating process, teas that are naturally free of caffeine, and delicious herbal tea blends for days when you want something a little different from your regular cuppa.
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