Caffeine in Iced Tea

Iced tea is the new version of regular tea and has been a hit among younger generation. While iced tea contains the basic ingredients of normal hot tea, a variety of flavored syrups such as cherry, lime, raspberry, peach, and lemon can be added. These new additions give iced tea a completely different aroma and flavor, which is far better than regular hot tea.

As tea leaves are the basic ingredients of iced tea, it would be foolish to say that the tea is devoid of caffeine. Addition of ice cubes, does dilute its concentration and may have a slight impact on its caffeine content. Also, the content of caffeine in iced tea depends upon the steeping time.

If tea bags are steeped (keeping tea bags in boiling water) for a longer time, then substantial amount of caffeine will be transferred into the water, thus increasing the overall content of caffeine in this chilled beverage.

There are a number of companies, who are into business of making this type of tea. So, it all depends on which brand you are using. Another parameter that can influence the caffeine level is the type of tea. As we all know the well-known types of tea are black, green, white, and oolong tea.

However, when it comes to preparing iced tea, black or green tea bags are used. It is found that black iced tea has higher caffeine content than green iced tea. Sweet iced tea manufactured under the brand Nestea and sold in 12 oz bottle contains 26.5 mg of caffeine.

On the other hand, the same quantity of unsweetened iced tea has slightly less caffeine content (26.0 mg).

The popular Arizona iced tea that is available in 16 oz bottles, also has a decent amount of caffeine. It is observed that black iced tea sold under this brand contains 32 mg of caffeine whereas the Arizona green iced tea has comparatively lower levels of caffeine (15 mg).

Another popular version of this chilled beverage is the lemon iced tea. Along with the other necessary constituents, the new added ingredient in this tea is lemon juice. 8 oz of Lipton iced lemon tea contains around 17 mg of caffeine. The lipton iced green tea of the same quantity has 12 mg of caffeine.

Keep in mind that caffeine in iced tea is not harmful as long as this chilled form of regular tea is consumed wisely. Although caffeine provides certain health benefits, when its intake deviates from permissible range, it can lead to abnormal heart rhythms. So, drinking this tea in moderation is a must to keep unwanted side effects of caffeine at bay.