Does Earl Grey Have Caffeine? How Much per Cup

Does Earl Grey Have Caffeine? How Much per Cup

Yes. Earl Grey is black tea flavored with bergamot oil, and the caffeine comes entirely from the tea leaves. An 8 oz cup contains roughly 30 to 60 mg of caffeine, depending on the brand and how long you steep it. The USDA lists brewed black tea at about 47 mg per 8 oz, which is roughly half an average cup of coffee. Bergamot adds aroma and citrus flavor. It adds zero caffeine.

How Much Caffeine Is in Earl Grey Tea?

The exact number depends on brand, water volume, and steep time. Below are the figures each source actually publishes, checked September 2026.

Twinings USA does not state a serving size on its FAQ (the Canadian FAQ defines it as 200 mL / 7 oz), so per-ounce math from the US page alone is not possible. Harney does not define "cup" on its product page. Starbucks does not publish a confirmed Earl Grey caffeine figure as of September 2026; check the app or ask a barista. Every published number lands inside 30 to 60 mg for a standard cup.

Why the Number Moves: Steep Time, Leaf, and Bag

The widest lab range, 14 to 61 mg per serving, comes from Chin et al. 2008, who brewed 20 commercial teas at 1, 3, and 5 minute steep times. Steep time changed caffeine extraction more than tea type did. White, green, and black teas showed no clear trend by variety.

Harney & Sons recommends 4 to 5 minutes at 212°F. A 1 to 2 minute steep will pull less caffeine from the same bag. Longer steep, more caffeine.

Loose leaf versus bagged also matters, though no brand publishes a side-by-side number. Bags contain fannings (smaller broken pieces with more surface area), which extract faster. More leaf by weight means more caffeine. Without verified figures, format shifts the number without anyone telling you by how much.

Does Bergamot Have Caffeine?

No. Bergamot oil is cold-pressed from the rind of Citrus bergamia, a citrus fruit grown mostly in southern Italy. Harney & Sons lists black tea and bergamot oil as the key ingredients in its Earl Grey. The caffeine is entirely from the tea leaves.

One curiosity: a 2002 case report in The Lancet described a man who drank up to 4 liters of Earl Grey daily and developed muscle cramps attributed to bergapten in bergamot oil. Symptoms resolved about a week after he switched to plain black tea. Four liters is roughly 17 cups a day. At normal intake, this is a footnote, not a warning.

Earl Grey vs Coffee, Green Tea, Cola, and Other Caffeine Sources

All figures from the source listed.

Earl Grey is about half a standard coffee, slightly above a cola, and on par with generic black tea. The FDA cites 400 mg per day as an amount not generally associated with negative effects for most healthy adults, which works out to about eight cups at USDA's 47 mg per cup.

Earl Grey Variations: Decaf, Green, Rooibos, and London Fog

Decaf Earl Grey is not caffeine-free. Bigelow lists its decaffeinated teas at 1 to 8 mg per 8 oz cup. Chin et al. 2008 found under 12 mg in decaf teas. Decaffeination removes most, not all, of the caffeine. If you need zero, decaf is not zero.

Rooibos or herbal "Earl Grey" is caffeine-free. These products swap Camellia sinensis for rooibos, chamomile, or other caffeine-free bases. Bigelow lists herbal teas at 0 mg. If the box says "herbal" or "rooibos," it has no tea leaf and no caffeine.

Green Earl Grey follows green tea caffeine levels. Bigelow puts green teas at 25 to 50 mg per 8 oz, and Twinings lists green teas at 19 to 45 mg per serving. Expect the lower half of the regular Earl Grey range.

A London Fog is Earl Grey plus steamed milk and vanilla syrup. The caffeine is whatever the tea bags contribute; a larger cafe size may use two bags, doubling the dose. Chai lattes work the same way. Starbucks does not publish a confirmed London Fog caffeine figure as of this writing.

Does Earl Grey Have L-Theanine?

Yes. All tea from Camellia sinensis contains L-theanine, an amino acid studied for its effects on attention and mood.

Keenan et al. 2011 found a standard 200 mL cup of black tea contained about 25 mg of L-theanine, while green tea contained about 8 mg. A cup of Earl Grey delivers both caffeine and L-theanine, though the theanine dose is modest compared to supplement trials.

A 2025 systematic review in Nutrition Reviews (50 randomized trials, 15 pooled) reported that L-theanine plus caffeine likely conferred small-to-moderate improvements in attentional task performance in healthy adults, primarily in the second hour after intake. Trial doses were substantially higher than what a cup of tea provides, so Earl Grey is not a clinical intervention. But the pairing is real, and it helps explain why tea's L-theanine content gets attention beyond the caffeine number alone.

Will Earl Grey Keep You Awake?

Caffeine's average half-life in adults is about 5 hours (StatPearls). Half the caffeine from a 47 mg cup at 4 pm is still circulating at 9 pm. For light sleepers, an afternoon cup is not trivial. Individual metabolism varies widely, with half-lives ranging from 1.5 to 9.5 hours.

Pregnancy. ACOG states that less than 200 mg per day does not appear to be a major contributing factor in miscarriage or preterm birth. Three to four cups of Earl Grey per day would approach that threshold. Caffeine's half-life also extends during pregnancy, up to 15 hours in the third trimester per StatPearls.

If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, managing a heart condition, or under 18, talk to your clinician about your caffeine intake.

A Black Tea in a Citrus Coat

Earl Grey is a standard black tea dressed up with bergamot oil. Its caffeine sits in the 30 to 60 mg range per cup, roughly half a coffee and well below the FDA's 400 mg daily reference for most adults. The variable you can actually control is steep time: shorter steeps mean less caffeine, longer steeps mean more. Bergamot adds flavor, not stimulation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Earl Grey tea have caffeine?

Yes. Earl Grey is black tea flavored with bergamot oil, and the caffeine comes from the tea leaves. An 8 oz cup delivers about 30 to 60 mg per Bigelow, Harney & Sons, and Twinings. Bergamot adds flavor, not caffeine.

How much caffeine is in Earl Grey compared to coffee?

About half. Earl Grey has 30 to 60 mg per 8 oz; brewed coffee has about 95 mg per the USDA. Exact numbers depend on brand and steep time.

Does decaf Earl Grey have any caffeine?

Yes, a small amount. Bigelow lists decaf teas at 1 to 8 mg per 8 oz. Decaffeination removes most caffeine, not all. For true zero, choose herbal or rooibos-based Earl Grey.

Does a London Fog have caffeine?

Yes. A London Fog is Earl Grey tea with steamed milk and vanilla, so its caffeine equals whatever the tea bags contribute: roughly 30 to 60 mg per bag. Larger cafe sizes may use two bags. Milk and vanilla add no caffeine.

Does Earl Grey have more caffeine than green tea?

Usually, but the ranges overlap. Twinings lists flavoured black teas at 31 to 45 mg and green teas at 19 to 45 mg. Steep time matters more than tea type, as Chin et al. 2008 showed in lab conditions.

Can I drink Earl Grey before bed?

It depends on your sensitivity. A cup at 8 pm would leave roughly 15 to 25 mg of caffeine in your system at 1 am, based on a 5-hour average half-life. Small dose, but sensitive individuals may notice it. Stop caffeine at least 6 to 8 hours before bed if sleep quality matters to you.

When You Want Tea's Pairing at a Fixed Dose

Part of Earl Grey's appeal is the caffeine-plus-L-theanine pairing from the same leaf. The problem is dose consistency. The same bag gives 14 to 61 mg of caffeine depending on steep time (Chin et al. 2008), brands publish ranges, and nobody prints the theanine on the box.

Roon is a zero-nicotine, zero-sugar oral pouch with a fixed label: 80 mg caffeine, 60 mg L-theanine, 25 mg methylliberine (Dynamine), and 5 mg theacrine (TeaCrine). Same dose at 7 am and 2 pm, no kettle. Methylliberine slows caffeine clearance: a randomized, double-blind crossover study (n=12) found co-administration cut caffeine's oral clearance from 41.9 to 17.1 L/hr and extended its half-life from 7.2 to 15 hours, with no increase in peak concentration. That study used 100 mg methylliberine with 150 mg caffeine, roughly 4x the methylliberine and 1.9x the caffeine in a Roon pouch, so the magnitude is smaller at Roon's dose. The mechanism is directionally the same, which is why the felt window is 6 to 8 hours. Stop at least 8 hours before bed.

Roon is not tea and is not trying to replace your Earl Grey ritual. From $9.16 per tin on a 12-tin subscription (15 pouches, as little as $0.61 per pouch), or $15.00 per tin one-time. Contains sucralose. If you want the caffeine-theanine pairing at a consistent dose with a longer tail, it is worth a try.

Related from Roon

• Does Oolong Tea Have Caffeine?
• Caffeine and L-Theanine: What the Research Says
• How Long Does Caffeine Stay in Your System?
• L-Theanine in Tea, Matcha, and Foods

Written by Roon Team