A cup of drip coffee runs 150 to 240mg of caffeine, more than a cup of black tea (50 to 105mg) or green tea (25 to 40mg), using Australia’s own Better Health Channel and healthdirect figures. Coffee wins outright over both teas. Matcha breaks that pattern: since you drink the whole ground leaf instead of steeping and discarding it, a bowl of matcha typically carries 35 to 70mg, closer to coffee than to the green tea it comes from.
This comparison covers six ways Australians actually drink caffeine: instant coffee, drip or filter coffee, a single espresso shot, black tea, green tea and matcha. Figures vary a lot between sources because brew strength, steep time, cup size and leaf grade all change how much caffeine ends up in the cup, so every number below carries a source and a serve size rather than one flat figure pretending to settle it.
I have not run any of these through a lab test myself; this is a research synthesis pulling from Food Standards Australia New Zealand, the Victorian Government’s Better Health Channel, the federal healthdirect service, and international nutrition data where Australian figures do not exist, mainly for green tea and matcha. For how extraction actually works inside a machine, and why a longer contact time pulls more caffeine as well as more flavour, my explainer on how a coffee machine works covers the mechanics this comparison builds on.
None of this is medical advice: it is a straight comparison of published caffeine figures, not a recommendation to drink more or less of anything. According to FSANZ, healthy adults can comfortably sit at up to 400mg a day, and the average Australian adult already drinks around 175mg without trying.
Coffee beats both black tea and green tea on caffeine by a wide margin using Australia’s own government figures, but matcha closes most of that gap because you drink the whole ground leaf instead of steeping it and throwing it away.
Coffee vs Tea vs Matcha Caffeine Compared
| Drink | Typical Serve | Caffeine |
|---|---|---|
| Drip or filter coffee | 250 ml | 150 to 240 mg |
| Espresso, single shot | 30 to 50 ml | 63 to 145 mg |
| Instant coffee | 250 ml | 80 to 120 mg |
| Black tea | 250 ml | 50 to 105 mg |
| Matcha, whisked | 240 ml, 1 to 2 g powder | 35 to 70 mg |
| Green tea | 250 ml | 25 to 40 mg |
Ranges, not single numbers, on purpose: a Melbourne espresso bar and a servo instant coffee are not the same drink, and neither is a five-minute steep of black tea against a quick dunk of the bag. Treat every figure above as a realistic band rather than a lab-exact result.
Does Tea Have More Caffeine Than Coffee?
Is there more caffeine in tea or coffee? Coffee is, in nearly every form counted here. A cup of black tea peaks around 105mg at its strongest brew, still under the low end of a cup of drip coffee’s 150mg floor. Green tea sits lower again, and even a long, hot steep struggles to close that gap. If someone tells you tea beats coffee on caffeine, they are almost certainly thinking of matcha, not a standard cup of steeped tea.
Does Green Tea Have More Caffeine Than Coffee?
No, not under normal brewing. Green tea’s 25 to 40mg per 250ml cup sits well below every coffee format in the table above, including a weak instant coffee. The gap narrows a little with a long, hot steep of a high-grade sencha, since younger, more tender leaves and hotter water both pull more caffeine out, but nothing published puts a standard steeped green tea ahead of coffee.
Does Matcha Have More Caffeine Than Coffee?
Closer than most people expect, and sometimes yes. A typical 1 to 2g whisked serve of matcha lands around 35 to 70mg, overlapping the bottom end of coffee’s range and comfortably clearing every green tea figure above. A stronger ceremonial-grade bowl, made with more powder, can push past 70mg and rival a weaker instant coffee. It still will not out-caffeinate a strong drip coffee at 240mg, but matcha is the only tea-side drink in this comparison that gets meaningfully close.
Why Matcha Beats Green Tea on Caffeine
The difference comes down to what actually ends up in the cup. Steeped green tea only releases whatever caffeine leaches into the hot water during a few minutes of contact, then the leaves themselves get thrown out with the rest of their caffeine still locked inside. Matcha skips that step: the whole leaf is stone-ground into powder and whisked straight into the water, so you drink every milligram the plant contained, not just what a short steep managed to extract. That single difference in preparation, not a different tea plant, is the main reason matcha consistently beats green tea on caffeine, and most caffeine comparisons online gloss over it entirely.
Why These Numbers Move Around So Much
Every figure in this comparison is a range, not a fixed number, because caffeine content varies enough across sources that one number would mislead. A peer-reviewed study of specialty coffee shops found actual espresso doses ranging from 58 to 259mg, and the same drink from the same shop varied nearly as widely across six straight days. Grind size, dose weight, contact time and water temperature all move the number, and no two cafes run an identical recipe.
Tea and matcha carry their own version of the same problem. A longer steep or hotter water pulls more caffeine out of tea leaves, and matcha’s caffeine content depends heavily on grade: ceremonial-grade matcha, made from younger, more tender leaves, generally tests higher than a cheaper culinary-grade tin. International figures add another layer of disagreement: America’s FDA puts a 12oz brewed coffee at 113 to 247mg, while Europe’s EUFIC lists a 200ml filter coffee at around 90mg, and neither figure lines up neatly with Australia’s own numbers above.
Which Should You Buy?
Which should you buy comes down to how much caffeine you actually want, not which drink is objectively better. If you want the biggest hit from one cup, drip coffee or a double espresso wins outright. If you want a middle ground with a slower, steadier lift, matcha is the pick on the tea side, helped along by the L-theanine naturally present in tea leaves. If you want the lowest-caffeine option that still feels like a proper drink, standard green tea sits at the bottom of this whole table. None of that makes one drink healthier than another on caffeine alone; it just tells you which one matches the dose you are chasing.
How I Compared These
This is a sourced comparison of published caffeine data, not a taste test or a hands-on trial: nobody at bestcoffeehub.au weighed out doses in a lab. I pulled figures directly from Australia’s Better Health Channel and healthdirect services, cross-checked them against FSANZ’s own safe-intake guidance, and filled the gaps FSANZ does not cover, mainly green tea and matcha, with figures from Europe’s EUFIC nutrition body, the FDA, and a peer-reviewed caffeine study of coffee shops. Where sources disagreed, which was often, I kept the full range rather than picking one number and presenting it as settled.
Keep Exploring the Mechanics
If you want to know why extraction time and grind size change how much caffeine and flavour end up in your cup, not just how much water passes through, my explainer on how a coffee machine works is the better next read than another caffeine chart.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Has More Caffeine, Tea or Coffee?
Coffee does, cup for cup, whichever type of tea you compare it to. Drip coffee runs 150 to 240mg per 250ml, instant coffee 80 to 120mg, and even a single espresso shot averages more than a cup of black or green tea. Black tea tops out around 105mg and green tea sits at 25 to 40mg, both below coffee’s lowest figure. Matcha is the one exception, since a strong serve can edge close to a weak coffee.
Does Tea Have as Much Caffeine as Coffee?
Not usually. Even the strongest cup of black tea, at roughly 105mg, sits under the low end of drip coffee’s 150mg range and well under a strong espresso dose. Green tea has even less again. Matcha is the exception worth knowing: because you drink the ground leaf rather than steeping and discarding it, a solid serve can land in coffee’s own range, something no steeped tea manages.
Is There More Caffeine in Tea or Coffee?
Coffee, in every format checked here except matcha. The gap is not close either: a weak instant coffee still beats a strong cup of black tea, and green tea trails both. Matcha, prepared as a whisked whole-leaf drink rather than steeped tea, is the only tea-side drink that gets meaningfully close to coffee’s caffeine range, sometimes overlapping it in a strong serve.
Does Green Tea Have More Caffeine Than Coffee?
No. Green tea runs 25 to 40mg per 250ml cup against coffee’s 63mg floor for a single espresso shot, rising to 240mg for a strong drip coffee. A longer, hotter steep of a high-grade green tea can push its caffeine up slightly, but nothing published shows a standard steeped green tea outpacing coffee on caffeine.
Does Matcha Have More Caffeine Than Coffee?
Usually not more, but it gets closer than any other tea. A typical whisked serve carries 35 to 70mg, overlapping the lower end of coffee’s range, and a strong ceremonial-grade bowl can push past that. It still falls short of a strong drip coffee at 240mg, but matcha is the only tea-based drink in this comparison that can truly rival a weaker coffee.
How Much Caffeine Is Safe to Drink in a Day?
FSANZ puts the safe daily figure at up to 400mg for a healthy adult, roughly two strong drip coffees or four cups of black tea. Pregnant women are advised to cap intake at 200mg. Children should stay under about 2.5mg per kilogram of body weight, according to healthdirect. The average Australian adult already drinks around 175mg a day without any special effort.
Does Instant Coffee Have Less Caffeine Than Brewed Coffee?
Usually, yes. Australia’s Better Health Channel puts instant coffee at 80 to 120mg per 250ml cup, against 150 to 240mg for drip or filter coffee made from ground beans. The gap comes down to how much coffee solid actually ends up in the cup, not a difference in the bean itself, since instant coffee is typically brewed weaker than a full pot of filter coffee.
My Coffee vs Tea/Matcha Verdict
Coffee wins on caffeine, matcha is the closest tea gets
Cup for cup, coffee beats both black tea and green tea on caffeine using Australia’s own government figures, and the gap is not close for a standard drip or instant coffee. Matcha is the real exception on the tea side: because you drink the whole ground leaf rather than steeping it and pulling it out, a solid serve can land close to a weaker coffee, something standard green tea never manages. Treat every figure here as a range rather than a fixed number, since brew strength, steep time and leaf grade noticeably change what ends up in your cup.
