Does a big mug of tea contain double the caffeine of a small cup

[noblegiraffe]

If they are both made with one tea bag?

You’d think more tea = more caffeine but if the caffeine is contained in the tea bag which is the same in both cups then is the big mug of tea weaker?

Depends how long you brew it.

Well, the way I make tea, I think it might do because I squeeze the bag at the end until it's the right colour.

There's probably a finite amount. If you left the teabag in a small cup for one minute and another teabag in a large cup for two minutes, there would be double the caffeine in the big cup, providing that there was still caffeine in the teabag to give and that the rate of caffeine 'escape' from the teabag into the tea didn't significantly reduce over that time period.

If your big cup of tea tastes like piss there's less caffeine in it.

...than two cups of regular.

That’s the thing though Barbara, what is limit of caffeine in a teabag?

You can’t leave a cup of tea brewing forever and get an infinitely caffeinated drink.

Is it a linear relationship until the caffeine limit of the teabag is reached and if so, is that limit reached before or after a doubling in cup size?

Well I suppose if you had a caffeine measuring device, that would be an interesting experiment to carry out.

I bet if you asked your tea bag manufacturer, they might have the equipment and might even know the answer already. I wonder if any Mumsnetters work in a laboratory for a tea bag manufacturer?

I don't think it could be as linear as a time/ caffeine with modern tea bags because you can get a decent cup of tea out of a 30 second brew but it doesn't make much difference if you leave it for a minute but I think my personal experience is skewed before of the aforementioned, and mandatory, squeeze.

I’m picturing a graph like this. Rapid increase in caffeination followed by a slowing down. But where does my mug fit in?

Does a tea bag run out of caffeine before it runs out of flavour. Squeezing it at the end releases more flavour but does is release more caffeine?

I really need a teabag expert.

According to Tetley the teabag people not them what make beer.

Squeezing it at the end releases more flavour but does is release more caffeine?

Mind...blown.

Where is the caffeine, is it not hidden in the flavour?

So Tetley say “A cup of tea typically contains between 30 and 50mg of caffeine depending on what tea is in the blend, the origin of the tea and the drop weight of the tea bag”

They don’t mention the size of the cup! Does that mean it’s independent of the size of the cup or did they neglect to mention in thinking that it wasn’t important??

Hmm Baguette in my head the teabag contains flavour molecules and caffeine molecules. That’s probably not right, is it?

it doesn't help that the amount of caffeine in tea leaves depend upon which part of the plant they are harvested. It is unlikely that the dust and small leaf that teabags use will be calculated as to where the leaf originated.

More caffeine will be brought out of the leaf with boiling water rather than water gone off the boil (i.e. 80 degrees) so it must entirely depend upon your tea making habits.

Sorry, not helpful really

I have no idea anymore.

Clearly you can separate the two otherwise you wouldn't be able to get decaffeinated tea. But I have no idea if they run a buddy system when they squeeze through a tea bag.

I should think the length of time the teabag is left in the mug and the final squeeze (if any) determine the amount of caffeine.

If these were both the same, then the tea in the big mug would have a lower amount of caffeine per ml of tea than the tea in a small mug. But overall the amount of caffeine in each mug would be the same - you’d just be drinking more liquid from the big mug to get the same caffeine hit.

I think they use a method of extracting caffeine from the tea leaves to make decaffinated tea - ethyl acetate or methylene chloride is often used.

So, if you can simply slough off the caffeine and leave the flavour, then maybe flavour and caffeine are independent actors and there's no reason to think they would diffuse at the rate. Except, except... decaffeinated tea tastes horrid so I think that it can't be that simple.

the...same...rate

I’m reminded of a girl at uni who hung out her tea bags to dry then used them for a second cup. The second cup would definitely be weaker than the first.

That implies that the ‘second cup’ contained in the big mug would be weaker, but maybe mixed with the ‘first cup’ it averages out enough so that you don’t notice?

An intrigued now. Found this www.teaclass.com/lesson_0112.html

The caffeine must taste of something because decaf tea (and cola, and coffee) just don't have that dry bitter delicious taste of caffeinated.

Consider the use of a teapot though? How would that alter the graph? Too long in the teapot and it definitely 'stews' the tea which I always though was when it reaches its 'over caffeinated' state?

I'm a weak source to be fair, having not drink tea since the great morning sickness extravaganza of 2015

From banivani’s link “Caffeine is extracted over time, and so the first 30 seconds of a five minute steeping cycle may only extract 20 to 30% of the caffeine”

So my graph is definitely wrong when it comes to caffeine.

And “But a tea steeped for five minutes in boiling water is going to transfer a LOT more caffeine to the cup than a tea steeped for two minutes at 180 degrees Fahrenheit”

So if both your big mug and small cup are brewed for the same amount of time, would we expect the big mug to stay hotter for longer meaning more caffeine extracted?

Probably still not double the caffeine though.

then maybe flavour and caffeine are independent actors

If the caffeine is released more slowly than flavour as per banivani, they must be separate. Did like the idea of the buddy system though!