We understand that not everybody can consume caffeine. There are people with hypersensitivity to caffeine or if you are pregnant, for example, you may want to limit your caffeine intake as well. Therefore, questions like "Can I purchase Decaf Matcha?" or "Does "Decaf Matcha exist" come up frequently.
Unfortunately, the short answer is no. At least, if you are talking about pure and real Matcha. As you may know from our other articles, Matcha comes from the Camellia Sinensis plant, which is the same plant that is used for other types of green teas. The difference between Matcha and other types of green tea is that Matcha is shade-grown. As they are exposed to less sunlight, naturally the caffeineand the L-theanine levels in the leaves increase. You could therefore say that Matcha contains more caffeine than other types of green tea. It may therefore not be the best option for anyone who tries to restrict or minimize caffeine intake.
However, as already described in some of our other articles, the combination of caffeine and L-theanine can lead to a "calm alertness" that is very specific to Matcha tea. The reason for this is that the L-theanine has a calming effect. This makes Matcha particularly suitable for meditating, in our opinion.
There are also types of leaves that are not shade-grown, for example, to produce Sencha tea. Sencha is naturally lower in caffeine, but higher in antioxidants. There are many discussions going on which tea is better for you. We believe that there is no clear answer to this, and eventually it comes down to personal preferences. However, one of the benefits of Matcha is that you consume the entire leaf. This is typically not the case when you consume other green teas. If you therefore want to maximize the health benefits of the tea you consume, then you may want to stick to Matcha.
The reduced caffeine level of Sencha is a result of the leaves being exposed to direct sunlight before they are harvested. Sencha tea therefore contains less caffeine, but it is not caffeine free.
However, you can get Sencha tea in powder form, just like Matcha, and this Sencha has additionally gone through a process that removes 99% of caffeine. The advantage of the powder is, of course, that you consume the entire leaf. Unfortunately, this Sencha powder is not certified organic. We normally stick to organic tea only. Nevertheless, it is the only Sencha tea powder we have found
You can purchase the Decaf Sencha powder from this website, if you are from the UK:
We have tried it and we like the taste, colour and consistency! We will, however, stick to Matcha. We personally like the "calm-alertness" that we benefit from when we consume Matcha. However, we understand that this might not be for everybody. If you want to restrict or reduce your caffeine intake, therefore, Sencha might be an option for you and you may want to explore this further.
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