Matcha or coffee: What's the difference when it comes to your energy levels?
Coffee gives an immediate boost, often followed by an energy crash. Matcha, on the other hand, has a reputation for delivering steadier energy, without that famous spike. Is this true, and if so, why? Let's take a closer look at what actually happens in the body with caffeine, in both drinks.
Theine or caffeine, a false question
You'll often hear that tea contains theine and coffee contains caffeine, as if they were two different substances. In reality, they're exactly the same molecule. The idea of a separate theine comes from a mistaken analysis dating back to the 19th century, largely corrected since by modern chemistry: there's only one compound, caffeine, whether you find it in coffee, tea, or matcha.
What does change, however, is how this caffeine acts once consumed, and that's where the real difference between matcha and coffee comes in.
Why matcha doesn't give you an energy spike
The answer comes down to one thing: L-theanine, an amino acid present in large amounts in matcha (since you consume the whole ground leaf, not just an infusion) and almost absent from coffee. This theanine slows the body's absorption of caffeine and modulates its effects on the nervous system.
In practice, the caffeine in coffee enters the bloodstream quickly, causing a fast surge of energy, often followed by a crash once the effect wears off. With matcha, the same caffeine is released more gradually, over a longer period, which gives that feeling of steady energy and calm alertness, without jitteriness or a slump afterward. We cover this mechanism and theanine's full role in detail in our article on matcha's benefits for the body.
How much caffeine is in a cup of matcha?
As a general guide, a cup of usucha matcha (the classic preparation) generally contains between 30 and 70mg of caffeine, depending on the amount of powder used, compared with roughly 90 to 100mg for a standard filter coffee. Koicha, being more concentrated, tends to sit closer to the upper end of that range, or even slightly above it, since it uses twice as much powder for half as much water. Matcha latte, the version consumed most often day to day, contains roughly the same amount of caffeine as an usucha, since it uses the same dose of powder, simply lengthened with milk.
These are commonly accepted orders of magnitude, not a measurement specific to any one matcha: the actual content varies depending on the tea plant variety, harvest period, and fineness of the grind. For the daily consumption limits you shouldn't exceed, our article on daily matcha consumption covers the question in more depth.
Usucha and espresso, the comparison that says the most
Koicha is, technically, the most concentrated version of matcha. But in practice, what most people compare day to day is more likely usucha, the classic bowl of matcha, and espresso, the most common coffee shot. Both are quick to prepare, drunk in one go, and have a reputation as concentrated bursts of energy, which makes the comparison interesting, even though it mainly plays out in volume rather than caffeine amount.
An espresso packs around 60 to 65mg of caffeine into a very small volume, about 30ml, which explains its powerful taste and that sense of an immediate effect. An usucha, prepared in 70 to 80ml of hot water, contains a similar order of magnitude of caffeine, but diluted over a larger volume, which softens both the taste and the perceived effect. In other words, for a comparable amount of caffeine, espresso hits hard and fast, while usucha spreads it out more gradually, echoing what already happens at the absorption level thanks to theanine.
And for the body, what's the real impact?
Caffeine mainly works by blocking adenosine, a molecule that builds up in the brain over the course of the day and produces the feeling of tiredness. By blocking it, caffeine delays that feeling and promotes alertness, whether it comes from coffee or matcha.
With matcha, this effect is accompanied by catechins and theanine, which explains the difference felt compared with coffee despite an identical basic mechanism. At high doses, however, caffeine remains the same substance in both cases, with the same limits: it can disrupt sleep if consumed too late in the day, and excessive consumption can lead to jitteriness, heart palpitations, or digestive upset, regardless of the drink.
In summary
Theine and caffeine are one and the same molecule, the difference between matcha and coffee comes from the presence of L-theanine, which slows caffeine absorption and gives that feeling of steady energy rather than a spike followed by a crash. Matcha generally contains less caffeine than a filter coffee, but remains subject to the same consumption limits, to adjust based on your own sensitivity.
Have a question about the caffeine in your matcha? Feel free to contact us, we'll be happy to answer.
