Green tea and Thai herbal tea are both warm, everyday cups, but they come from entirely different plants. Green tea is made from the leaves of the tea plant and contains caffeine; a Thai herbal blend such as TeaTapee’s is made from 15 botanicals and contains none. They taste different too: green tea is fresh and grassy, Thai herbal tea is earthy, woody and warmly spiced. This guide compares the two on plant, caffeine, flavor and brewing.
Thai herbal tea vs green tea at a glance
| Thai herbal tea (TeaTapee) | Green tea | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A blend of 15 botanicals, about 65% Jewel Vine (Derris scandens) | Leaves of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis, heated soon after picking |
| Caffeine | None | Yes: roughly 20–45 mg per 240 ml cup, depending on how it is brewed |
| Flavor | Earthy, woody, warmly spiced; clean, lightly sweet finish | Fresh, grassy and vegetal; can turn bitter if over-brewed |
| Color in the cup | Deep amber | Pale green to yellow-gold |
| Brewing | 1 golden teabag: pour the powder into about 200 ml of hot water, stir, wait 2–5 minutes | Water at about 70–80°C, 1–3 minutes |
What is green tea?
Green tea is made from the leaves of Camellia sinensis, the same plant that gives black and oolong tea. The difference is processing: green tea leaves are heated soon after picking, by steaming or pan-firing, which stops them from oxidizing and keeps them green. Steamed green teas, common in Japan, tend to taste grassy and savory; pan-fired green teas, common in China, lean nuttier and more toasty.
What is Thai herbal tea?
Thai herbal tea is not made from the tea plant at all. TeaTapee’s blend is built on Jewel Vine (Derris scandens), which makes up roughly 65% of the recipe and gives the cup its woody base, with warm spices such as cinnamon, star anise and Siamese cardamom, two aromatic rhizomes, and woody, herbal and floral notes: 15 botanicals in all, ground to a fine, soluble powder and sealed in single-cup golden teabags.
How much caffeine is in green tea compared with Thai herbal tea?
Green tea contains caffeine, usually less than black tea or coffee. How much varies widely with the tea, the amount of leaf, the water temperature and the steep time, so any figure is a range: roughly 20–45 mg for an 8 fl oz (240 ml) cup of green tea, against roughly 30–70 mg for black tea and roughly 95–200 mg for brewed coffee.
Thai herbal tea has none. TeaTapee’s blend contains no tea leaves, so there is no caffeine to remove and nothing to decaffeinate; it suits any hour of the day. Decaffeinated green tea is a different thing: it still starts as tea leaves, and decaf teas usually keep a small amount of caffeine.
How do green tea and Thai herbal tea taste different?
Green tea is light, fresh and green-tasting: grassy, vegetal, sometimes with a savory, brothy depth. Brewed too hot or too long, it turns bitter and drying, because it releases more of its astringent compounds.
Thai herbal tea is deeper and rounder. The Jewel Vine base is earthy and woody, the spices bring warmth, and the finish is clean and only lightly sweet, more savory-leaning than sugary. If green tea is a fresh, bright cup, Thai herbal tea is a warm, spiced one.
How do you brew each one?
Green tea is the fussier of the two. Most tea makers recommend water well below boiling, around 70–80°C, and a short steep of 1–3 minutes; boiling water and long steeps pull out the compounds that make it bitter. If your green tea tastes harsh, cooler water and a shorter steep usually fix it.
Thai herbal tea is simpler. Open one golden teabag, pour the powder into about 200 ml of hot water and stir well. Give it 2 to 5 minutes, then stir again; a little less water gives a deeper, earthier cup. Our guide to brewing the perfect cup covers the hot and iced methods.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Thai herbal tea have caffeine like green tea?
No. Green tea is made from tea leaves and contains caffeine. TeaTapee’s Thai herbal tea is made from 15 botanicals with no tea leaves, so it contains no caffeine.
Is Thai herbal tea a type of green tea?
No. Green tea comes from the tea plant, Camellia sinensis. Thai herbal tea is an infusion of herbs and botanicals, built in TeaTapee’s case on Jewel Vine.
Which tastes stronger, green tea or Thai herbal tea?
They are strong in different ways. Green tea is light and grassy but can turn bitter; Thai herbal tea is fuller, earthy and warmly spiced, with a clean, lightly sweet finish.
Why does green tea taste bitter?
Usually because the water was too hot or the leaves steeped too long. Cooler water and a shorter steep keep green tea fresh rather than bitter.
Can you drink Thai herbal tea in the evening instead of green tea?
Yes. Because TeaTapee contains no caffeine, it suits any hour, including after dinner, when many people choose to skip caffeinated drinks.