GUIDE · CAFFEINE
How much caffeine is in matcha?
A 2g bowl of matcha holds roughly 60mg of caffeine, against 90mg to 110mg in a typical cup of filter coffee. Published measurements put matcha between about 19mg and 44mg per gram, so a bowl can land anywhere from 38mg to 88mg depending on the harvest and the dose. First-harvest matcha like ours sits at the higher end of that range.
Updated July 2026
The short answer
A 2g bowl of matcha holds roughly 60mg of caffeine. A typical cup of filter coffee holds 90mg to 110mg. So one bowl sits at somewhere between half and two thirds of a coffee.
That is an average, not a promise. Published measurements put matcha between about 19mg and 44mg of caffeine per gram, which means a 2g bowl can land anywhere from 38mg to 88mg depending on the tea and how heavily you dose it.
Why the range is so wide
Three things move the number. The harvest: first-flush leaf picked in late April and early May carries more caffeine than later pickings. The shade: covering the plants before harvest raises both caffeine and L-theanine. And the dose: most people are told 2g and use closer to 3g.
Our matcha is first harvest, which puts it at the higher end of that range rather than the lower. We would rather say that plainly than let you assume matcha is a low-caffeine drink. It is not.
How our three teas compare
Hikari is drunk at 2g, so it lands around 60mg. Shōgun is drunk at 3g because it is bolder, which puts it nearer a coffee than most people expect. Hōjicha is roasted rather than milled green, and roasting drives the caffeine down, which is why it is the one people reach for after dinner.
Why matcha feels different to coffee
With matcha you drink the whole leaf as powder rather than steeping it and pouring the leaf away, so you take in everything that was in it, including L-theanine. L-theanine occurs naturally in tea and shade-growing increases it.
We are not going to tell you how that will make you feel. People describe the difference in very different ways, and the honest answer is that the research is still thin. What we can say is that the caffeine figure alone does not explain why a bowl of matcha and a cup of coffee feel unalike.
If you are trying to drink less
Use less. Matcha is one of the few caffeinated drinks where the dose is entirely in your hands, because you are measuring the powder yourself rather than accepting whatever a machine pours.
Dropping from 3g to 2g takes roughly a third off. Switching to Hōjicha takes off considerably more. Neither requires giving anything up.
Caffeine by the cup
| Drink | Dose | Caffeine | Against a coffee | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hikari | 2g bowl | about 60mg | roughly two thirds | First harvest, so the higher end of the range |
| Shōgun | 3g bowl | about 90mg | roughly the same | Bolder, so a larger dose |
| Hōjicha | 3g | lowest of our three | well below | Roasted rather than milled green |
| Filter coffee | one cup | 90mg to 110mg | reference point | For comparison |
If you want the number lower, use 2g rather than 3g, or drink Hōjicha in the evening. Both are easier than giving up the bowl.