Tea contains more caffeine than coffee

Above is the conclusion of Dr. Pham Thanh Quan, Head of Chemical Engineering Department, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology after nearly 5 years of research.

Harvest tea.(Photo: T. Ngoc)

Specifically, according to Dr. Quan, the amount of caffeine in tea ranges from 3% to 4%, while this content in the fruit is only 1-2%. This result was obtained after testing and extracting over 7 varieties of tea grown popular in Lam Dong province.

In addition, there are many other substances in tea, of which the most important is catechin which accounts for 25-30%. This substance has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, enhancing immunity .

Dr. Quan and his colleagues have also completed the process of separating caffeine and catechin from fresh tea leaves. This separator product is suitable for use in the pharmaceutical industry. This technique is implemented in actual production which will increase the value and increase the economic efficiency of Vietnamese tea trees.

To keep caffeine, catechin and essences in tea plants, Dr. Quan should not use boiling water of 100 ^o C to make tea, because it will lose these substances. Should use water with temperature from 70 - 80 ^o C tea will be effective, keep the incense and the above substances.