Lifehack: Decaffeinate Tea Naturally

I am an ice-cold sweet tea lover.

But, I only drink it in the summer. I’m too cold-natured to drink cold anythings in the winter, but I’d still like a warm mug of sweet tea in the afternoon. Wait. That’s not true. I’d love a giant mug of coffee, but #1: I’m very sensitive to caffeine and #2: I HATE decaf coffee.

So, what’s a gal to do?

I’LL TELL YA!

Sorry. Sometimes I get so darned excited, I be yellin’!

Did you know there’s a way to decaffeinate your tea naturally?

Wait, let’s back up a hair. Do you know how is commercial decaff tea, well, decaffeinated? Interestingly, there are several methods in which to extract caffeine. You can read about them HERE. The problem for me is that I have no idea how any tea was decaffeinated. Was it with chemicals or with water?

Ain’t nobody got time to research that!

If you’re like me and would like a little sumin-sumin in the afternoon that won’t keep you awake deep into the night, this lifehack may be for you.

Here’s what you do:

* Put the kettle on with enough water for DOUBLE what you’ll need to drink.

* When the water is ready, pour half the water into a cup and steep your tea, your caffeinated tea.

* After five minutes, DISCARD the tea (or, if you’re like me, let Garry have it cause he isn’t a sensitive soul like some of us.)

* Using the SAME teabag, pour the remaining hot water into a cup and steep until desired.

* Viola! Naturally decaff tea!

According to Nigel Melican, a leading tea authority, here are the rough amounts of caffeine extraction in boiling water:

30 seconds: 9% caffeine removal
1 minute: 18% caffeine removal
2 minutes: 34% caffeine removal
3 minutes: 48% caffeine removal
4 minutes: 60% caffeine removal
5 minutes: 69% caffeine removal
10 minutes: 92% caffeine removal
15 minutes: 100% caffeine removal

The article itself is interesting and dispels quite a few rumors passing as fact when it comes to naturally decaffeinating tea.

CAVEAT: Decaffeinating tea decreases some antioxidants by about half. You can read about that HERE.

Once the two mugs were done brewing, here they are side-by-side:

You can see the second brewing, on the right, produced a lighter tea.

But, that’s okay, my babies. OMT likey her ice-cold sweet tea on the lighter, less tea-y, side:

The final two tests:

Test #1: Did I sleep after having a large glass of naturally decaffeinated tea late in the afternoon (3:30pm)?

Yes! Yes, I did!

Test #2: How did it taste? Was it a washed out version of tea?

It wasn’t. I loved the taste and was extremely happy with the final product.

Success!

Finally, a way to enjoy an afternoon warm cuppa in the winter and ice-cold sweet tea in the summer.

Decaffeinating tea naturally is a winning lifehack!

OMT! tested and approved!

What say you? Would you try it? Or stick with the commercial decaf?

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