Caffeine

Caffeine is one of the reasons why tea and coffee have been drunk by people for so many years. Caffeine is a part of purine, and contains theobromine and throphylline. Caffeine in tea has positive stimulating effect on one's body and mind. That is why drinking tea helps sharpening the thought and relaxing the mind. Caffeine in the tea had found by Woodly from England, and he primary named it "tin". Later Lunge from Switzerland found that tin was actually the same caffeine contained in coffee. 2-4% caffeine is contained in tea. Caffeine has bitterness in taste and it greatly affects the taste of tea. However, since there are not much amount difference of caffeine between Ichibancha and Nibancha, it is uncertain if the taste and caffeine are really connected strongly. As the extract of black tea gets too cold, it loses its clearness in color. This phenomenon is called cream-down, and it is caused when caffeine and tannin are compound together. Today, the development of low caffeine tea is studied for the demands of children and the elderly.

(Muneyuki Nakagawa)