Does Decaf Tea Have Tannins? (Is It Good? Tea Infusions + More)

Do you know if decaffeinated tea and infusions have tannins? Well, you are at the perfect place to find the answer to such a question.

Decaf tea can contain tannins just like caffeinated tea can. The factor that determines the level of tannins in tea is not the presence of caffeine. You can determine the level of tannins from the type of tea it is, rather. Various types of teas have varying concentrations of tannins.

You may think that the word “tannin” indicates something negative, so you don’t want your decaf tea to have them. But that’s not always the case.

Tannins can cause some negative effects but they have some positive things to offer, as well. Continue through this article to find out just what tannins really are, how they can work against your body, but how they can also work for your body.

Table of Contents

Are There Tannins in Decaf Tea?

Let’s start by saying there’s a difference between decaffeinated tea and caffeine-free tea. Decaffeinated tea is a tea that has gone through a decaffeination process.

Here’s an example. Black tea has, on average, 47 milligrams of caffeine per cup. Black tea can go through a decaffeination process, which results in a tea with only trace levels of caffeine present.

Caffeine-free tea never goes through a process of removing caffeine. This type of tea is naturally caffeine-free.

It’s called caffeine-free because there isn’t any caffeine present ever. No process is needed. Herbal teas are this way.

So, since the decaffeination process is used to remove the caffeine and nothing else, there are tannins in both caffeinated and decaffeinated tea.

What Are Tannins?

Tannins are compounds found in plant foods. They’re part of a group called polyphenols. They’re characterized as having a bitter taste and are good for giving foods more color.

Tannins are found in tea, but also in chocolate, wine, and coffee.

These compounds are able to bind with other compounds and form different molecules. They serve to protect the plants they originate from as a defense mechanism.

They sometimes bind with the minerals and proteins your body needs to support its health.

Are Tannins Bad for You?

Tannins can be bad for you if ingested at high concentrations. They bind to minerals your body needs to maintain health. They make those minerals inaccessible so your body can’t absorb them.

Sometimes tannins cause tummy aches. You may be extra sensitive to tannins. It could also be that the tannins make you feel nauseous because you haven’t had any food yet.

You can easily remedy this situation by having your tea with a little food or by adding some milk to your tea.

Tannins and Iron

One of the most concerning negative effects of tannins is with regards to iron absorption. Iron in your intestinal tract should get absorbed by your body for use.

When tannins encounter the iron in your digestive tract, they bind to it, making it impossible for your body to absorb it.

Most people don’t need to worry about this because it would take a lot of tannins to lower your iron so much that it affects your health. However, if you’re already low on iron, you may want to pay a little more attention to your tea intake.

Another option is to drink tea on a mindful schedule. If you’re eating foods high in iron, give your body time to absorb the iron before you have a cup of tea.

Are There Any Benefits of Tannins?

Though tannins can cause some negative side effects, they have some benefits to offer, too. Tannins give a boost to your immune system, work like antibacterial, regulate blood sugar, and decrease inflammation.

Tannins are antioxidants. They run through your body looking for the free radicals and slay them once they find them. Their ability to fight the oxidation inside your body also helps prevent allergies, cancers, and heart disease.

Your digestive tract is home to many types of bacteria. Not all the bacteria are bad, but some of it is. Tannins have antibacterial properties that fight the bad bacteria in your intestines. They help you feel better, less bloated and well-regulated.

Tannins help regulate blood sugar by increasing insulin and lowering glucose. They prevent diabetes or slow down its progress toward damaging the body.

Inflammation affects a lot of adults. Tannins cut down on inflammation in the body. They do this through their antioxidant properties but also by neutralizing the bacteria in your gut.

The bad bacterium in your digestive tract leads to inflammation in other parts of the body. Clearing out the bad bacteria results in less inflammation everywhere.

Are There Other Sources of Tannins?

Tea is the most prominent source of tannins but it’s not the only one. There are tannins in some foods and other beverages.

Here’s a list of some of them:

Coffee
Apple juice
Red wine
Lentils
Blackberries
Chickpeas
Chocolate
Grapes
Black-eyed peas
Raspberries
Walnuts
Strawberries
Plums
Olives
Pomegranate

So, if you’re sensitive to tannins, you don’t want to combine a lot of these foods with drinking your tea. Take in tannins at different points in the day, so you don’t end up with too many for your system.

Final Thoughts

Decaf tea has tannins just like all tea has tannins. It doesn’t matter whether the tea has caffeine in it or not.

Tannins in tea are generally harmless to most people. However, if you are sensitive to the tannins or you have an iron deficiency, you may need to be more mindful about how and when you take them in.

References

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/tannins-in-tea

https://www.livestrong.com/article/527907-tannin-levels-in-teas/