Waking up to what you need to be a productive day? From improving focus and concentration, to providing that needed energy, while helping you stay centered and relaxed, the right tea can make the difference in starting your day on the right foot. In this guide, we ranked and reviewed the best teas for the morning.

If you want to get some for yourself, we have a collection of the best teas for the morning right here in tea bags, loose leaf, or iced tea pouches.

What is the Best Tea for Morning?

 

 

1. Yaupon Tea

Yaupon is the only naturally caffeinated plant native to North America. This means that unlike other teas that are traditionally made with Camellia sinensis, yaupon has unique properties in addition to caffeine. One of these is the pairing with theobromine (the same compound found in chocolate that boosts your mood). When combined with caffeine, theobromine improves performance while minimizing susceptibility to distractions.

Benefits:

• Gives the gentle boost of energy from caffeine tempered by an interaction with polyphenols that can reduce the negative effects on mood.
• Improved attention and improved reaction time thanks to the effects of caffeine and theobromine together.
• Lack of jitteriness in part due to the combination with l-theanine that increases GABA release in the brain and has a relaxing and anxiety-relieving effect.

Side Effects:

• May cause sleeplessness due to caffeine if large amounts of yaupon are consumed all at once.

Try our CatSpring Yaupon tea to receive a gentle boost of energy all day long. It’s organic, non-gmo, kosher, sustainably grown, and naturally caffeinated.

2. Black Tea

Black tea tends to have a higher caffeine concentration than other teas. This comes in part from the variety of tea plant used for them, the style of cutting them into larger loose leaf pieces, and the tendency to steep black tea for longer and at a hotter temperature which extracts more of the caffeine into the tea. In addition to the boost of energy, some studies suggest that black tea can also reduce levels of bad cholesterol.

Benefits:

• Bolster the immune system with polyphenols and the addition of theaflavins that support antioxidant properties.
• A similar flavor profile to coffee makes this a great complement to your morning cup of coffee or a flavorful replacement.
• Supports a healthy blood pressure as the caffeine increases vasoconstriction which can improve blood pressure in those with low blood pressure.

Side Effects:

• May cause sleeplessness due to caffeine if large amounts of yaupon are consumed all at once.

3. Pu-erh Tea

Pu-erh tea is a fermented tea that, similar to black tea and matcha, has a higher caffeine level than other varieties. This higher caffeine level comes in part from a similar process to black teas, where pu-erh tends to steep longer at hotter temperatures, allowing more of the caffeine to infuse the tea. Ripe pu-erh tea (also called shou) that is fermented via a wet-pile method usually has more caffeine than raw pu-erh tea (also called sheng).

Benefits:

• Enrich your gut microbiome with the probiotic qualities from the fermentation process.
• Aid in weight loss through pu-erh’s suppression of fatty acids synthesis (decreasing fat production) and the presence of lovastatin (reduces the amount of cholesterol).
• Defend against the cold and flu with the vitamin C and antioxidants present in each cup.

Side Effects:

• May cause sleeplessness due to caffeine if large amounts of yaupon are consumed all at once.

4. Matcha Tea

Matcha is a powdered green tea made from ground tea leaves. Each cup of matcha contains the entire tea leaf, meaning each cup tends to have a higher concentration of the benefits of tea, including caffeine. Similar to yaupon, matcha and other traditional teas have l-theanine that trigger the release of GABA and alpha waves, both of which contribute to a relaxed sensation while also increasing your mental focus and acuity. Matcha tends to have a higher concentration of caffeine, around 75 mg a cup, in part due to the use of the entire tea leaf directly in the powder.

Benefits:

• More caffeine than most other teas due to intentional shading during the end of the growing period to concentrate the caffeine in the leaves.
• Supports a healthy immune system with catechins (natural antioxidants found in plants) and the addition of polyphenols with antioxidant properties.
• Elevated brain function including enhanced memory from high caffeine levels paired with l-theanine.

Side Effects:

• May cause sleeplessness due to caffeine if large amounts of yaupon are consumed all at once.

5. Yerba Mate

Like yaupon, yerba mate doesn’t originate from the traditional tea plant, Camellia sinensis. Rather, yerba mate is native to South America and is a cousin of yaupon. It also naturally produces caffeine. A traditional preparation of yerba mate, known as mate, involves steeping the leaves in hot water in a gourd and drinking it with a metal straw.

Benefits:

• Transition easier from coffee due to the high levels of caffeine that are just shy of a normal cup of coffee, though without the resulting crash.
• Encourage a healthy immune system with even more antioxidants than are normally found in green teas.
• Burn more fat during exercising as one study showed a 24% increase in fat burning when yerba mate is consumed before exercising.

Side Effects:

• May cause sleeplessness due to caffeine if large amounts of yaupon are consumed all at once.

6. Rooibos Tea

Originating in Africa and now popular worldwide, it’s a caffeine-free alternative to traditional black tea and even similarly often undergoes oxidation though unlike black tea it is also often fermented. It has an earthy flavor that can be similar to yerba mate. Your brew is less likely to be bitter too because rooibos has less tannins than other teas.

Benefits:

• Bolster your immune system as rooibos tea is packed with antioxidants to remove harmful free radicals from your body.

• Support heart health as some studies show that rooibos may inhibit an enzyme that increases blood pressure.
• Aids in metabolizing fat faster to help you maintain a healthy body weight.

Side Effects:

• Possible liver damage if you consuming too much rooibos.

7. Ginger Tea

This familiar flavor has been used for thousands of years as a cure for nausea and digestive problems in regions like Asia and India. Now, it is found in a myriad of food products which makes it an easy switch for your morning go-to drink. It also may help regulate your blood sugar levels to maintain consistent energy all day long. As a rule of thumb, one cup of ginger tea contains about 250 milligrams of ginger so aim to drink two to four cups of this tea to alleviate feelings of nausea.

Benefits:

• Support a healthy immune system with the powerful antioxidants to protect you while you fast.
• Made using fresh ginger root which packs a punch when it comes to healing symptoms such as an upset stomach.
• Proven to reduce nausea when 1 milligram of ginger root is taken daily (based on a Thai study of pregnant women with symptoms of morning sickness).

Side Effects:

• Makes heartburn worse because it relaxes the muscle that prevents stomach bile from entering the esophagus.

The Bottom Line

Owing to their amazing healthy-boosting properties, these are some of the best teas for the morning. They can help increase your focus while also providing a much-needed boost of energy to power through whatever awaits you throughout the day..

If you want to get our best tasting tea for the morning, check out our organic, naturally caffeinated CatSpring Yaupon tea here.

Medical Disclaimer: This article is for informative purposes only and shouldn’t be taken as medical advice. If you have serious health-related issues you should reach out to a medical professional. While we have studied the scientific research available, this is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.