How much caffeine is in matcha? About 16 mg per gram of powder, based on lab analysis, so a 2 g serving has about 32 mg and a 4 g serving about 64 mg. A grande (16 oz) Starbucks Matcha Latte has 65 mg, according to Starbucks. That puts a typical matcha between a cup of green tea (about 28 mg) and a cup of brewed coffee (about 95 mg).
The amount in your cup depends almost entirely on how much powder goes in. To see what your matcha leaves in you at bedtime, use the caffeine calculator.
Free toolCaffeine Cutoff CalculatorHow much caffeine is still in you at bedtime, and your latest cup.How much caffeine is in matcha powder?
About 16 mg per gram. In a 2022 lab analysis, matcha powder contained 16.1 mg of caffeine per gram, along with L-theanine and a trace of theobromine. Multiply the grams you use by 16:
| Matcha powder | Caffeine |
|---|---|
| 1 g | about 16 mg |
| 2 g | about 32 mg |
| 3 g | about 48 mg |
| 4 g | about 64 mg |
| 6 g | about 96 mg, about one cup of coffee |
Treat 16 mg as a working average, not a promise. Matcha varies a lot by grade and by lab method. Another analysis of a dry matcha powder measured only about 2.2 mg per gram, and a 2025 comparison of three grades found caffeine was highest in the top ceremonial grade and lowest in food (culinary) grade. If your tin lists caffeine per serving, use that number instead.
How much caffeine is in a matcha latte?
A matcha latte usually has about 30 to 65 mg, depending on the powder: a 2 g scoop gives about 32 mg and a 4 g scoop about 64 mg. The milk adds no caffeine; it only changes the size of the cup.
That's why two lattes that look the same can be very different. A homemade latte with one small scoop is about a cup of green tea plus a bit. A cafe latte made with a heavy hand can land at the top of that range or above it, and a sweetened matcha blend may hold less matcha per scoop than pure powder, so check its label.
How much caffeine is in a Starbucks matcha latte?
A grande (16 oz) Starbucks Matcha Latte has 65 mg of caffeine, hot or iced, according to Starbucks' nutrition information. That roughly matches what about 4 g of matcha would give at 16 mg per gram.
Starbucks lists caffeine for the grande only, so other sizes aren't given here. That's about one shot of espresso's worth; the espresso guide covers shots, lattes and Americanos.
Matcha vs coffee: which has more caffeine?
Coffee usually does. An 8 oz cup of brewed coffee has about 95 mg, about what you'd get from 6 g of matcha. Most matcha servings use less powder than that.
| Drink | Typical caffeine |
|---|---|
| Green tea, 8 oz | about 28 mg |
| Matcha, 2 g serving | about 32 mg |
| Espresso, 1 shot | about 63 mg |
| Matcha, 4 g serving | about 64 mg |
| Starbucks Matcha Latte, grande | 65 mg |
| Brewed coffee, 8 oz | about 95 mg |
Matcha vs green tea is a different story. Because you whisk in the whole powdered leaf instead of steeping and removing it, matcha usually beats a cup of steeped green tea. For the full tea-vs-coffee comparison, see does tea have more caffeine than coffee.
Matcha vs espresso: which is stronger?
They're about even: a 4 g matcha has about 64 mg and a single shot of espresso about 63 mg. A 2 g matcha has roughly half a shot. A double espresso, at about 126 mg, beats any normal matcha serving.
Many people say matcha feels smoother than espresso. Matcha does contain L-theanine, but the evidence that it changes how caffeine feels is limited and doesn't show it protects sleep. Our post on whether green tea keeps you awake covers what the L-theanine research does and doesn't show.
What's the latest time to drink matcha before bed?
For an 11 PM bedtime, finish a 2 g matcha by about 9:15 PM and a 4 g matcha or grande Starbucks Matcha Latte by about 4:10 PM. These are the times each serving falls below 25 mg by bedtime, using the site's average 5-hour half-life.
| Bedtime | 2 g (32 mg) | 3 g (48 mg) | 4 g (64 mg) | Starbucks grande (65 mg) | For comparison: coffee, 8 oz (95 mg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 PM | 7:13 PM | 4:18 PM | 2:13 PM | 2:06 PM | 11:22 AM |
| 10:00 PM | 8:13 PM | 5:18 PM | 3:13 PM | 3:06 PM | 12:22 PM |
| 10:30 PM | 8:43 PM | 5:48 PM | 3:43 PM | 3:36 PM | 12:52 PM |
| 11:00 PM | 9:13 PM | 6:18 PM | 4:13 PM | 4:06 PM | 1:22 PM |
| Midnight | 10:13 PM | 7:18 PM | 5:13 PM | 5:06 PM | 2:22 PM |
In hours before bed, that's about 1 hour 47 minutes for 2 g, 4 hours 42 minutes for 3 g and just under 7 hours for 4 g or a grande latte. A 1 g serving, at about 16 mg, starts under the line.
This site uses 25 mg at bedtime as a sensible ceiling, not an official limit. These are averages: some people clear caffeine much more slowly, and pregnancy and some medications stretch it out further.
How much matcha caffeine is left at bedtime?
Half of it is still there 5 hours later, and a quarter after 10 hours. A grande matcha latte at 1 PM leaves about 16 mg at 11 PM; the same latte at 6 PM leaves about 33 mg.
| Serving | Caffeine | Left after 5 h | Left after 10 h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 g matcha | about 32 mg | about 16 mg | about 8 mg |
| 3 g matcha | about 48 mg | about 24 mg | about 12 mg |
| 4 g matcha | about 64 mg | about 32 mg | about 16 mg |
| Starbucks grande | 65 mg | about 33 mg | about 16 mg |
Falling asleep fine doesn't mean caffeine had no effect. In an at-home sleep study, a large dose of caffeine taken 6 hours before bed cut total sleep by more than an hour, and people generally didn't notice. A matcha is much smaller than that dose, but the direction is the same.
How to drink matcha without losing sleep
- Measure the powder. A small kitchen scale or the tin's serving size in grams turns guesswork into a number.
- Keep afternoon servings small. One gram after about 3 PM is gentler than a full latte.
- Count it with everything else. A morning coffee plus an afternoon matcha latte is about 160 mg. The caffeine in drinks chart lists the common drinks.
- Save the big latte for the morning, the same way you would a coffee.