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From: edhall@randvax.ARPA (Ed Hall)
Newsgroups: net.rumor,net.med,net.consumers
Subject: Re: Caffein Content of Tea
Message-ID: <1763@randvax.ARPA>
Date: Wed, 11-Apr-84 21:25:09 EST
Article-I.D.: randvax.1763
Posted: Wed Apr 11 21:25:09 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 15-Apr-84 06:21:22 EST
References: <746@trwrb.UUCP> <975@sdcrdcf.UUCP>, <583@ihuxb.UUCP>, <250@unisoft.UUCP>
Organization: Rand Corp., Santa Monica
Lines: 14

>
A chemist friend claims that the tannic acid in tea eventually reacts
with the caffeine to make it inaccessable for body absorption.
However, in hot water the caffeine is extracted more quickly than the
tannin, leaving free caffeine.  Long soaking in cooler water extracts
the two in more equal proportions, allowing almost all of the caffeine
to react with the tannin. (Caffeine does not dissolve well in cooler
water.)  Thus my friend, who tries to avoid caffeine, usually makes
`sun tea' and drinks it iced.  (For those who don't know, sun tea is
made by placing tea and cool water in a large jar and letting it sit
in the sun for a few hours.)

		-Ed Hall
		decvax!randvax!edhall