Which Guayusa Should You Try? Start From What You Drink Today

The easiest way to choose a guayusa is to start from the cup you already drink. If you like your coffee strong, you'll probably want a bold, full-bodied guayusa. If you usually drink green tea, a lighter, fresher one will feel more familiar.

All our guayusa comes from the same leaf, Ilex guayusa, grown by small-scale farmers in chakra forest gardens in Archidona, in Ecuador's Napo province. What changes is how the leaf is processed after harvest, and that shapes the flavor, the color of the cup and the caffeine.

The three guayusa varieties at a glance

Here is roughly how much caffeine each variety gives per cup, brewed with 4 g of leaf (about 2 full teaspoons) in 8 oz of boiling water:

Caffeine is always approximate: it varies from harvest to harvest, and with how much leaf you use and how long you steep it. For the full numbers, per tea bag and per scoop, see How much caffeine is in guayusa?.

For reference, the FDA puts brewed coffee at roughly 75–165 mg per 8 oz, black tea at about 47 mg and green tea at about 22 mg. That means a cup of guayusa usually sits between tea and coffee.

If you drink espresso or strong coffee

Start with: Guayusa Tea Bags – 50 Count, Strong (about 82 mg per 5 g bag) or Traditional Guayusa Loose Leaf Tea – 2 lb.

If you're used to a strong coffee kick, you'll want the most caffeine per cup we offer. Our Strong tea bags hold 5 g of leaf each, so one bag gives about 82 mg. With loose leaf, Traditional is our boldest variety: rich, earthy and full-bodied.

A cup of guayusa feels different from espresso. It's smoother, with no bitterness from roasting, and many drinkers describe the energy as steadier. If one cup isn't enough at first, use a little more leaf or steep it longer rather than drinking it faster.

On the go? Instant Guayusa Pure dissolves in hot or cold water in about 30 seconds (about 60 mg per 1 g serving).

If you drink regular coffee

Start with: Traditional Guayusa Loose Leaf Tea – 2 lb. If you'd like it a bit lighter, try Green Guayusa Loose Leaf Tea – 2 lb.

A regular drip coffee drinker usually likes a cup with body. Traditional gives you that: a deep amber brew with an earthy, lightly sweet finish. Green is fresher and lighter, and still gives about 59 mg per cup.

Many people start by swapping one coffee a day, usually the afternoon one, and see how they feel.

If you drink black tea

Start with: Traditional Guayusa Loose Leaf Tea – 2 lb or Guayusa Tea Bags – 100 Count.

If you enjoy a strong cup of black tea, Traditional guayusa will feel familiar: dark, rich and earthy. Our 100-count tea bags (2.5 g each, about 41 mg per bag) are an easy everyday option for the office or for travel.

One difference: guayusa isn't a tea in the botanical sense. It's a holly, a cousin of yerba mate, not Camellia sinensis. Learn more in Guayusa vs Black Tea.

If you drink green tea or matcha

Start with: Green Guayusa Loose Leaf Tea – 2 lb.

Green guayusa is fresh and light, with a clean, grassy note that green tea drinkers tend to like. It has more caffeine per cup than a typical green tea (about 59 mg compared with about 22 mg per 8 oz), so it can also suit matcha drinkers. For a side-by-side comparison, read Guayusa vs Matcha and Guayusa vs Green Tea.

If you want something mild

Start with: Golden Guayusa Loose Leaf Tea – 2 lb.

Golden is our smoothest, most mellow guayusa, and the one with the least caffeine of our three loose leaf varieties (about 52 mg per cup). The leaf is only dried, not withered, which gives a golden cup with less bitterness. It's a good choice for the afternoon, or if you're sensitive to caffeine. If you are, read Is guayusa safe? first.

Still not sure?

Two easy ways to decide:

1. Use our Find your guayusa page. Choose what you drink today and it shows you three guayusas that fit, with the reason for each.
2. Read How to Choose the Best Guayusa Tea. It covers what to look for in any guayusa: origin, drying, caffeine per serving, certification and format.

Once you've picked one, How to Make Guayusa Tea shows you how to brew it hot, iced or as a cold brew.

FAQ

Which guayusa has the most caffeine? Per cup, our Strong tea bags (5 g of leaf, about 82 mg). Among the loose leaf varieties, Traditional has the most, about 66 mg per 4 g cup.

Which guayusa has the least caffeine? Golden, at about 52 mg per cup of loose leaf. In tea bags, our Green tea bags (1.5 g of leaf) have about 22 mg each.

Does guayusa have as much caffeine as coffee? Usually a little less per cup. A cup of guayusa has about 52–82 mg depending on the variety and format, while the FDA puts brewed coffee at roughly 75–165 mg per 8 oz.

Can I switch from coffee to guayusa all at once? You can, but many people prefer to start by replacing one coffee a day. If you drink a lot of coffee, changing gradually is usually the easier way to do it.

Are the three varieties from different plants? No. Traditional, Golden and Green all come from the same leaf. The difference is how the leaf is processed after harvest: Traditional and Green are withered and dried; Golden is only dried.

Is guayusa safe during pregnancy? Guayusa contains caffeine, so the same advice as for coffee applies. ACOG recommends staying under 200 mg of caffeine a day during pregnancy, and you should check with your doctor. More in Is guayusa safe?.

Sources

• U.S. Food and Drug Administration. "Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine Is Too Much?" (updated August 28, 2024). https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/spilling-beans-how-much-caffeine-too-much
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. "How much coffee can I drink while I'm pregnant?" https://www.acog.org/womens-health/experts-and-stories/ask-acog/how-much-coffee-can-i-drink-while-pregnant
• PACHA product data: approximate caffeine per serving for each variety and format, based on laboratory analysis.

The Pacha Guayusa team