It's a common misconception that, phrased one way or another, "most of the caffeine from tea is gone in the first X seconds." This is usually offered up in a well-meaning fashion to help those who want to enjoy their tea sans (or, at least, with very little) caffeine.
Usually it is said that caffeine is "highly water-soluble", and is thus one of the first compounds to exit the leaf.
The problem with this is that, far from being "highly water-soluble", caffeine is actually only considered "sparingly water-soluble", and most of the caffeine is still in the leaf after an average-length first steeping.
The short story is 30 seconds removes about 9% of the caffeine, while ten minutes is required to remove the 80% claimed many times for this "DIY Decaffeination".
The long story is here.
Usually it is said that caffeine is "highly water-soluble", and is thus one of the first compounds to exit the leaf.
The problem with this is that, far from being "highly water-soluble", caffeine is actually only considered "sparingly water-soluble", and most of the caffeine is still in the leaf after an average-length first steeping.
The short story is 30 seconds removes about 9% of the caffeine, while ten minutes is required to remove the 80% claimed many times for this "DIY Decaffeination".
The long story is here.
