# Sourcing Ceylon Tea for Functional Beverages & Extracts: A Buyer’s Guide

Source: https://srilankaexport.com/fr/ceylon-tea-functional-beverage-sourcing-guide/

By the [SriLankaExport.com Trade Desk](https://srilankaexport.com/fr/our-trade-desk/) · researched & fact-checked against primary sources

For ready-to-drink, functional-beverage and supplement brands, tea is not a drink. It is a delivery system for caffeine, L-theanine and tea polyphenols. Sri Lanka supplies black, green and white tea plus extract feedstock, so the sourcing decision turns on which compound profile you need and on a regulatory line that catches a lot of brands off guard: the EU’s limit on green-tea catechin extracts.

This guide is for trade buyers sourcing Ceylon tea as a functional ingredient, leaf, instant powder or standardized extract. It is sourcing and regulatory information, not medical or nutritional advice.

### The compounds you are actually buying

Tea’s functional constituents shift dramatically with processing (oxidation), which is why “green vs black” is a formulation decision, not a flavor preference:

Constituent |
Indicative level (dry leaf) |
Notes |

L-theanine |
~1–2% (roughly 5–7 mg/g) |
Amino acid; similar across tea types. |

Caffeine |
~2–4% (roughly 20–40 mg/g) |
Varies by leaf, grade and brew. |

Catechins (incl. EGCG) |
~6–16% in green tea |
Largely converted during black-tea oxidation, so far lower in black tea. |

Theaflavins |
~1–6% of black-tea solids |
Formed by oxidation; characteristic of black tea. |

Thearubigins |
~10–20% of black-tea solids |
The bulk of black-tea polyphenols. |

In black-tea processing roughly 75% of the catechins are converted to thearubigins and about 10% to theaflavins. So if your formulation needs EGCG/catechins, source green or white tea (or a green extract); if it needs theaflavins, source black tea. Specify the assay, not just “tea.”

Honesty note for your label team. L-theanine and caffeine are studied for “calm alertness,” and tea polyphenols for antioxidant activity: but no health claim for tea, L-theanine or catechins is authorized by EFSA, and US supplements may not claim to treat or prevent disease. Characterise the compound profile; treat any “what it does” language as a market-specific claims question. Confirm the regulatory status of isolated L-theanine in your market.

### The EU green-tea-extract rule every extract buyer must know

EGCG limit & mandatory warning (EU). EFSA concluded that EGCG doses at or above 800 mg/day from supplements may be linked to liver injury (green-tea infusions were considered generally safe). Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/2340 now requires that an individual portion of a food provide less than 800 mg EGCG and that foods/supplements containing green-tea catechins carry a warning not to exceed 800 mg EGCG/day. If you are sourcing green-tea extract for the EU, your EGCG spec and label are constrained by law, build it into the brief.

### Specifications to request from a Sri Lankan exporter

Spec / document |
Why it matters |

Tea type & grade |
Sets the polyphenol profile; see the [grade decoder](/ceylon-product-grades/). |

L-theanine / caffeine assay |
For functional-beverage dosing. |

EGCG / total catechin % (extracts) |
Standardization point and EU compliance driver. |

Pesticide MRL panel |
Tea faces strict EU maximum residue levels; a current panel is essential for EU-bound lots. |

Heavy metals, microbiology |
Standard for ingestible powders/extracts. |

Decaffeination method (if decaf) |
CO₂ vs solvent affects label and residual solvent limits. |

SLTB license / Lion Logo; Organic TC |
Confirms Ceylon-tea origin and organic status (per-shipment Transaction Certificate). |

### Forms and HS classification

- Leaf & fannings/dust (for brewing, RTD, instant), HS 0902 (green/black tea by sub-heading).

- Instant tea powder & tea extracts/concentrates: commonly HS 2101.20; confirm with the [HS code finder](/sri-lanka-hs-codes/) and your broker.

Sri Lanka holds EU GSP+ status, which can reduce EU import duty on qualifying tea lines with a valid REX statement of origin. For the full grade/MOQ/Incoterms breakdown of leaf tea, see our [bulk Ceylon tea sourcing guide](/ceylon-tea-bulk-sourcing-guide/).

Bottom line for buyers. Choose green vs black for the compound profile you need, assay L-theanine/caffeine/catechins for functional use, and, for any green-tea extract bound for the EU, design to the 800 mg EGCG rule from day one.

Part of our hub on [sourcing Sri Lankan ingredients for supplement, functional-food & beverage brands](/sri-lanka-supplement-ingredient-sourcing/).

#### Source Ceylon tea for functional beverages & extracts

Tell us the tea type, the assay (L-theanine, caffeine, EGCG/catechin %), form and volume you need. We’ll match you with Sri Lankan exporters and return firm quotes, free, no obligation.

[View Bulk Ceylon Tea →](/product/bulk-ceylon-tea/)

Disclaimer: General sourcing and regulatory information for trade buyers, not medical, nutritional or legal advice. No health claim is made about tea, L-theanine or catechins; statements here have not been evaluated by the FDA or EFSA. Confirm analytical limits, EGCG/novel-food rules, residue limits and tariff classification for your product and destination market before purchase.

Sources: EFSA Scientific Opinion on the safety of green tea catechins (2018) and Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/2340 (EGCG restriction); published compositional data on L-theanine, caffeine, catechins, theaflavins and thearubigins in Camellia sinensis; EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 (health claims); WCO Harmonized System headings 0902 and 2101.20.

Ceylon tea: [Ceylon tea vs other teas](/ceylon-tea-vs-other-teas/) · [Tea and beverages](/tea-beverages/)
SLE

SriLankaExport.com Trade Desk

Export specialists at Harker International (Pvt) Ltd, Kandy, Sri Lanka. Every guide is researched and verified against customs tariffs, EDB data and the relevant international standards. [Our editorial standards & team →](https://srilankaexport.com/fr/our-trade-desk/)