Brewing tea, taking a coffee break and buying a canned drink are familiar habits. They can all involve caffeine, but people did not begin drinking tea or coffee with a milligram target in mind.
Using plants as food and drink came before isolating the substances inside them. This article follows both stories, from tea, cacao and coffee to SCHO-KA-KOLA, energy drinks, caffeine gum, tablets and pouches. It distinguishes foods from medicines and product records from research dates.
The key points
- People used caffeine-containing plants long before caffeine was isolated.
- Ancient cacao and tea evidence does not establish the first person, date or caffeine dose.
- Runge isolated caffeine from coffee in 1819. Today, caffeine appears in drinks, confectionery, gum, pouches and medicines.
- Sharing an ingredient does not give foods and medicines the same classification or instructions.
Diagram: the different formats containing caffeine
People can drink, eat, chew, hold a pouch in the mouth or take tablets. The diagram groups examples by format and product category. Classification varies by country and product, so check the actual label.
- Food: beveragesDrink
Tea, coffee, canned coffee, energy drinks
- Food: confectionery and gumEat or chew
SCHO-KA-KOLA, caffeine gum
- Pouches: food examplesHold in the mouth
Coffee pouches, caffeine pouches
- Medicines and quasi-drugs: examplesTake tablets or drink a medicinal preparation
Caffeine-containing tablets, Lipovitan D in Japan
View as a table
| Category | Format | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Food: beverages | Drink | Tea, coffee, canned coffee, energy drinks |
| Food: confectionery and gum | Eat or chew | SCHO-KA-KOLA, caffeine gum |
| Pouches: food examples | Hold in the mouth | Coffee pouches, caffeine pouches |
| Medicines and quasi-drugs: examples | Take tablets or drink a medicinal preparation | Caffeine-containing tablets, Lipovitan D in Japan |
Shape alone does not determine classification. Follow product-specific instructions for tablets and medicinal drinks. Food energy drinks and Japanese medicinal or quasi-drug drinks should not be treated as one category.
A timeline of caffeine consumption
- About 5,300 years agoCacao use in present-day Ecuador
- About 2,100 years agoTea remains in a Western Han burial site
- 1211First version of Eisai's tea treatise
- 15th–16th centuriesCoffee cultivation and trade spread from Yemen
- 17th centuryTea and coffee spread in Europe
- 1819Runge isolates caffeine from coffee
- c. 1930–1950A bottle of caffeine-containing tablets survives
- 1935SCHO-KA-KOLA brand is created in Berlin
- 1936SCHO-KA-KOLA is launched
- 1962Lipovitan D launches in Japan
- 1969UCC releases canned coffee with milk
- 1987Red Bull launches in Austria
- 1999Lipovitan D becomes a designated quasi-drug
- 2002Research compares caffeine gum and capsules
- 2009Coffee pouch company Grinds starts its business
- TodayDrinks, confectionery, gum, pouches and tablets coexist
View as a table
| Period | Event | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| About 5,300 years ago | Cacao use in present-day Ecuador | Archaeological study: starch, residues and DNA |
| About 2,100 years ago | Tea remains in a Western Han burial site | Archaeological study: remains and chemical markers |
| 1211 | First version of Eisai's tea treatise | Museum account: date of a text |
| 15th–16th centuries | Coffee cultivation and trade spread from Yemen | Industry association's historical account |
| 17th century | Tea and coffee spread in Europe | Museum account: trade and utensils |
| 1819 | Runge isolates caffeine from coffee | Chemistry history: isolation of a component |
| c. 1930–1950 | A bottle of caffeine-containing tablets survives | Museum object's estimated date, not a launch date |
| 1935 | SCHO-KA-KOLA brand is created in Berlin | Manufacturer's brand history |
| 1936 | SCHO-KA-KOLA is launched | Manufacturer: launch the year after 1935 |
| 1962 | Lipovitan D launches in Japan | Manufacturer: initially a medicinal drink |
| 1969 | UCC releases canned coffee with milk | Manufacturer's record: April 1969 |
| 1987 | Red Bull launches in Austria | Manufacturer's record: April 1, 1987 |
| 1999 | Lipovitan D becomes a designated quasi-drug | Manufacturer: a classification change in Japan |
| 2002 | Research compares caffeine gum and capsules | Published study, not a product invention or launch date |
| 2009 | Coffee pouch company Grinds starts its business | Manufacturer's business history |
| Today | Drinks, confectionery, gum, pouches and tablets coexist | FDA food guidance and SSP medicine labeling |
Ancient dates describe evidence investigated by researchers, not the first time anyone consumed those plants. The tablet object's date range overlaps other events. Brand creation, launches, studies and business starts are different milestones; this is not a list of category-wide first inventions.
Ancient plants came before the name “caffeine”
Coffee is not the only plant that contains caffeine. Tea, cacao, mate and guarana also contain it. Researchers investigate old plant use through remains, chemical traces and DNA. Lu and colleagues' tea study (2016) examined markers including caffeine and theanine.
Cacao evidence from about 5,300 years ago
Zarrillo and colleagues (2018) reported cacao use at Santa Ana–La Florida in southeastern Ecuador about 5,300 years ago. Their evidence included starch grains, absorbed theobromine residues and ancient DNA.
Cacao contains caffeine and theobromine, which are different substances. Lanaud and colleagues (2024) also investigated ancient cacao use and movement in South America.
These findings do not establish that people consumed cacao specifically for caffeine, or reveal a caffeine dose. Ancient preparation should not be assumed to match modern chocolate.
Tea evidence from about 2,100 years ago
Lu and colleagues (2016) identified tea remains from Han Yangling near Xi'an, China. Their work also investigated remains in western Tibet, offering evidence about tea's movement.
This is evidence of ancient use, not a record of humanity's first cup. Preparation methods and serving sizes cannot simply be equated with today's green tea.
Japan: tea drinking in a surviving text
Eisai's tea treatise, Kissa Yōjōki, is one record in Japanese tea history. Iruma City Museum's educational material distinguishes the first version, completed in 1211, from the revised version of 1214. It describes processing and drinking methods observed in China, including adding hot water to powdered tea.
Its claims about tea reflect knowledge and beliefs of its time. They are historical evidence of how tea was understood, not modern proof of a food product's benefits.
The 15th–17th centuries: coffee and tea cross borders
Coffee's legend and its trade
The Ethiopian goat herder Kaldi is a famous figure in coffee's origin story. The National Coffee Association's history explicitly presents it as a legend. It does not establish a confirmed first discoverer.
The association describes coffee growing in Yemen by the 15th century and spreading to Iran, Egypt, Syria and Turkey in the 16th. Coffeehouses became settings for conversation and exchanging information.
This is the history of a drink, its social practices and trade—not just the chemistry of caffeine.
Tea and coffee in Europe
The Victoria and Albert Museum's history of teapots describes tea arriving through maritime trade in the first half of the 17th century, initially as an expensive luxury. Coffee had reached Britain by the middle of that century; early tea and coffee pots shared similar forms.
Ingredients travelled alongside utensils and customs. Trading companies and empires were part of that history, connecting drinking culture with economic and social change.
1819: caffeine is isolated from coffee
According to the chemistry education resource Mediachimie, chemist Runge isolated caffeine from coffee in 1819.
That is the meaning of the commonly cited “discovery” date. It does not mean people began consuming caffeine that year. A component of drinks already in use could now be studied separately.
The 20th century onward: drinking, eating and chewing
Caffeine-containing tablets in medicine history
The Science Museum Group collection includes a bottle of phenacetin and caffeine tablets dated to around 1930–1950. It documents a combination medicine, not the invention or first launch of caffeine-only tablets.
For a current Japanese example, SSP lists Estaron Mocha 12 as a Class 3 OTC medicine. Caffeine tablets have product-specific directions and are not confectionery. Historical combination tablets should not be assumed to match modern products.
SCHO-KA-KOLA: chocolate with coffee and kola nuts
SCHO-KA-KOLA is a German chocolate known for its red round tin. The manufacturer's history dates the brand's creation in Berlin to 1935 and its launch to the following year, 1936. These are separate events.
Made with cocoa, coffee and kola nuts, it illustrates eating a caffeine-containing food rather than drinking one. Kola nuts are a plant ingredient, not a cola beverage.
Medicinal drinks and canned coffee in Japan
Lipovitan D's official history records its launch as a medicine in 1962 and its change to a designated quasi-drug in 1999. Similar packaging does not give it the same classification as a food energy drink.
UCC's official account dates the release of its canned coffee with milk to April 1969. It is one Japanese example of a prepared drink that could be carried, rather than brewed on the spot.
Packaging does not fix caffeine content: products and container sizes differ.
Energy drinks: Red Bull's 1987 launch as one milestone
Red Bull's official company history records its launch in Austria on April 1, 1987. It is one brand's launch date, not the invention date of all caffeine-containing drinks.
Energy drinks provide another commercial beverage format alongside tea and coffee. NCCIH describes variation in caffeine amounts between products. Names and can appearance alone do not tell you the amount.
Caffeine gum: chewing as a research topic
Caffeine gum is chewing gum formulated with caffeine. Kamimori and colleagues' 2002 paper compared caffeine administered through gum and capsules. The timeline's 2002 entry is a publication date, not the invention or first launch of caffeine gum.
Formats and instructions differ. One study cannot establish benefit or absorption rankings for all products. The U.S. FDA also describes caffeine being added to foods beyond beverages.
As formats multiply, counting coffee cups alone may miss other sources. Check product amounts and consider all sources together.
Caffeine pouches are another food format
Caffeine pouches contain ingredients such as coffee or caffeine-formulated powder inside a small pouch held in the mouth. They differ from confectionery eaten whole or gum that is chewed. Ingredients, amounts and instructions vary by product.
Grinds is one example of a coffee pouch company. Its business account records a start in 2009, and its official FAQ describes using coffee-filled pouches in the mouth. This is a company's record, not proof of the origin of every caffeine pouch.
A pouch is not the inevitable endpoint of a progression from ancient tea or cacao. Drinks have their own taste, aroma, temperature and rituals; pouches have a different form and method of use.
A long history of use does not guarantee suitability for every person. Follow product guidance and consider individual sensitivity. Read what a caffeine pouch is and daily caffeine guidance for practical context.
Frequently asked questions
When did humans first consume caffeine?
A first year or person cannot be established. Ancient cacao use provides evidence about a caffeine-containing plant, but not necessarily a caffeine-driven purpose or dose.
When was caffeine discovered?
Runge isolated it from coffee in 1819. That chemical milestone is different from the beginning of tea or coffee drinking.
Did Kaldi discover coffee?
Kaldi's story is a legend, not a confirmed record establishing the first discoverer.
Does a long history mean the amount does not matter?
No. Historical use alone cannot determine an appropriate amount or safety. Check products and count tea, coffee and other sources together.
Sources and scope
Product classification varies. In Japan, Lipovitan D is a designated quasi-drug and Estaron Mocha 12 is a Class 3 OTC medicine. Check each product's label rather than inferring classification from its name or format.
The linked sources include research papers, museums, an industry association, a manufacturer's release record and public health agencies. Archaeological analyses, legends and manufacturer records have different evidentiary roles. Sources were checked on October 6, 2026.
The timeline selects milestones; it does not cover every tradition involving mate, guarana or other plants. New findings may change our understanding of ancient use. The thumbnail is a contemporary symbolic still life, not a reconstruction or historical photograph.