What Type of Coffee has the most Caffeine – Signs!

Is there caffeine in coffee? If so, what amount of caffeine does coffee contain? If you are a coffee lover, I’m sure you would like to know the answers to these questions.

There are many reasons why you need to check your caffeine intake. Could be for health reasons, could be that you want to lose weight and so you want to reduce your intake or you are one of those who like their coffee stinging and so you want to go for the most caffeinated.

You might be confused whether to choose drip coffee, espresso or flat coffee. Again, do you want dark or roast? If you are wondering which of these coffee has the most caffeine, I will help you get a better understanding on which brand of coffee has the most caffeine.

Average Caffeine in Coffee

Before we get into details, let us first understand the average caffeine in coffee. According to MedlinePlus, the average amount of caffeine in coffee cup (8-ounce) is 100 milligrams. Knowing this is important because it helps you use the recommended amount per day which is 300 milligrams. This is equivalent to 3 cups of coffee in a day.

Caffeine in Black Coffee

There is none exact amount of caffeine in back coffee because it depends on the type of coffee and how you brew it. However, espresso contains between 60-80 mg caffeine. Filter brew may have from 70-140 mg caffeine while French press has between 80-135 mg. additionally, Turkish coffee has 160-240 mg and percolator has 64-272 mg of caffeine.

Levels of Caffeine in Coffee

Like I mentioned above, there are several things that determine the amount of caffeine in coffee. Let us check then in details.

The type of Bean: Arabica vs Robusta

This is the real deal breaker. The origin of the beans will definitely determine how much caffeine is in your cup of coffee. Most coffee farmers either produce Arabica or Robusta.

Robusta coffee bean has twice as much caffeine as Arabica. It has a bland bitter taste as compared to Arabica which has a sweet flavorful taste. Most farmers go for Robusta because it’s easy to cultivate, it’s pet-resistant and has a ready market. Robusta is fairly cheap and so most retail stores stock it because most people can afford to buy. Any cheaper coffee brand and instant coffee are definitely Robusta.

On the other hand, Arabica coffee has less caffeine but is expensive and the top brands go for it. It is popular for its flavor and aroma.

So if you want high-caffeine coffee go for Robusta however if you want a high-quality flavorful blend of coffee, then go for Arabica. Note that you will find some Arabica blends with a bit of Robusta.

Brewing Method

Another determining factor is of course how the coffee is brewed. The longer the brewing method, the more the caffeine per serving. The most important to note is per serving.

Let’s compare between the traditional drip coffee and espresso. Drip coffee takes the longest to brew, about 5 minutes, so obviously, it has the most caffeine. Whereas, espresso only takes about 30 seconds which makes it have less caffeine.

When it comes to serving, a shot of espresso (one ounce) has about 40mgs of caffeine while an ounce of drip coffee has about 10mgs of caffeine. As you see, espresso is more caffeinated when you compare a single ounce of each. A normal serving of a mug of drip coffee, however, is 12 oz which makes it 120mg while we only serve espresso as a shot. So in this case, a mug of drip coffee has more caffeine than espresso in a single serving. This will, however, change if you take several shots of espresso vis-à-vis a single mug of drip coffee.

As well, caffeine in cold brew coffee is higher than drip coffee because of the high coffee and water ratio used.

So how you brew your coffee determines how much caffeine your coffee will end up having.

Roasting Method: Dark vs Light

An assumption most coffee lovers make is that darker roasts have more caffeine than light roast. So, which coffee roast has the most caffeine? The truth is both roasts have almost the same caffeine content. Darker roasts, however, have a stronger taste.

Ideally, when you roast coffee beans, they lose their mass. So darker roasts since they have been roasted for longer lose more mass than light-roasted beans. Therefore 10gms of dark roasts will have more beans than an equal amount of light roast. So if you make a cup of coffee with 10gms or dark roasts it will have more caffeine than a cup of coffee with 10gms of light roast.

On the other hand, if you use volume to measure, say a teaspoon of dark roast beans and a teaspoon of light roasts. Then the light roasts will have more caffeine.  I hope you understand the difference between mass and volume. If you are confused, just understand that they both have more or less the same amount of caffeine. The difference comes in how you measure.

What Coffee Has The Most Caffeine At Starbucks?

Would you like to know most caffeinated coffee at starbucks? Starbucks coffee drinks have caffeine but the level varies. You should note that Starbucks drinks sizes vary as compared to other coffee drinks. Their sizes include short 15 mg, tall 20 mg, grande 25 mg and venti 30mg.

So, the most caffeinated Starbuck cups of coffee include Bold Pick of the Day, Pike’s Place Roast, Blonde Roast and Clover Brewed Coffee. However, the level of caffeine in these coffee many vary. The short cup has 180 mg, tall 260 mg, grande 330 mg and venti 415 mg.

Final Words

Forget all those myths that you’ve been practicing about the caffeine content in your coffee. The caffeine content will only be determined by how you brew your coffee, the source of bean that is whether Arabica or Robusta and finally, the type of bean roast whether light or dark roast. Period!

Use only these determinants to keep your caffeine intake in check. Remember too much caffeine can be detrimental to your health.