Espresso vs Drip Coffee
As you see, espresso is the coffee brewing method that extracts the most caffeine out of the coffee beans. A single one-ounce shot of espresso has around 40 milligrams of caffeine. And a 12 oz mug of drip has around 120 milligrams. So in an ounce to ounce comparison, espresso is much stronger (40 milligrams vs 10 milligrams per ounce). But we don’t typically consume 12 ounces of espresso as a single serving.
French Press and Lattes
Ideally, a 4oz cup of coffee from the french press produces between 80 and 100 milligrams of caffeine.
Your coffee drink will also change the caffeine content. A double latte can have around 145 milligrams of caffeine, while a triple latte can contain around 195 milligrams of caffeine. It is worth noting that third wave coffee shops, such as Starbucks, often use double and even triple shots for all drinks.
Caffeine Content Variations
The caffeine content in coffee depends on the type of bean, type of roast and the brewing method. The below table shows the caffeine content in various types of coffees:
| Coffee Type | Caffeine Content (mg per oz) |
|---|---|
| Instant decaf coffee | 0.25-0.38 |
| Brewed decaf coffee | 0.38-0.5 |
Cold brew coffee has a higher caffeine concentration than hot coffee. Since it is brewed using time rather than heat, more caffeine is extracted from the beans.
Starbucks Roasts and Brewing Methods
Starbucks’ blonde roast has 360 milligrams per 16 ounces compared to 310 milligrams in the medium roast Pike Place. The dark roast has significantly less. While the Pike Place tastes stronger and more bitter, the Blonde roast is lighter and smoother.
Most Caffeinated Coffees
Devil Mountain Black Label
The world’s highest caffeine coffee is Black Label by Devil Mountain. At over 1,500 milligrams of caffeine per serving, this coffee is not for the faint of heart. It is non-GMO, USDA-certified organic, and fair trade. Black Label claims it will give you even energy levels without the jitters, which is rather impressive considering it has the most caffeine out of all the coffees on this list.
What makes these coffees so caffeinated? The coffees at the top of the list use roasted robusta coffee beans, which are higher in caffeine than the standard arabica coffee bean. Robusta can have 2-3 times the caffeine typically found in arabica. Plus, roasters are purposely seeking out robusta beans that have the highest levels of caffeine possible.
Comparison of High-Caffeine Brands
The most caffeinated drink is Biohazard Coffee, with 928 mg of caffeine per 350-ml mug. For comparison, most energy drinks contain between 250 and 350 mg caffeine content in servings that vary between 235 and 470 ml.
Very Strong Coffee is a popular coffee brand with a high caffeine content. A 12-ounce cup of Very Strong Coffee has 1,350 mg of caffeine, making it the world’s second most caffeinated coffee.
Coffee Bean Types and Caffeine Content
The Beans And The Roast. Caffeine occurs naturally in nearly all coffee beans. Thus, the first determining factor regarding the quantity of caffeine is the bean itself. There are two major coffee plants used to make the coffee sold in stores today. The first is the Arabica plant and the second is the Robusta plant.
"A regular 8 ounce cup of coffee contains approximately 95 mg of caffeine while teas can range from 20 to 85 mg of caffeine, depending on the type." Black tea and matcha have the greatest amount of caffeine.
Robusta coffee bean has almost double the caffeine content of the Arabica bean. That makes them a favorite for high-caffeine coffee brands.
Made from USDA organic coffee beans, Black Label by Devil Mountain Coffee packs 1555 mg of caffeine per 12 ounces. The average 8-ounce cup of coffee contains between 80mg and 100mg of caffeine. Certain brands may contain more caffeine than others.