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Which Coffee Has The Most Caffeine?

Rebecca Hanlon
Last Updated: August 8th, 2023

Most coffee drinkers love coffee because it gives them the energy boost they need to get through the day. If you’re one of them, have you ever wondered which coffee has the most caffeine?

Now, each type of coffee is different, with factors like the type of bean, roast, and brewing method all playing a role in how much caffeine your coffee has.

Ready to find out the dirty details of which coffee has the most caffeine? Keep reading to find out!

Type of Coffee Beans

type of coffee beans

Coffee beans come in two main types: Robusta and Arabica. Despite both being coffee beans, these two types differ in caffeine content.

While Robusta coffee beans are more mellow, their caffeine content is twice as much as Arabica coffee beans. Basically, a cup of coffee with Robusta beans is a high-caffeine cup.

You’d be surprised to know that most instant coffees are made from Robusta beans. This is why they have high caffeine levels, are pest-resistant, and are cheaper.

On the other hand, Arabica beans are of more premium quality than Robusta. They’re also sweeter and fruitier compared to Robusta’s bitter and strong taste.

While Robusta beans are common in store-bought coffee, Arabica is the preferred choice of most craft or premium coffee shops like Starbucks.

Roast Type

roasting type

Because caffeine is a stable substance, the roasting process will not affect it much. Even when a coffee bean is exposed to hot places, the caffeine it loses is not a significant portion of the entire bean.

Try measuring the caffeine levels of light, medium, and dark-roasted coffee beans. You will see that their caffeine values are almost the same.

Volume vs Mass

Now when a coffee bean undergoes a roasting process, it loses moisture. This increases density, meaning that the coffee bean loses its mass.

Dark roasted beans take longer to roast. They lose more moisture, leading to a lower mass than lightly roasted beans. If you compare them and get the same weight, you need to add more dark-roasted coffee beans.

As a result, you get more beans (and thus more caffeine) in a bag of dark roast coffee than you would in a bag of light roast coffee.

Another thing you need to consider with the type of roast is the volume. During roasting, the beans expand, leading to an increase in their volume. When the roast is lighter, coffee beans are more compact.

When you can fit 10 light-roasted beans in one tablespoon, that tablespoon can only scoop up 7 dark-roasted. So, if you’re talking about volume, light-roasted have more caffeine content.

It’s important to think about mass and volume when brewing your coffee because this will affect which roast actually winds up with more caffeine.

Your Coffee Brewing Method

your coffee brewing method

Did you know that the way you brew your coffee also affects how much caffeine it contains?

Let’s say you compare an 8-ounce pour-over coffee with an 8-ounce French press. Even with a similar coffee-to-water ratio and type of beans, a pour-over coffee would have less caffeine.

This is because a cup’s caffeine content depends on how coffee is extracted. Based on a study, espresso extracts the highest caffeine content, while the second position goes to Turkish coffee. Moka pot coffee ranks third.

But, even though espresso has the highest caffeine content, one shot of espresso is only around 30 ml. So, the caffeine level will only be around 76 mg.

When it comes to a Moka pot coffee, one serving is around 50 to 60 ml. This increases the total caffeine content to 91.44 mg. And, when it’s cold brewed with at least 240 ml, the caffeine amount reaches 204 mg.

While espresso has the most caffeine, one cold brew serving is still stronger thanks to the size of the drink. But, if you order a double (or dare I say triple?) shot of espresso, the increased volume will also lead to increased caffeine content.

Just remember not to go overboard with the caffeine amount. It’s best that you keep your caffeine consumption to 400 mg every day.

Famous Coffee Brands with High Caffeine

high caffeined coffee

If you’re after caffeine content, there are a few brands that are better than others.

They’re brands that contain some of the highest caffeine amounts out there. These brands might be good for you if you love strong coffee

  1. Death Wish Coffee
  2. Devil Mountain Black Label
  3. Very Strong Coffee
  4. High Voltage Coffee
  5. Black Insomnia Coffee
  6. Biohazard Coffee
  7. Red Goat Coffee
  8. Killer Coffee
  9. Player One Insomniac
  10. Banned Coffee

If you can’t find these but are still looking for high caffeine content coffee, here’s a pro tip: as long as the packaging says it’s made with dark-roasted Robusta beans, it should have a high caffeine level.

FAQ

If you’ve still got a couple of questions about the coffee with the most caffeine, I hear you. Figuring out which is going to give you the biggest caffeine kick can be tough!

To help you out, here are a few frequently asked questions and their answers.

How Can You Weaken Strong Coffee?

When you accidentally over-pour coffee grinds in your brewer, you produce a very bitter coffee that you may not like.

If you happen to do this, try adding water. Adding water can help dilute the caffeine and bitterness in your coffee, making it taste less bitter and strong.

You can also weaken your strong coffee by adding a sweetener or milk. This help cut through the stronger flavors of coffee and lighten the flavor.

What Is the Weakest Coffee?

A latte is the weakest coffee you can order from cafes. It contains more steamed milk compared to other coffee beverages.

There are about 6 ounces of steamed milk and only an ounce of espresso in a latte, putting it well behind most other drinks on the menu.

Which Is Stronger: Cuban Coffee or Espresso?

Because Cuban coffee is also an espresso-based brew, they have similar caffeine levels. The only difference is that Cuban coffee is sweetened during the brewing process.

If you try adding a sweetener to espresso beans, it won’t boost or increase the caffeine content, making the amount of caffeine the same.

Which Coffee Has The Most Caffeine – Final Thoughts

As you can see, a number of different factors affect how much caffeine a bean has.

In general, light-roasted Robusta beans produce coffee with super high caffeine contents. However, you can find darker brews that will pack just as much of a punch.

Just remember that anything more than 400 mg of caffeine daily is dangerous to your health. With that in mind, get out there and find your new favorite coffee!

Do you have a go-to highly-caffeinated blend? Let us know your favorite brew in the comments!

About The Author

Rebecca Hanlon

Rebecca has been a blogger for over 5 years, before that enjoying a number of jobs to fund her passion for travel. She's taught English as a foreign language, a part-time Barista, a waitress, and a tour guide.

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