Last updated on July 28th, 2024 at 14:28
We have all asked that question, which coffee has the most caffeine, especially when we need a serious caffeine kick or energy boost. There are fortunately or unfortunately, some seriously highly caffeinated coffees on that market that have an insane, and quite frankly an unhealthy amount of caffeine.
I mention two of these brands and just how much caffeine is in them in this article. Keep reading to find out what they are and just how much caffeine is in them!
Which Coffee Has The Most Caffeine?
Table Of Contents
The coffee brand that had the highest caffeine content is Black Label By Devil Mountain, which has 1,550 mg of caffeine per 12 Oz (360 ml) serving which is almost 60% more than what you would get from what many coffee websites claim to be the coffee that has the most caffeine, Biohazard coffee which has 928 mg of caffeine per 12 Oz (360 ml) cup of coffee.
As a fellow coffee lover I am compelled to warn you of the elevated caffeine content that is found in highly caffeinated coffee like Biohazard coffee and Devil Mountain’s Black label coffee is excessive and may lead to some side effects associated with consuming high amounts of caffeine.
The suggested maximum daily consumption of the stimulant is 400 mg of caffeine. Clearly, Biohazard coffee has more than twice this amount and Devil Mountain’s Black Label has almost four times as much.
Read: What Starbucks drink has the most caffeine?
Which Coffee Has More Caffeine Arabica Or Robusta?
Robusta coffee beans have more caffeine than Arabica coffee beans. It’s a well-studied and well-established topic and fact. The reason that many espresso blends use 20% to 25% Robusta beans is to boost their caffeine content.
The percentage of caffeine in Arabica coffee beans range from 1.2% to 1.5% while the caffeine content in Robusta coffee beans is from 2.2% to 2.7% which is significantly higher.
Robusta coffee has 1.8x to 2.25x more caffeine than their Arabica cousins. Clearly, robusta coffee beans are significantly stronger in terms of caffeine content.
What Coffee Roast Has The Most Caffeine?
With all variables being equal, it depends on how you measure your coffee. If you measure by weight, a dark roast will have a higher caffeine content.
But,
if you measure your coffee by volume, by using a coffee scoop a light roast will have the greater caffeine content.
Let’s get to the details and the facts, at Latte Love Brew, we love to get to the details.
Caffeine is a very stable molecule and is unaffected by the temperature of the roasting process. It takes 600F (315C) to affect caffeine. The highest temperature of any roast, an Italian roast which uses 473F (245C).
Thus, no caffeine is lost, damaged or destroyed by the roasting process. It remains constant across all roast levels, from the very rare white roast coffee to the darkest and deepest Italian roast.
What changes during the roasting process is the physical size and weight of the coffee beans, which alters the caffeine content depending on how you measure your coffee.
As your coffee beans are roasted they “grow” in size, they become physically larger and as they become larger they become lighter due to the water content evaporating.
The darker a coffee is roasted, the larger and lighter it becomes.
These two, what may seem to be minor and insignificant facts, are what makes the difference when measuring the caffeine content.
When you measure your coffee using a scoop, your measurement is based on size. Since your dark roast coffee has expanded more than a light roast or blonde roast, the dark roast coffee grounds are slightly larger, meaning they take up more space than the smaller light roast or blonde roast coffee. Which, due to more coffee particles getting in the scoop with a light roast due to being smaller your light roast coffee will have more caffeine.
It is simple: more coffee means more caffeine.
What about weighing coffee?
Even though light roast coffee particles are smaller, they are heavier due to having a greater water content. When you weigh your coffee, you will get more dark roast coffee particles as it takes more of them to make up the required weight.
Thus, having more coffee means that your dark roasted coffee has more caffeine than a light roasted one when you weigh your coffee. This can easily be proven when you weigh 50 grams of light roast coffee beans and 50 grams of dark roast coffee beans and then count the beans. You will have more dark roast coffee beans as each bean is lighter due to the water loss caused by the roasting.
Is Espresso The Strongest Coffee?
No, a shot of espresso is often seen as being the single coffee drink that has the greatest concentration of caffeine; this is incorrect. An espresso shot has on average 75 mg of caffeine per fluid ounce.
A ristretto, which is a focused and more concentrated shot of espresso made using less water and a greater coffee to water ratio. It’s 2/3rd of an espresso and has 65 mg of caffeine per shot, which works out at 97.5 mg of caffeine per ounce. Which makes a ristretto the coffee that has the highest concentration of caffeine and thus the strongest coffee.
Frequently Asked Questions About Which Coffee Has The Most Caffeine
Which Type Of Coffee Has Most Caffeine?
The type of coffee that has the most caffeine is robusta coffee. The amount of caffeine in beans are, on average, 1.8x to 2.25x more than arabica coffee beans. Robusta coffee beans are easily available and easily found as they represent 30% of all coffee sold in the world. They are not as tasty or flavorful as Arabica.
The coffee drink that has the most caffeine on a per ounce or per 100 ml basis is a short, sharp and concentrated espresso drink that is known as a ristretto. A ristretto has 65 mg, which works out to be 85 mg per ounce, which is an astounding 283 mg per 100 ml.
Which Type Of Coffee Is The Strongest?
The strongest coffee is always the one that has the highest concentration of coffee in relation to the amount of water used and is a hot coffee.
This is what makes a coffee beverage have a strong taste, and a high concentration of caffeine. Cold coffees, like a cold brew, make a strong coffee, but hot water has been proven to extract caffeine at a greater quantity than cold water.
Due to the high concentration of coffee to water ratio and hot extraction, the type of coffee drinks that have the highest concentration of caffeine are all espresso based, like:
- Ristretto.
- Espresso.
- Espresso Macchiato.
- Lungo.
- Doppio (double espresso).
Which Coffee Has The Most Caffeine Dark Or Light?
There is a lot of debate about which roast has the highest concentration of caffeine with many coffee lovers assuming that a strong coffee flavor means a greater amount of caffeine. Studies show that a light roast coffee, particularly a blonde roast, has the highest caffeine content.
The difference is very minor. Other studies that examined the rare white roast indicate that this roast has approximately 5% more caffeine than a blonde roast. Of course, this depends on how you measure your coffee.
Is Espresso Stronger Than Coffee?
The correct and best, and most informative answer here is that it depends on how you measure it. In terms of total caffeine content, no an espresso does not have more caffeine than regular coffee.
- Espresso: 75 mg.
- Short 8 Oz (240 ml) Brewed Coffee: 155 mg.
Clearly a regular brewed coffee in the smallest size has way more caffeine. However, the concentration of caffeine in an espresso is much greater. Since an espresso is only 1 Oz (30 ml). On a per-ounce basis, it is a completely different story! An espresso at an 8 Oz (240 ml) serving would result in an astounding 600 mg of caffeine!
Is Americano Strong Coffee?
It depends on the drink size. A short 8 Oz (240 ml) Americano is not strong; it has a normal amount of caffeine with 75 mg. However, a tall 12 Oz (360 ml) Americano has 150 mg and can be considered strong.
Other drinks sizes have 225 mg and 300 mg of caffeine and are unquestionably strong as they are a triple and quadruple shot of espresso equivalent.
How Long Does Caffeine Last?
Caffeine has a half life of 6 hours and is gone from your body in 10 to 12 hours completely. Peak caffeine levels are reached approximately one hour after consumption.
Final Thoughts – Which Coffee Has The Most Caffeine?
If you are scrolling down to find out which coffee has the most caffeine, it is Devil Mountain’s Black Label, which has 1,550 milligrams of caffeine per 12 Oz (360 ml) serving.
That amount of caffeine in a single coffee drink is too much and may cause side effects. Be careful with coffee this strong!
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Derek Marshall
Derek Marshall, a certified barista by the Specialty Coffee Association possesses over two decades of experience in specialty coffee shops. He holds professional certifications for coffee brewing and barista skills. Derek is also an author with authoritative books covering various coffee topics including specialty coffee, sustainability and coffee, coffee brewing, coffee recipes, coffee cocktails and books focusing on Brazilian coffee, Vietnamese coffee, Indonesian coffee and Malaysian coffee. As a barista for over two decades, Derek Marshall has worked in specialty coffee shops across the United Kingdom, Spain, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. His expertise extends to the distinct coffee cultures, specialty beverages, and brewing techniques of each nation. Functioning as a coffee consultant, Derek charges US$50 per hour. To learn more about Derek Marshall and Latte Love Brew, visit his About Me Page. For coffee inquiries, contact him at +34-639-410-375 or Derek@LatteLoveBrew.com, mentioning your name and location
