GUIDE · CAFFEINE
Coffee Caffeine Chart
Caffeine in coffee varies widely by drink and size. A single espresso shot is small but concentrated, brewed coffee lands in the middle, and cold brew often tops the list. The chart below shows typical milligrams for each drink.
- Unit
- mg, typical
- What drives it
- The coffee, not the cup
- Basis
- USDA, or our own
The numbers
Typical caffeine by drink
| Drink | Caffeine (mg) | Cup size |
|---|---|---|
| Cold Brew | ~205 | 12-16 oz |
| Cortado | ~126 | 4-4.5 oz |
| Flat White | ~126 | 5-6 oz |
| Latte | ~126 | 10-12 oz |
| Cappuccino | ~126 | 5-6 oz |
| Caffè Mocha | ~126 | 10-12 oz |
| Caffè Breve | ~126 | 4.5-6 oz |
| Americano | ~126 | 6-8 oz |
| Doppio (Double Shot) | ~126 | 2 oz |
| Iced Latte | ~126 | 12-16 oz |
| Iced Coffee | ~118 | 12-16 oz |
| Espresso Macchiato | ~63 | 2-3 oz |
| Espresso (Single Shot) | ~63 | 1 oz |
| Affogato | ~63 | 4-5 oz |
| Turkish Coffee | ~55 | 2-3 oz |
| Café au Lait | ~47 | 8 oz |
Reading the chart
Why the numbers vary
In espresso-and-milk drinks, the caffeine comes from the shots, not the milk or the cup size. Two drinks built on the same shots land close together whatever their size, while an extra shot is what moves the number.
Ounce for ounce, espresso is the strongest coffee there is - about 63 mg in a single shot. But that shot is only an ounce, while a full mug of drip coffee spreads roughly 95 mg across eight, so the bigger, milder cup can hold as much caffeine as the shot or more.
That gap is why a small, intense drink and a big, mild one can land close together, and why the chart says typical rather than exact. Independent lab tests of the same shop's coffee have come back more than twofold apart from one day to the next, shifting with the beans, the roast, and how much ground coffee goes in. So read each number as a fair estimate for that style of drink, and remember it tracks the coffee in the cup, not the size of the cup.
Every figure here starts with the coffee itself. USDA FoodData Central measures espresso, and an ordinary cup of brewed coffee. Each drink built on those scales that reading to the amount of coffee its recipe calls for: the basis is USDA's, the recipe is ours. Cold brew and Turkish coffee are the exceptions. USDA has never measured either preparation, so those two figures are ours alone, with no USDA reading behind them.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much caffeine is in a cup of coffee?
It depends on the drink and its size. A single espresso shot has around 63 mg of caffeine, while a large cold brew can top 200. Most everyday coffees fall somewhere between those two, and the chart above lists the typical figure for each specific drink.
Which coffee drink has the most caffeine?
Cold brew usually tops the chart, because it is brewed as a strong concentrate and served in a large size. Straight espresso is intense but small, so a big cold brew ends up with more caffeine overall. The exact leader depends on the size and how the drink is made.
Does espresso have more caffeine than drip coffee?
Per ounce, yes - espresso is far more concentrated. But by the cup, a single shot is so small that a full mug of drip coffee often has as much caffeine or more. Concentration and total amount are two different things.
How much caffeine is in cold brew?
A typical cold brew runs high, often around 200 mg or more for a large serving, because it is brewed as a concentrate. The exact amount depends on how strong the concentrate is and how much it is diluted before serving.
Does a bigger cup mean more caffeine?
Usually, but not always. A larger serving of the same drink holds more caffeine, but a small, concentrated drink like espresso can rival a much bigger milky drink built on the same shot. Size matters most when the coffee base is the same.