Caffeine Craze: How Much Caffeine is REALLY in My Drink?

Have you ever walked in to class late with a Starbucks cup in your hand? Whether it’s a Pumpkin Spice Latte, cold brew, or just a regular drip coffee, you are holding one of the 400 million cups of coffee that are consumed every single day in the United States.  But how much coffee is too much… more specifically, how much caffeine is too much?

The average 8 oz cup of drip coffee contains 96 mg of caffeine. At Starbucks, however, an 8 oz cup of their popular Blonde Roast contains 180 mg of caffeine. Order a Grande (medium) and you’ll be consuming a whopping 360 mg of caffeine.  

To prevent adverse effects caused by caffeine, its recommended to keep caffeine consumption at 400 mg per day or lower. Excessive caffeine intake can cause headaches, nervousness, irritability, increased heart rate, and insomnia, making it important to be conscious of your intake. Other sources of caffeine include tea, soda, chocolate, certain medications, weight-loss pills, pre-workout, and energy shots, so your Grande coffee from Starbucks in the morning leaves very little room for additional caffeine in your day.

Caffeine is not required by the FDA to be listed on Nutrition Labels unless it is specifically added to the food or beverage – in other words, if it is not naturally found in the product. This can make it tricky to identify how much you are actually consuming. Many restaurants list caffeine content on their website, but average caffeine content of popular beverages is listed below.

Beverage	Serving Size	Caffeine Content
Coffee, brewed	8 oz	95 mg
Coffee, Starbucks Blonde Roast	8 oz	180 mg
Coffee, Dunkin Donuts	8 oz	180 mg
Espresso	1 oz (1 shot)	40 mg
Black Tea	8 oz	47 mg
Green Tea	8 oz	25 mg
Energy Drink	16 oz (1 can)	160 mg
Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte	16 oz (medium)	150 mg
Starbucks Cold Brew	16 oz (medium)	205 mg
Coca Cola	1 can, 12 oz	34 mg
Coca Cola	1 bottle, 20 oz	57 mg

  

The average American consumes 2.7 cups of coffee per day. One important thing to ask yourself is – how do you define one cup? Eight ounces is defined as one cup or one serving of coffee, so a Grande (medium) Blonde Roast at Starbucks is actually two cups.

Coffee has become a staple in many college students lives. Being conscious of your caffeine intake can prevent many side effects that can occur with overconsumption. Consuming 400 mg per day or less in coffee or tea may actually provide benefits due to antioxidant effects. So, brew yourself a fresh cup and enjoy!

- EL 

Sources:

Duyff, R. L. (2017).The Complete Food and Nutrition Guide (5th ed.). New York, NY: Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

https://myfriendscoffee.com/usa-coffee-statistics/

https://www.starbucks.com/menu/product/873068625/hot?parent=%2Fdrinks%2Fhot-coffees%2Fbrewed-coffees

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/caffeine/art-20045678#:~:text=Up%20to%20400%20milligrams%20(mg,widely%2C%20especially%20among%20energy%20drinks.

https://www.monsterenergy.com/

https://www.dunkindonuts.com/en/menu/espresso-and-coffee/coffee