Top 20 Most Caffeinated Coffees

Over the past few years, we’ve experienced something like a caffeine arms race. Coffee blenders and roasters have been creating brews with astonishing levels of caffeine.
You can see a more in-depth compilation of the most caffeinated beans and grinds here.
However, now it’s time to round up all kinds of coffees – from restaurants like Starbucks to ready-to-drink formulations, to more traditional blends.
The results are somewhat frightening, given that most health authorities recommend no more than 400mg of caffeine per day and if you use our Caffeine Calculator you can see how much caffeine is appropriate for you personally as well as how much would be lethal. Some of these coffees could be pushing the lethal mark!
Coffees With the Most Caffeine
NOTE: Ordered by caffeine strength (mg per ounce), rather than the entire serving dosage.
Drink | Caffeine (mg) | mg / fl oz | |
---|---|---|---|
1555 | 129.6 | ||
1350 | 112.5 | ||
1325 | 110.4 | ||
1182 | 98.5 | ||
1150 | 95.8 | ||
1105 | 92.1 | ||
1101 | 91.8 | ||
928 | 77.3 | ||
728 | 60.7 | ||
430 | 50.8 | ||
500 | 41.7 | ||
300 | 37.5 | ||
300 | 37.5 | ||
330 | 30 | ||
333 | 27.8 | ||
333 | 20.8 | ||
310 | 19.4 | ||
305 | 19.1 | ||
640 | 13.3 | ||
297 | 12.4 |
Among the outlet coffees, Starbucks brewed coffee is consistently high in caffeine, followed by Dunkin’ Donuts. Cold brews are also favorite among caffeine-lovers.
What makes these coffees so caffeinated?
The coffees at the top of the list are using roasted Robusta coffee beans which naturally are higher in caffeine than what most people are used to with 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.
Most people prefer the taste of Arabica coffee beans because of its flavor profile, which meant in the past, Robusta beans were primarily used in only instant coffee. However, now because of this highly caffeinated coffee trend, Robusta growers are reaping the benefits of the bean’s newfound popularity. Here’s a good list of other differences between the two beans.
If you have any concerns over how much of this type of coffee is safe for you, use our coffee caffeine calculator – designed specifically for coffee drinkers.