The Complete Guide to Starbucks Caffeine
After years of waiting, Starbucks have finally begun to list caffeine amounts along with their regular nutrition information.
The info is listed on some of the newer leaflets and also buried in the Starbucks site. We have compiled a more complete table, along with info from other independent laboratory tests.
The caffeine database here at Energy Fiend contains a few of the drinks – but this table is far more comprehensive. How does Starbucks compare with Caribou Coffee or Tim Hortons?
| Beverage | Caffeine (mg) | |||
| Short (8 oz) |
Tall (12 oz) |
Grande (16 oz) |
Venti (20-24 oz) |
|
| Brewed Coffee* |
180
|
260
|
330
|
415
|
| Brewed Decaf Coffee** |
15
|
20
|
25
|
30
|
| Caffè Americano |
75
|
150
|
225
|
300
|
| Caffè Latte (also Cinnamon Dolce Latte) |
75
|
75
|
150
|
150
|
| Caffè Mocha (also flavored Mocha’s) |
90
|
95
|
175
|
180
|
| Cappucino |
75
|
75
|
150
|
150
|
| Caramel Macchiato |
75
|
75
|
150
|
150
|
| Chocolate Milk |
-
|
20
|
25
|
40
|
| Espresso |
75 (solo)
|
150 (doppio)
|
- | - |
| Espresso Macchiato (also Espresso con Panna) |
75 (solo)
|
150 (doppio)
|
- | - |
| Frappuccino Blended Coffee (multiple flavors) | - |
85-90
|
110-115
|
155-160
|
| Frappuccino Light Blended Coffee (multiple flavors) | - |
70-75
|
95-100
|
125-140
|
| Hot Chocolate |
15
|
20
|
25
|
30
|
| Tazo Black Tea Latte |
50
|
75
|
100
|
125
|
| Tazo Chai Tea Latte |
50
|
75
|
100
|
120
|
| Tazo Green Tea Latte |
30
|
55
|
80
|
110
|
| Tazo Red Tea Latte |
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
| White Hot Chocolate |
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
| Iced Caffe Americano |
-
|
150
|
225
|
300
|
| Iced Doubleshot + Energy |
-
|
150 | 225 | 375 |
| Iced Caffe Latte |
-
|
75 | 150 | 225 |
What about straight Tazo Tea?
Starbucks state that it “varies” and provide no guidelines on caffeine amounts. This is strange given they list caffeine amounts for the Tazo Latte’s (tea + milk).
What? Only a single shot?
The caffeine amounts of the espresso based drinks show that a Tall Latte (and Cappucino) has just a single shot of coffee. For a 12 oz cup size – that is one very weak coffee drink. Any conscientious coffee vendor will, by default, serve at least a double-shot in drinks over 8 ounces. Some even provide double-shots (by default) in regular takeaway cups. This is because many takeaway cups tend to have more volume than their china or crockery counterparts.
How accurate is this?
Starbucks make it clear that “Caffeine information is approximate and is based on limited analytical data.” and also that “Values can vary greatly based on the variety of the coffee and the brewing equipment used.”
This is completely true; caffeine amounts in coffee-based drinks can vary wildly.
* A recent laboratory test sampled a series of Starbucks Breakfast Blend brewed coffees. The caffeine dose varied from 299.5mg right up to a massive 564.4mg per 16oz cup! What’s astonishing is that the 6 samples were obtained from the same outlet on 6 consecutive days.
What’s up with all the caffeine in the Decaf?
Decaffeinated isn’t the same thing as caffeine-free.
** Another independent lab test of Starbucks coffee showed the following:
- Decaf Brewed Coffee – 12.0–13.4 mg/16-oz serving (Starbucks have decided to list considerably more caffeine than this – 25mg per 16 oz).
- Decaf Espresso – 3.0–15.8 mg/shot.
Sources
- McCusker R.R.; Goldberger B.A.; Cone E.J., Caffeine Content of Specialty Coffees, Journal of Analytical Toxicology, Vol. 27, October 2003, pp 520-522. (link)
- McCusker R.R.; Goldberger B.A.; Cone E.J., Caffeine Content of Decaffeinated Coffee, Journal of Analytical Toxicology, Vol. 30, October 2006, pp 611-613.
- Starbucks Nutrition calculator.
62 Comments
@ Scum1
I know how you feel. Someone I know had the nerve to tell me energy drinks are bad for me when she had an exceptionaly large cup of coffee in her hands.
Didn’t I mention this earlier in another thread. Just a wonderment for me. hummm….
I hate that. My stepmom drinks a crapload of coffee, but she tells me that “those” drinks are going to cause all sorts of health problems.
I recently gave up coffee/caffeine (2 weeks) and I’m buckling. This site actually showed me the Rockstar drinks I was drinking had less caffeine than my usual starbucks coffee. Damn!
the sweet yet bitter embers of ikea coffee granules (their coffee is amazing) are singing to me from the pantry. Do I make a cup or go without?
I actually gave caffiene up because my threshold was getting too high after a road trip. Three Rockstars in a day to stay awake on the road is excessive in my opinion, but so is being dead from driving tired.
Mmmm….coffee. What’s the big deal about it being bad for you? Go to any small town coffee shop, and you’ll see 20 old folks sitting around drinking coffee and swapping gossip. People have been drinking coffee for millenia. My friend from Croatia laughs at the big deal we Americans make about coffee. Over there, they drink far more than we do in the US….turkish demi-tasse all during the day. Wahoo!! I think I’ll move to Europe.
Just an observation, you mention a Grande Latte has 12 oz. and one shot-that is incorrect. A Grande Latte has 16 oz and 2 shots, and the Tall size has 12 oz and one shot. I understand the point, but only because we are employees and were able to guess what you meant. If your going to make an argument you may as well make it accurate. BTW, who are “Contientious Coffee Vendors?” Thanks for the condecending bias, too.
Thanks 4 posting this list! Very interesting & informative. I think that coffee-drinking people & energy-drink drinking people should all unite…One nation under caffeine. 
Starbucks Coffee 4ever! -Still looking 4 John Stamos…
THIS IS SCARY, DEATH BY CAFFIENE. =/
caffeine makes u poop.
I work for Starbucks and can answer a couple of these questions, a Tazo Chai Tea latte is a spiced black tea concentrate and has a specific recepie therefore the caffeine content should always be about the same where actual leaf tea can vary depending on the plant from which it came, this also goes for different coffee blends; the lighter the roast the more caffeine in the coffee because caffeine is roasted out of coffee beans which is why ther is a little caffeine left in decaf coffee. As for our latte’s caffeine content, anything over 12oz will contain at least 2 shots of espresso, on the 12oz and 8oz drinks contain one shot of espresso. Hope this helps anyone concerned about their caffeine intake!
I just wanted to say that I rely on caffeine information. I have cardiac rhythm problems, and recently had a procedure done. Caffeine makes my racing heart and arrhythmias worse. A lot of people do well with a bit of caffeine daily, but others really have health problems which are exacerbated by caffeine. I’ve had the arrhythmias for years, particularly after age 30 and I quit caffeine then (or so I thought but then discovered that there are small amounts in all kinds of things!), and the racing for about a year – in my mid 40’s. Occasionally, I come across something that surprises me like the Propel water, etc., containing caffeine, or that the green teas do have some caffeine. Guess I’ll stick with water!
[...] & energy drinks as well as the food that we eat. Upon browsing their website, I came across a chart that detailed the caffeine content found in each Starbucks menu item. You can read over the chart [...]
it’s the shit inside the energy drinks that are bad for you, not all the caffeine. and those energy drinks have WAY more caffeine in them than coffees…you’re dumb read a newspaper.
p.s. coffee reduces your risk at getting skin cancer.
The argument shouldn’t be that simply some drinks are bad and others are good. Energy drinks contain a whole list of ingredients – some of which are ok and some of which have been proven to cause health problems (artificial sweeteners, food coloring, preservatives, and other chemically created flavours). Be an informed consumer and look at the list of ingredients. As for coffee, it has some benefits, but causes other harms. It may reduce risks of certain cancers and it may be used medicinally for headaches, high blood pressure, or getting more done at work, but it is also also a diuretic. The caffeine speeds up digestion forcing your body to rid itself of waster sooner. The result is that less nutrients from your other foods are digested in the intestines. Less nutrients = health problems. Which is why green tea is championed for its health. Less caffeine, more medicinal properties, and antioxidents.
As far as the Tazo tea, in the Tea lattes, we use a powder to flavor the beverage (it is a derivative of the tea) but it is a lot more refined and predictable than is straight tea leaves. It is also manufactured by starbucks corporate directly. The actual tea in the store is straight tea leaves, and caffeine content varies based on where the crop comes from. It is impossible to generate a baseline level for the straight tea leaves.
Just thought you might like to know.
Not sure how accurate this is, but one thing that I looked for right away was the caffeine content difference between a grande and venti Americano. I’ve asked a few times what the difference is and they’ve told me they have the same amount of shots of espresso, the hot water is the only difference.
Actually I believe the Venti Americano is 4 shots
Venti Americano has 4 shots – Had two today both with an extra shot – 5 shots each
I always bring up how much caffeine is in starbucks when people say something about my energy drink consumption.