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
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