Caribou Coffee: The Complete Caffeine Guide
A lovable beast has been making its way down from the far north and serving up java to the cold and weary.
Caribou Coffee began in 1992 after it’s founders made a trek to Alaska and were inspired to start the business. Caribou started in Minneapolis, but is now in 16 states with 500 company owned locations.
Since they are gaining traction across the country and into a few other countries as well, we thought it was time we developed a handy guide to the caffeine content at Caribou.
| Caffeine (mg) | ||||
| Beverage | Small (12oz) | Medium (16oz) | Large (20oz) | |
| Brewed Coffee | 230 | 307 | 383 | |
| Coffee with Steamed Milk | 153 | 192 | 230 | |
| Brewed Decaf Coffee | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| Caffè Latte | 180 | 180 | 270 | |
| Caffè Mocha (also flavored Mocha’s) | 180 | 180 | 270 | |
| Caffè Americano | 180 | 180 | 270 | |
| Cappuccino | 180 (6oz) | 270 (9oz) | 360 (12oz) | |
| Macchiato | 180 (4oz) | 270 (5oz) | 360 (6oz) | |
| Breve | 180 | 180 | 270 | |
| Chi Latte | 15 | 20 | 25 | |
| Depth Charge (coffee + 1 shot of Espresso) | 291 | 368 | 445 | |
| Espresso | 180 ( 3oz) | 270 (4oz) | 360 (5oz) | |
| Coffee Cooler (lite version & other flavors similar) | 124 | 154 | 185 | |
| Espresso Cooler (lite version similar) | 190 | 221 | 252 | |
| Cold Press Iced Coffee | 192 | 230 | 268 | |
| Iced Late, Mocha, | 180 | 180 | 270 | |
| Iced Americano | 270 | 360 | 450 | |
| Iced Chi Latte | 20 | 25 | 30 | |
| Hot Apple Blast | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Caramel High Rise | 180 | 180 | 270 | |
| Mint Condition | 180 | 180 | 270 | |
| Lite White Berry | 180 | 180 | 180 | |
| Hot Cocoa | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| White Hot Chocolate | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Reindeer Drinks | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Green Tea Smoothies | 44 | 55 | 66 | |
| Iced Tea (all flavors) | 30 | 37.5 | 45 | |
| Black Tea (hot) | 97.5 | 130 | 162.5 | |
| Green Tea (hot) | 45 | 60 | 75 | |
| Herbal Tea (hot) | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
- One product that stands is the “Depth Charge” with a whopping 445mg/(20oz) of caffeine and the Iced Americano with 450mg/(20oz). Now that’s some bang for your buck!
Caribou has teamed up with Coca-Cola to bring bottled coffee drinks to your local convenience store.
| Caffeine (mg) | ||||
| Beverage | (12oz) | |||
| Caribou plus Espresso | 159 | |||
| Caribou (regular) | 149 | |||
| Caribou plus Vanilla | 124.4 | |||
11 Comments
Thanks for the info Tim! To bad they don’t list the actual caffeine content..We’ll see if we can nail the actual amount down.
Yea I wouldn’t assume it’s the same caffeine amount for the bottled coffee. But isn’t 230mg really high for brewed 12oz? I thought 8oz was averaged to 100mg.
nah, not really for a coffee house as they make a pretty strong brew i.e. Starbucks 12oz has 260mg. I usually have to put milk in it because it’s a tad too strong for me and I like it strong..
I enjoy the taste of Caribou far more than any other chain (Yeah, I’m looking at you, Barsucks), and I’ve always enjoyed the depth charge. Sometimes, I’ll even get an extra shot of espresso. Considering it has a nearly a half a gram of caffeine, no calories, and costs less than three dollars, it is the best way to get your buzz on without breaking the bank. I will have to give the Cafe Americano a whirl next time I’m in one though. I figured everything else just quaked in the shadow of the depth charge’s caffeine content.
I haven’t had the pleasure of trying Caribou since I live in California, but my friends from other states say it’s the best.. Still I’ve grown used to Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (helps that I get it for free). And I’m not a hundred percent sure what was up , but the last time I had It’s A Grind not only was I completely satisfied with the coffee, but I felt like it gave me quite a buzz for normal coffee.
Never been a fan of coffee. Bad flavor, bad breath, yellow teeth. ; )
But I admire it all for the caffeine and the smooth effects. Caribou is one of my favorite places here in town. (and their french toast muffins are a must-have).
I’m in Maryland and I have still never seen a Caribou coffee place, but the bottled Iced Coffee + Espresso is pretty good. You should make a Dunkin’ Donuts chart. I drink massive amounts of their coffee.
Good idea Evan, I’ll have a look.
Website seems pretty slick. That’s about it.
I am from Vermont but have lived in Minneapolis for about 8-9 months carribou is everywhere… i like it for a chain… but i still prefer the black coffees from the smaller shops as well as thier deapthcharges.. and i like coffee black to get the full flavor and jolt.. so caribou is good but Dunn Bros. for a chain is superior in my book but still prefer spyhouse or the Beat in uptown Minneapolis MN. THanks for the chart great info by the way
I’ve had the…experience…of sampling these products in their bottled form. Here’s the nutritional info:
Iced Coffee + Espresso 12oz
100 calories
.5g fat
5mg cholesterol
200mg sodium
20g sugar
2g protein
Assuming this is the bottled version of the “Depth Charge,” coffee with espresso, this would contain 291mg caffeine.
Regular Iced Coffee 12oz
120 calories
1.5g fat
5mg cholesterol
210mg sodium
24g sugar
2g protein
Assuming this is the bottled version of “Cold Press Iced Coffee,” the caffeine content would be 192mg.
Vanilla Iced Coffee 12oz
120 calories
1.5g fat
5mg cholesterol
210mg sodium
24g sugar
2g protein
There seems to be no comparable served product, but there’s no reason to believe the caffeine would be much different than the regular iced coffee. So about 192mg caffeine.
I’ll do the mocha when I find it.
As far as taste goes on these, they’re alright. The espresso is only for true coffee lovers though, it’s pretty strong.