Over the last 10 years Dunkin’ Donuts has strengthened their coffee brand significantly by introducing espresso based drinks as well as cold coffee beverages such as their popular Coolatta. Their coffee tends to be more affordable than other coffee houses and they have become just as popular for their coffee as they are for their 52 varieties of donuts.

Here’s how Dunkin’ Donuts’ coffee and other beverages break down according to caffeine content.

Caffeine Content Of Dunkin Donuts Beverages

Flavors?

In addition to the above listed beverages, Dunkin’ Donuts has several flavored versions of their brewed coffee and espresso based coffee drinks. Some are available seasonally and others all year long. The caffeine content of the flavored varieties would be the same as above, but would only depend on whether it is a brewed coffee beverage or an espresso based flavored beverage.

How Does Dunkin’ Compare?

The caffeine content of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee would be somewhat less when compared to other restaurants such as Starbucks or  Caribou coffee. Less ground coffee is used to make Dunkin’ Donuts brewed coffee and their espresso based drinks don’t follow the standard shot amounts. For instance, a true double shot should have double the caffeine as a single shot and a triple shot, triple the caffeine. Dunkin’ doesn’t use double the amount of espresso ground coffee to make their double shot, which results in less caffeine than a standard double shot. For people who prefer less caffeine in their coffee and espresso beverages, Dunkin’ Donuts is a good choice.

Source: Dunkin’ Donuts Customer Service

A big cup of highly caffeinated coffee that is. Starbucks just moved into the top three grossing restaurant chains in America according to Technomic.

Despite the hike in Starbucks’ prices, Americans are still flocking to the chain for their daily caffeine fix. Starbucks has also added more food items which makes them even more appealing to patrons throughout the day and not just in the morning.

Mcdonald’s still is in a strong first place with Subway coming in second. Burger King and Wendy’s have been in the top three for decades, but have slipped thanks to increased coffee culture in the States as well as some clever marketing from Subway.

I don’t think that Starbucks’ coffee is the greatest, but you do get a lot of bang for your buck. Their brewing methods produce a cup of coffee with a high caffeine content!

Why do you like or dislike Starbucks?

They introduced their first X-Presso about 2 years ago with Hammer, now Monster’s back with their latest edition, X-Presso Midnite. Now I was a big fan of Hammer, could they make it even better with Midnite?

Taste

First of all, I’m not a coffee fan yet Hammer had a creamy sweeter taste which I loved, the new Midnite has much more of a coffee taste. A bit less creamy then Hammer, yet contains a pretty strong coffee bean taste, comparable to a slightly smoother cup of coffee. X-Presso Midnite lacks the sweet taste I was looking for.

X-Presso Midnite Ingredients

The 12oz (284ml) can will provide you with 100 calories, 18g of sugar, and 3 g protein, along with 100% of our daily need of Vitamin B’s. The energy comes from 1000mg of taurine, 200mg Panax Ginseng and an energy blend of 2500mg (made up of your usual caffeine, inositol, guarana L-camitine, maltodextrin, glucuronolactone and glucose.

Effect

I did manage to finish the can of X-Presso Midnite which was a struggle since I’m not a coffee fan, but was looking for a high quality rush. The energy rush was a little less than I was looking for. Not only does the taste compare to a cup of cold coffee, so does the energy level. I did feel a decent boost and it lasted a bit longer than a cup of joe. No jitters, but not enough energy to power me through my morning at work.

Monster X-Presso Midnite Verdict

If you’re a coffee drinker then I would suggest the newest Monster, yet if you’re not a fan of java yet did enjoy Hammer, then stick to Hammer and know you’re not missing anything with Midnite. However, if your a big coffee fan, then you’ll probably enjoy Monster X-Presso Midnite.

-Reviewed by Brandon Trouten

Apparently this isn’t truly a new Java Monster, it seems Monster is re-doing their entire Java line (again), so the “new” Kona Blend is just Big Black or Original. Either way, the can is sweet and I’m going to pop it open and share the experience with you…

Taste

Mmmmmm. Monster has really done it right with their Java line. Kona Blend is no different. Very smooth and rich, it’s almost like a chocolate milk. It has the coffee aroma, yet a chocolaty taste with a touch of coffee, just right if you ask me. And did I mention that it’s sooooo smooth?

Ingredients

Each 443ml can will pack 200 calories and the usual amounts of Vitamin A, B, C, and D, along with slight amounts of Calcium, Phosphate, Sodium, and Potassium. The energy comes from a mix of 2000mg of Taurine and 400mg of Panax Ginseng along with 5000mg of their Energy blend made up of 160 mg Caffeine, Guarana, Inositol, Glucuronolactone, L-Carnitine, Glucose, and Matlodextrin.

Effect

You can always count on Java Monster for not only a good flavor, but a good energy rush. I drank my Kona after dinner (kind of a dessert) and saw a solid alertness, with a boost in my energy levels lasting a bit over 4 hours. The crash was very slight, matching the usual crash of the other Monster drinks, yet nothing to worry about.

Verdict

Even though Kona Blend isn’t truly a “new” Java Monster energy drink, I was very excited to see it, and even more excited to taste it. I loved Kona just like I have all the other Java Monsters. So if you’ve relied on Java Monster  to get you through your mornings, Kona Blend will brighten up your day immensely. If your not yet on board with the Java line, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Reviewed by Brandon Trouten

I had a serious addiction to iced coffee a few years ago. Starbucks had launched their Frappuccino line of drinks and the convenience of picking up a great tasting coffee drink before class was too irresistible.

Today it seems like the all the big companies have their own line of coffee energy drinks, and thus the market is crowded with competition. Is Shock Coffee a contender?

Taste

I tried the Shock’s Triple Latte flavor first and was greeted with a smooth roast coffee with the right amount of sugar and cream. To be honest, the flavor is pretty much indistinguishable from the Starbucks iced coffee. The Triple Mocha flavor was the same, with the added chocolate flavor that was present without overpowering the drink. The two Shock Iced Coffee flavors were excellent by my tastes.

Ingredients

Both Triple Latte and Triple Mocha have 150 calories and 23 grams of sugar. The caffeine amount is undisclosed, but brewed espresso coffee is the first ingredient so the caffeine content is likely high. In addition, there is some added caffeine not from the espresso.
Editor’s Note: According to our earlier research Shock Triple Iced Coffees have 231mg of caffeine.

Effect

I noticed a decent buzz with Shock Triple Iced Coffees. For me, it takes quite a bit of iced coffee to provide a lift, but both Triple Latte and Triple Mocha delivered by themselves in an 8 ounce can. I got a quick rise that lasted for a few hours, but there was a substantial crash at the end. I would attribute this to the large quantity of sugar in these iced coffees.

Verdict

If you are into coffee and enjoy Starbuck’s Double Shot you will not be disappointed by Shock’s iced coffees. Both the Triple Latte and Triple Mocha flavors are excellent and there is a decent buzz to be had. I would watch the sugar and calories though.

Reviewed by Jason Kleindorfer

Can’t Find Shock Triple Latte or Mocha in your area? You can buy it in bulk here.

The Dieci, a new 20oz espresso drink being sold by The Pulp & The Bean in Brooklyn, NY, is made with ten shots of espresso!

Now that’s a coffee that will put some hair on your chest! We list espresso as having 77mg of caffeine, but a shot ranges between 75 and 80mg depending on how accurate the barista is being with the ground coffee. So at the top end, this drink would give you an 800mg jolt of caffeine.

I wonder if this will start a trend among coffee shops or if customers will have to sign a waiver when ordering? What I find annoying with this is that energy drinks that have a meager 200mg of caffeine consistently get such bad press, but the media will barely cover this. Can we say double standard?

If you’re in New York, why not head over to The Pulp & The Bean and order one up for $8. This amount of caffeine could be life changing.

Source: New York Daily News

Putting aside the fact that it is nature’s energy drink, and the fact that it is more socially acceptable in the workplace than a can of Monster, it tastes great. Coffee also has antioxidant benefits, as well as being linked to the reduced risk of several diseases.

Okay, now that I’m done with the rant on coffee, on to the review.

Taste

Those familiar with coffee will notice that this Shock Coffee is a very dark roast. The flavor is quite bold, so if you do not normally drink black coffee you will definitely want to add some sugar and/or creamer. I enjoy my coffee with no additives normally, and I added a little Splenda to sweeten my cup. It has a slightly more bitter taste than regular coffee, but this is mostly unnoticeable.

Ingredients

This is a ground coffee, so the ingredients are just ground coffee beans. The packaging and Shock’s website says that this coffee is twice as strong as normal coffee. The amount of caffeine really depends on how many tablespoons of coffee you put in.

Shock Coffee’s Effect

I drank a cup of Shock that was brewed the same way I brew my Starbucks coffee. I figured this would be the best way to test the effect. Normally, my coffee makes me somewhat more alert with no real crash at the end and no jitters. About fifteen minutes after drinking Shock, the jitters started to set in.

I was amazed as I haven’t gotten the jitters from my caffeine in a long time. This lasted for about an hour, but the energy I got lasted much longer, around 4 hours. I did crash a little bit at the end, but this could have been due to the fact that I was running on little sleep.

Verdict

Shock Coffee Energy Blend is awesome. If you like dark roast coffee and want a great pickup, I would recommend checking this out. I know several convenience stores carry Shock now, and this would be worth checking out for the coffee lovers out there. The buzz I got from Shock was something I haven’t felt in a long time.

Reviewed by Jason Kleindorfer

You Can Buy Shock Coffee Energy Blend in Bulk Here

This size is only available in stores within the Phoenix, AZ and Tampa, FL area, so if all goes well there, expect to see the new Trenta size everywhere. This special size is just for cold beverages. 31 ounce Starbucks’ hot coffees are still a dream my friend. It’s a good thing because 31 ounces of their coffee would be a whopping 536mg of caffeine…

The Trenta Iced coffee on the other hand will give you around 207mg of caffeine, but could be more if the iced espresso drinks are  available in this new size and also how many shots are used in the Trenta size.

This size isn’t that out of the ordinary as McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts have been offering a 32oz size of iced coffee for sometime now. However, I would guess that Starbucks fans aren’t about to go to Micky D’s for their iced coffee even if it is dirt cheap.

Source: The Arizona Republic

Coffee is embraced while energy drinks are shunned, banned, and protested. What gives? Something that just stirred the pot for me was the recent news of Top Sail High School in North Carolina, USA opening a student run campus coffee shop where students can get coffee before and after school.

Don’t get me wrong, I think this is a great idea and a way for students to learn about business, economics, making coffee, customer service, cooking etc. but what bugs me is the double standard that this coffee shop represents.

Could you imagine what would have happened if the students wanted to open an energy drink stand before or after school? There would have been public outcry, angry phone calls, and headlines on CNN about schools poisoning their students. However, a coffee shop opening gets commended and will no doubt start a new trend.

As our caffeine database shows, ounce per ounce coffee has more! caffeine. For instance, a fluid ounce of filter coffee has 18mg of caffeine while a fluid ounce of your typical Rockstar or Monster has 10mg of caffeine. Take a look at Starbucks caffeine and you see a fluid ounce of their brew has 22.5mg of caffeine. Yet coffee is accepted and energy drinks are banned.

Some would argue that it’s the other ingredients in energy drinks that makes them bad, but we say if you search, you will find that it is almost always the caffeine content of energy drinks that is criticized. As for sugar, most teens I know would drink their coffee pretty sweet so the sugar would be about equal.

Does anyone else find this coffee and energy drink double standard annoying?

Usually I’m not much for straight brew it yourself coffee, but thought I would give this a try, with a name like that, how could I pass it up?

Taste

Since I don’t brew coffee and drink it very often, I wanted to get a good honest opinion for you guys, so I had a few of my coffee drinking friends taste it as well.  And they all LOVED Wake the F Up!!!  Yes it quite strong, so if you prefer a stronger coffee you won’t be let down, as for me, it was a little to strong for me.  The taste was a little on the smoother side as coffees go, but yes, there’s quite the kick to your taste buds.

Ingredients

As for ingredients in Wake the F Up!!!, not really to sure.  There’s nothing on the packaging, and doing some research online could only find this, “A secret blend of Costa Rican & Brazilian coffees, Artisan roasted and ground in New Orleans. Espresso beans are ground into the mix.” However, note that espresso is not really a special type of bean, but only a method of brewing coffee. This is a marketing term which alludes to strong, or fancy.

Effect

My coffee drinking guys like strong coffee and they said this is some of the strongest and most powerful coffee they’ve had.  After we drank it, we got back to work and these guys were buzzed for quite some time, a little too long, they began getting a little annoying, a little to much energy (you know what I’m talking about)!

Verdict

For the coffee lovers out there, Wake the F Up!!! Coffee won’t let you down.  It seems to have started as more of a novelty, yet it’s seeming to really take off and from the reaction of my buddies, I can see why.  So if you like your coffee like your energy drinks, then WTFU won’t let you down, more like “lift you the F up!!!”

Reviewed by Brandon Trouten