Resources
Caffeine questions, answered with numbers that have somewhere to come from. Each article gives the answer first, then the long version, and every figure links to its source. The opinions are mine and are set apart, so you can skip them.
Cans
How much caffeine is in Mountain Dew?
A 12 fl oz can of Mountain Dew has 54 mg of caffeine, a 20 fl oz bottle 91 mg. Zero Sugar has more. Sizes, flavors, fountain and Freeze, by PepsiCo.
Coffee
Cups, shots, chains and decaf.
Coffee
What is Swiss Water decaf, and how much caffeine is left?
Swiss Water decaf is 99.9% caffeine free as a green bean, not as a cup. What that allows, what a cup holds, the solvent rules and who uses it.
Coffee
Starbucks drinks without caffeine, and the ones that only look it
Starbucks lists Crème Frappuccinos (bar matcha), Vanilla Crème, Mint Majesty and lemonade at 0 mg. A Grande Pink Drink has 50 mg unless ordered caffeine-free.
Coffee
Flat white vs latte: which has more caffeine?
Flat white vs latte: at Starbucks US a Tall flat white has 130 mg of caffeine, a Tall latte 75 mg. It gets one more shot, of a weaker kind.
Coffee
Cold brew vs iced coffee: which has more caffeine?
A Starbucks grande cold brew has 205 mg of caffeine and a grande iced coffee 185 mg. Across brands and in the lab there is no fixed rule.
Coffee
Which coffee has the most caffeine?
A Starbucks Venti drip states 390–490 mg. Death Wish states 180 mg per 6 oz, not the 730 mg a page-one blog gives. Ranked by the makers’ own pages.
Coffee
How much caffeine is in a cup of coffee?
An 8 fl oz cup of brewed coffee has about 95 mg of caffeine by USDA’s figure. A Starbucks cup the same size states 155 mg to 195 mg. Tables by size and type.
Coffee
How much caffeine is in a shot of espresso?
A shot of espresso is 63.6 mg by the USDA’s figure. Chains state 44.6 mg to 100 mg, and labs that bought real shots found 25 mg to 322 mg.
Coffee
Cappuccino vs latte: what is the difference?
Cappuccino vs latte: same espresso, different milk. At Starbucks both hold 150 mg at Grande; the latte is 190 kcal, the cappuccino 140 kcal. At Costa, not so.
Coffee
Does decaf coffee have caffeine?
Yes. FDA puts decaf at 2–15 mg per 8 fl oz cup, and Starbucks lists 25 mg for a grande. The lab ranges, the law and the maths.
Tea and mate
Matcha, chai and what is in the gourd.
Tea and mate
Does black tea have caffeine?
Yes: about 40 mg in a 200 ml cup, by USDA. Earl Grey, English Breakfast, steep time, decaf and bottled tea from Pure Leaf to AriZona, all sourced.
Tea and mate
Does herbal tea have caffeine?
Chamomile, peppermint, hibiscus, rooibos and ginger tea: no caffeine, by USDA and the makers. Some herb-named blends hide tea; the strongest we found, 25 mg.
Tea and mate
Does oolong tea have caffeine? (And white tea)
Yes: USDA puts brewed oolong at 16 mg per 100 g, about 38 mg a cup. White tea too, and no lab paper we read found it the lowest.
Tea and mate
How much caffeine is in yerba mate? (And tereré)
A gourd of yerba mate is about 91 mg, a tereré 84 mg. But a gourd gets refilled: over 20 fills, one measured in a lab gave 410.7 mg.
Tea and mate
Does boba have caffeine? (And Thai tea and milk tea)
Usually. The pearls have none; the tea does. A Hong Kong lab measured Taiwanese milk tea at 130 mg a serving. Thai tea, taro and chains, sourced.
Tea and mate
Does kombucha have caffeine?
Yes. A lab found 3.6 mg to 26.6 mg per 8 fl oz in store kombucha, by our sums. The top one has added caffeine. Lab against maker, brand by brand.
Tea and mate
Does matcha have caffeine?
Yes. Matcha powder is about 32 mg/g: 64 mg in a thin 2 g bowl, 128 mg in a thick one. A Starbucks grande matcha latte is 65 mg.
Tea and mate
Does chai have caffeine?
Yes. Chai is spiced black tea. A Starbucks grande chai latte lists 55 mg, a brewed cup is about 40 mg, and rooibos chai has none.
Tea and mate
Does green tea have caffeine?
Yes: about 24 mg in a 200 ml cup, by USDA. How long you steep it, the bag, gyokuro and bottled teas from Ito En to AriZona, all with sources.
Cans
Colas and energy drinks, by the label.
Cans
How much caffeine is in Celsius?
A 12 fl oz can of Celsius has 200 mg of caffeine, in every flavor. Celsius Essentials has 270 mg and Hydration none. All 54 products, checked.
Cans
How much caffeine is in a 5-hour Energy?
A Regular Strength 5-hour Energy has 200 mg of caffeine, Extra Strength 230 mg, in a 1.93 fl oz bottle. Per ounce, that is over ten times a Red Bull.
Cans
Does Pepsi have caffeine?
Yes. A 12 fl oz can of Pepsi has 38 mg of caffeine, and in the US Pepsi Zero Sugar now has the same. Each size, Diet, Nitro and caffeine-free, by PepsiCo.
Cans
How much caffeine is in Coke? (And Diet Coke)
A 12 fl oz can of Coke has 34 mg of caffeine and Diet Coke 46 mg. Each US size on Coca-Cola’s own labels, mini can to 3-liter.
Cans
Does Coke Zero have caffeine?
Yes. A 12 fl oz can of Coke Zero has 34 mg of caffeine, the same as regular Coke. Diet Coke has 46 mg. Every soda, by its maker.
Cans
How much caffeine is in a Monster?
A 16 fl oz can of original Monster has 160 mg of caffeine. White Monster has 150 mg, Java Monster 200 mg and Killer Brew 300 mg.
Cans
Which energy drink has the most caffeine?
Four US cans tie at 300 mg in 16 fl oz: Bang, Reign, C4 Ultimate and Bucked Up. Per fl oz, Killer Brew wins. Each can by its maker, plus the legal caps.
Cans
How much caffeine is in a Red Bull?
An 8.4 fl oz Red Bull has 80 mg of caffeine. The 12, 16 and 20 fl oz cans have 114 mg, 151 mg and 198 mg. Every flavor, checked.
Cans
Does Dr Pepper have caffeine?
Yes: about 41 mg in a 12 fl oz can of Dr Pepper and 68 mg in a 20 fl oz bottle. Diet, Zero Sugar, the flavors and the 2 liter, by the maker.
Cans
Which sodas have no caffeine? Sprite, root beer, ginger ale
Sprite has none. Most root beer and ginger ale has none, but Barq’s has 22 mg and Mr. Pibb 54 mg. Each soda, by its maker’s own page.
Chocolate and food
Caffeine you eat, from cocoa to coffee ice cream.
Chocolate and food
Does chocolate have caffeine?
Yes. By our arithmetic from USDA, 70–85% dark chocolate has caffeine at about 22.7 mg per oz and milk chocolate 5.7 mg per oz. Hot chocolate too.
Body and sleep
How long it stays, and what stopping does.
Body and sleep
Is 200 mg of caffeine a lot?
200 mg is the single dose EFSA says raises no safety concern for healthy adults, and the top of FDA’s pill dose. 400 mg is the daily figure. Both, in drinks.
Body and sleep
Why does caffeine make me tired?
For daily drinkers the crash is mostly withdrawal: in a trial of 379 people, caffeine got regular users back to normal, not above it. Sugar and sleep, too.
Body and sleep
Does coffee dehydrate you?
Not at everyday doses: men on four coffees a day passed the same urine as on water. Extra urine can follow 250–300 mg in one go, mainly in people off caffeine.
Body and sleep
How long does caffeine stay in your system?
Half of a dose of caffeine is gone in about 4 hours, 2–8 hours between people. After five half-lives, 20 hours on average, 3.1% is left.
Body and sleep
Caffeine withdrawal: symptoms and timeline
Caffeine withdrawal starts 12–24 hours after the last cup, peaks at 20–51 hours and lasts 2–9 days. About half get the headache. The odds and the fix.