How much caffeine is in your cup depends on four things nobody prints on a menu: the bean, the brew, the dose and the size of the cup. Here's the whole picture, including a South Indian filter coffee, a number that's surprisingly hard to find.
In short: a standard 240 ml mug of brewed coffee has about 95 mg of caffeine. A single espresso has about 63 mg, a 150 ml South Indian filter coffee about 80 to 120 mg, and decaf 2 to 7 mg. Health authorities suggest up to 400 mg a day for healthy adults, or 200 mg if pregnant or breastfeeding.
How much caffeine is in coffee, by drink
Drink
Serving
Caffeine (typical)
Brewed or drip coffee
240 ml
95 mg (70 to 140)
Pour-over
240 ml
80 to 120 mg
French press
240 ml
80 to 120 mg
Espresso, single
30 ml
63 mg (47 to 75)
Espresso, double
60 ml
125 mg
Cappuccino or latte (one shot)
150 to 350 ml
63 mg
South Indian filter coffee
About 150 ml
80 to 120 mg
Moka pot
60 ml
100 to 150 mg
Cold brew, diluted
240 ml
100 to 200 mg
Instant coffee
240 ml
60 to 80 mg
Decaf
240 ml
2 to 7 mg
Black tea
240 ml
40 to 50 mg
Masala chai
150 ml
25 to 50 mg
Cola
330 ml
30 to 40 mg
Energy drink
250 ml
80 mg
Why filter coffee is stronger than it looks
A dabara of filter coffee looks small and milky, so people treat it as the mild option. It usually isn't. The decoction brews for 10 to 20 minutes, which pulls out caffeine very efficiently, and traditional blends often include robusta, which has about twice the caffeine of arabica.
The small cup and the milk bring it back down. A typical 150 ml filter coffee lands around 80 to 120 mg, about the same as a mug of drip coffee in half the volume. Two in a morning is a real dose.
What changes the caffeine in your coffee
Arabica or robusta. The biggest factor. Arabica is about 1.2 to 1.5% caffeine by weight, robusta 2.2 to 2.7%. More in arabica vs robusta.
Contact time. Longer brews pull out more. Cold brew concentrate is potent, and most of its reputation comes from people drinking it undiluted.
Dose and cup size. Usually the deciding factor. A café "large" can be 450 ml with two shots. A dabara is 150 ml.
Roast, barely. Light roast has very slightly more caffeine per gram. Dark roast isn't stronger, it just tastes bolder. See light, medium or dark roast.
How much is fine
European and US food safety authorities agree: up to about 400 mg a day for healthy adults, and no more than about 200 mg at once. That's roughly four mugs of brewed coffee, or three or four filter coffees. If you're pregnant or breastfeeding, the usual guidance is 200 mg a day. Teenagers should stay lower, around 3 mg per kg of body weight.
These are population guidelines. Sensitivity varies a lot, much of it genetic. If coffee makes you jittery, anxious or wakeful, your number is lower. If you have a heart condition, anxiety, reflux or take medication, ask your doctor rather than a coffee roaster.
Timing matters more than the total
Caffeine's half-life is about five hours in most adults. A 100 mg coffee at 4 pm leaves about 50 mg at 9 pm and 25 mg at 2 am, often enough to make sleep shallower without stopping it. Then you need coffee in the morning, and the loop continues.
The rule: last caffeine eight hours before bed. Sleep at 11 pm, stop at 3 pm. More in coffee and sleep.
Less caffeine, same coffee habit
Buy 100% arabica. About half the caffeine of a robusta-heavy blend. Bright Side and Frozen Candy are pure arabica.
Shrink the cup, not the strength.
Drink it earlier.
Make the last cup decaf. Decaf still has 2 to 7 mg a cup, which is trivial for almost everyone. Our Decaf Toasted Almond is our decaf: green apple, caramel and toasted nuts, fine at ten at night.
Not sure which coffee fits how you drink, decaf included? The coffee quiz takes a minute. The wider health picture is in is coffee good for you?
This article is general information, not medical advice.
Common questions
How much caffeine is in one cup of filter coffee?
A typical 150 ml South Indian filter coffee has about 80 to 120 mg, the same as a full mug of drip coffee in half the volume.
Does espresso have more caffeine than filter coffee?
Per millilitre, yes. Per serving, usually not. A single espresso has about 63 mg in 30 ml. A mug of brewed coffee has about 95 mg in 240 ml.
How many cups of coffee a day is safe?
About 400 mg a day for healthy adults, roughly four mugs of brewed coffee, and no more than about 200 mg at once. In pregnancy and breastfeeding the usual guidance is 200 mg a day.
Is decaf completely caffeine-free?
No. It keeps about 2 to 7 mg per cup. Negligible for most people, but not zero.
Does cold brew have more caffeine?
The concentrate does. Diluted for drinking, it lands around 100 to 200 mg per 240 ml.
How long before bed should I stop drinking coffee?
About eight hours for most people. A 100 mg coffee at 4 pm still leaves about 25 mg in you at 2 am.
Which has more caffeine, tea or coffee?
Coffee, by roughly double per cup: about 95 mg for brewed coffee against 40 to 50 mg for black tea.
