Know How Much Caffeine Is In Your Favorite Drinks

You might find that you benefit from knowing the caffeine content of the drinks you are drinking, especially if you have ever been affected by coffee - either to a greater or lesser extent - than you expected to be.

For many Americans, Starbucks is the coffee destination of choice. The Frappuccino is one of the most popular of all of their specialty drinks. This blended "coffee" drink is especially popular during the hot summer months, but did you know that it actually contains no caffeine at all? In fact, the Frappuccino contains no real coffee - it is powder-based and coffee-flavored! If you are wanting something to wake you up during the summer instead of just a cold drink, think twice before purchasing a Frappuccino.

Another source of confusion regarding caffeine content comes from espresso. In fact, regular consumers are not the only ones confused by espresso; it is not unusual to find a barista making a comment about how you must really need to stay awake if you ever order an espresso-based drink and request an extra shot. Actually, while espresso contains more caffeine per ounce than regular coffee, most espresso drinks only contain a couple ounces of espresso. One example is a venti latte at Starbucks - the largest size offered - which only comes with three shots (or ounces) of espresso. As a shot of espresso typically contains between 35 and 50 milligrams of caffeine, this amounts to between 105 and 150 milligrams of caffeine.

On the other hand, you get between 115 and 150 milligrams of caffeine from a single cup. This means that the 20 ounces of coffee in a Starbucks venti coffee gives you over 300 milligrams of caffeine! In other words, a venti coffee actually contains more than double what you will find in a venti espresso drink!

As surprising as it sounds, those who are sensitive to caffeine would be better off order espresso-based drinks than plain coffees. You just need to know how many shots are in a drink, and you can be aware of how much caffeine you are consuming. On the other hand, if you are wondering why caffeine is not making a big difference for you, you might be getting a lot less caffeine than you actually thought!