A Comparison Of Caffeine Content

Mind is All

Maybe you have been surprised to drink a coffee drink and find that you still feel tired afterward; or, maybe you have drank what you thought was just a small amount of coffee and subsequently felt jittery; if either of these are the case for you, you might benefit from knowing the caffeine content of the drinks you are drinking.

Starbucks is one of the favorite coffee destinations of most Americans. While Starbucks offers plenty of specialty drinks, one of their most popular is the Frappuccino. But even though this drink might sound like the perfect treat on a hot, summer day, did you know that it actually has no caffeine in it at all? The Frappuccino is actually powder-based, and contains only coffee flavoring and no real coffee. 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. But while espresso does, in fact, contain more caffeine per ounce than coffee, it is rare for an espresso-based drink to contain more than two or three ounces of actual espresso. One example is a venti latte at Starbucks - the largest size offered - which only comes with three shots (or ounces) of espresso. Considering that an ounce of espresso contains between 35 and 50 milligrams of caffeine, this brings your grand caffeine total to somewhere between 105 and 150 milligrams of caffeine.

On the other hand, you get between 115 and 150 milligrams of caffeine from a single cup. If you order a venti coffee at Starbucks - which is 20 ounces, or two and a half cups, of coffee - you are getting over 300 milligrams of caffeine. This means you are getting more than twice as much caffeine from a plain coffee as from 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. If, on the other hand, you have been wondering why coffee seems to do nothing for you, you just might be drinking drinks that give you far less caffeine than you thought!