Coffee is a worldwide addiction amongst many people. And you may have always wondered what all those words on a Starbucks menu means but didn't want to ask and look like a noob. That's ok! Here's a cheat sheet to Coffee 101 @ Starbucks which will tell you which coffee is for you based on how much caffeine you want, what your taste preferences are and how many finals you need to survive.
Let's start with basics:
The first misconception that people tend to have is that the featured dark roast is the highest in caffeine. This is wrong. The Veranda (light) roast has about 100mg more of caffeine in each cup compared to the dark roast! And as expected, Pike (medium) roast falls in between. If you're looking for something a with a little less caffeine, the iced coffee (cold brew and regular) are both great choices!
But with that, the questions stands... What has the most caffeine in it? None of the above. For levels of caffeine needed to get you through finals, try Clover® Brewed Coffee! With grounds that are very pure, it also has the highest amount of caffeine at a whopping 375mg in a single medium cup.
Here are the basic coffees with their caffeine value (all caffeine level's are for a grande, or medium, cup of coffee):
Pike Place (also known as medium) Hot Coffee: 330mg
Veranda (also known as blonde/light) Hot Coffee: 360mg
Verona (also known as bold/dark) Hot Coffee: 260mg
Starbucks Regular Iced Coffee: 190mg
Cold Brewed Iced Coffee: 200mg
Clover Brewed Coffee: 375mg
"But Nee, what about them fancy drinks with espresso in them?! That's what I want!" Well unlucky for you, they tend to have a little less caffeine! However, the pro to specialty drinks are the taste. You can customize them to be sweeter, stronger, lighter or more bitter depending on what your soul feels on any given day!
The most popular espresso drinks (in both hot as well as iced) include:
} Americano
} Cappuccino
} Caramel Macchiato
} Espresso
} Latte
} Starbucks Doubleshot on Ice
} Vanilla Latte
Caffeine levels for flavored lattes tend to stay the same because the only difference is the flavor, however, the other drinks vary depending on the amount of espresso in them.
Here are the specialty drinks with their caffeine value for both hot, and iced versions of them (all caffeine level's are for a grande, or medium, cup of coffee):
Hot Caffè Americano: 225mg
Iced Caffè Americano: 225mg
Hot Caramel Macchiato: 150mg
Iced Caramel Macchiato: 150mg
Hot Cappuccino: 150mg
Iced Cappuccino: 150mg
Espresso (per shot): 75mg
Starbucks Doubleshot on Ice: 225mg
Hot Caffè Latte(s): 150mg
Iced Caffè Latte(s): 150mg
Now yes there are many other options for caffeine such as Green Tea Lattes, the many flavored Refreshers, Chai, and Frappuchinos! However, all of these fall under the <100 category. None of them have enough to give you a good kick, but they are nice for a small pick-me-up in the afternoons!
And with that, Coffee 101 has come to an end. But unlike most classes, you'll be doing homework for this one for forever! Keeping the caffeine amounts in mind, sniff around and see what sort of coffee is the best fit for you.
Please keep in mind that coffee is extremely acidic and drinking it on an empty stomach is strongly discouraged! Make sure you enjoy it with a nice snack!
