Coffee is the most popular refreshment in the whole world. Roughly 40% US population consumes espresso-based beverages daily. Coffee makes us feel energized and improves our physical and cognitive performance. It has an exceptional aroma which captivates people towards it with its charming shades of brown color.
But did you know it contains a chemical substance named methylxanthine also called caffeine which may or may not be detrimental to human health? How would you come to realize whether it’s good or not? The secret lies in the total caffeine content in the coffee of your choice.
So without further due let’s discern which type of coffee has the most caffeine in it and what’s the safe amount to assimilate per day?
The amount of caffeine in coffee depends upon several features which are:
- Types of coffee beans
- Extent of beans roasted
- Brewing method of the beans
- Caffeine per serving of the drink
1. Types of Coffee Beans
There are four types of coffee beans with Arabica being the most common. As you have noticed in the grocery stores that the coffees are labeled with the roasting and the brewing methods, but they are not sufficient enough to catch on the most caffeinated coffee.
Here we go with the list of the coffee beans to unravel which coffee bean has the most caffeine.
Arabica
Arabica beans, ecliptic in shape, are the most preferred beans because of their flavor and sweet taste. The cultivation and farming of Arabica beans is promising, so it costs high in the market. While in terms of caffeine, it has less caffeine content of caffeine, but most people go for it due to its delightful pleasant taste.
Robusta
Robusta beans, round in shape, have high caffeine content in comparison to Arabica beans. It is easy to cultivate because of the high caffeine content in the beans, which act as chemosterilant to repel the insects.
The name Robusta clearly defines its characteristic due to its strong bitter taste, so if your preference is a high caffeinated drink, you can use Robusta and kill its taste by adding sugar and cream. In the unroasted beans of Arabica and Robusta, surely Robusta has double the amount of caffeine than Arabica.
Liberica
It has a less caffeine content and smoky aroma with an astringent taste, but it is less common due to its cultivation in only specific climates and geographical areas.
Excelsa
It has the fruity aroma of medium coffee roasts and is used in combination with other coffee beans to add extra flavor. It also has low caffeine content in comparison to Robusta and Arabica beans.
Hence, the coffee bean with the most caffeine is Robusta.
2. Extent of Coffee Roasts
It is believed that roasting decreases the amount of caffeine in it but it’s not the fact, roasting of beans just reduces their water content hence mass of beans is reduced. Roasting gives aroma and accentuates the nuanced flavor of the beans, which we enjoy, and their color changes from green to brown.
While roasting, whether the caffeine content in the beans is increased or decreased, let’s have an insight into it.
- Light roasts
Light roasts are buff-brown, and there’s no oil on the surfaces of these beans. According to the National Coffee Association, lighter roasts have marginally more caffeine than other roasts.
- Medium roasts
Medium roasts are moderate brown, with no oil on their surface. These roasts are popular in America.
- Dark roasts
Darker roasts have a chocolate brown color and an oil surface. These roasts have a bitter taste due to less acidity which is associated with darker roasting.
However, roasting does not increase or decrease the caffeine content of the beans. For example, a bean containing 5 grams of caffeine before roasting would have the same amount of caffeine after roasting. It will just increase in size, change color, and reduce mass.
Roasts with the highest caffeine content
As the darker roasts have lost much of the water content, so with the same amount of lighter roasts and darker roasts, there would be more caffeine in the darker ones. Let’s take an example, in 5 grams of light roasts and 5 grams of dark roasts, the number of dark roasts would be more, so there would be more caffeine content in the dark roasts.
3. Types of Coffee Flavors Depending on Brewing Methods
- Brewed coffee
It is also known as filter coffee. Ground coffee beans are brewed in hot water and then filtered through different types of filters to separate ground coffee beans from brewed coffee. It has the least content of caffeine per ounce.
- Cold-brew
It is made by steeping coffee grounds through water at normal temperature. The content of caffeine per ounce in the cold brew is almost 13 mg.
- Nitro coffee
The variation in the cold brew is nitro cold brew coffee, which is the addition of nitrogen gas so that its smoothness and sweet flavor are enhanced without adding sugar. It is served chilled with 16 fl. oz serving size having 280 mg caffeine in it.
- Espresso
In this coffee, boiling water is forced through the finely ground dark roasted coffee beans at high pressure to create a concentrated coffee of one or two ounces. Espresso has undoubtedly high caffeine content.
- Death wish coffee
It is coffee that contains higher caffeine content than recommended. The purest quality of Arabica and Robusta beans are used to create a fine quality coffee that gives double strength to the average cup of coffee.
4. Caffeine Content in Different Coffees
According to the US Food and Drug Administration, the amount of caffeine in different types of coffees is:
Death wish coffee
60–77 mg (Caffeine per ounce)
470–620 mg (Caffeine per serving — Serving size 8 fl. oz.)
Biohazard coffee
58–75 mg (Caffeine per ounce)
466–600 mg (Caffeine per serving — Serving size 8 fl. oz.)
Espresso
50–60 mg (Caffeine per ounce)
400–500 mg (Caffeine per serving — Serving size 8 fl. oz.)
Nitro coffee
20 mg (Caffeine per ounce)
162 mg (Caffeine per serving — Serving size 8 fl. oz.)
Cold brew coffee
12–13 mg (Caffeine per ounce)
100 mg (Caffeine per serving — Serving size 8 fl. oz.)
Drip coffee
8–15 mg (Caffeine per ounce)
65–120 mg (Caffeine per serving — Serving size 8 fl. oz.)
Brewed coffee
12 mg (Caffeine per ounce)
95 mg (Caffeine per serving — Serving size 8 fl. oz.)
I have standardized the serving per 8 ounces but it’s not the real case. The espresso shot per serving is just one ounce in 30 ml while the brewed coffee has 8 fl. oz. serving (240 ml). Definitely espresso has more caffeine than cold brew coffee. So, undoubtedly the death wish coffee has the highest caffeine content.
Reasons to Drink Coffee
- Antioxidant activity
Antioxidant coffee has a lot of antioxidants, for example, chlorogenic acid, that neutralizes free radicals in our body thus enabling us to be immune to diseases. The maximum antioxidants are found in medium roasted beans.
- Anti-carcinogenic activity
Coffee helps protect prostate cancer in men and endometrial cancer in women due to the polyphenols and phytochemicals present in coffee.
- Prevent from heart diseases
Coffee protects the heart by reducing the risk of arterial damage
- Prevent from Type 2 Diabetes
According to the NCBI report, caffeine intake prevents individuals from type 2 diabetes by increasing glucose transport to the skeletal muscles so glucose concentration is decreased in the blood.
- Prevent from cognitive diseases
According to National Center for Biotechnology Information, caffeine consumption also protects individuals from getting dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease by preventing the formation of amyloid-beta plaques.
Coffee in the Morning
Black Coffee in the morning increases the production of neurotransmitters in our body that help us brighten our mood and stimulate us as a whole by boosting our energy levels. Black coffee boosts mood, alertness, and cognitive performance in the morning time by preventing the breakdown of cAMP, the increased levels of cAMP stimulate the production of various hormones like dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine.
How Much Caffeine Content is Safe?
According to Food and Drug Administration, 400 mg per day is the safe amount to be taken in for adults. This equals four or five cups of coffee per day. The coffee with the safe recommendation is espresso.
Reasons to Avoid Coffee
There are various reasons to avoid coffe, as it affects:
- Reproductive system
The caffeinated coffee drains out various minerals and vitamins from the body which disrupts the balance of reproductive hormones in our body. Drinking more than a normal amount of caffeinated coffee decreases the sperm count and inhibits egg maturation.
- Cardiovascular system
Drinking boiled coffee increases heart related problems by increasing cholesterol and homocysteine levels. The caffeinated coffee also elevates the blood pressure in people who don’t drink coffee regularly.
- Nervous system
Caffeinated coffee makes the brain vessels of the brain get used to it. So if someone skips the coffee meal he would get irritability, anxiety, and depressive disorders. Moreover, it disturbs the normal sleep pattern if consumed in the evening.
- Skeletal system
Caffeine in coffee causes more calcium efflux in urine which is responsible for bone brittleness.
Bottom line
Coffee is the stimulant and a kick start of a day. The appropriate amount of caffeine in coffee keeps everyone agile, motivated, and fit. But you have to be conscious to eat up the right amount as more caffeine intake is not only an addiction, but it will also destroy your health and fitness.