Caffeinated Drinks at Starbucks
Starbucks has a huge list of drinks, but have you ever thought about which are the strongest? Well, wonder no more because we have a list of the most caffeinated drinks at Starbucks!
We’ve gone through the entire menu to see all of the strong Starbucks drinks you can choose from. Below is a description of each drink and how much caffeine they contain.
What is the Most Caffeinated Drink at Starbucks?
Let’s start our list by answering, what is the most caffeinated drink at Starbucks? Currently, the Blonde Roast Filter is the most robust coffee at Starbucks. It is by far the most caffeinated drink on the Starbucks menu.
The Blonde Roast Filter
It may surprise many that Starbucks is the strongest drink at Starbucks. Most would assume that espresso or bold dark roast would be the strongest coffee, but this isn’t the case.
As the name entails, it is a blonde roast with a shorter roasting time than medium or dark roast coffee. Since the beans are under-roasted, this makes the coffee lighter and not feel heavy in your stomach.
Along with being light, it has a nice vanilla flavor along with hints of different citrus –making the Blonde Roast Filter not only strong but also one of the most flavorful drinks on the menu.
How Much Caffeine is in a Blonde Roast Filter?
Many would assume that a longer roast time and bold flavor would mean a stronger coffee, but this isn’t true. A Blonde Roast Filter has 10% more caffeine than the standard espresso roast that Starbucks uses for most of its drinks.
According to the nutrition facts, a venti-size Blonde Roast Filter has 0.016 oz (475 mg) of caffeine –making it the most caffeinated drink on the menu by a large margin.
How Much Caffeine Does Starbucks Coffee Contain?
Customers often ask, how much caffeine is in Starbucks coffee? Starbucks caffeine content will primarily depend on the type and the size you’re drinking. Each type of coffee they make has a different amount of caffeine.
Normal coffee with no additives has this amount of caffeine per size.
- Short: 0.006 oz (180 mg)
- Tall: 0.009 oz (260 mg)
- Grande: 0.0011 oz (330 mg)
- Venti: 0.014 oz (415 mg)
The various shots of espresso that Starbucks serves all contain 0.0026 oz (75 mg). This includes a standard espresso, latte, cappuccino, macchiatos, and Americanos.
Other Caffeinated Starbucks Drinks
The Blonde Roast Filter is Starbucks’s strongest coffee, but what are the other strongest coffees available? Here is the list of the other most caffeinated coffee drinks that Starbucks offers.
Dark Roasted Italian
The second most caffeinated Starbucks coffee is their Dark Italian Roast. It has 0.0165 oz (470 mg) of caffeine in the largest Starbuck cup, nearly matching the Blonde Roast’s caffeine quantity.
The Dark Roasted Italian is the strongest dark roast that Starbucks currently sells. This coffee has a robust flavor that contains 100% arabica coffee beans.
It has hints of dark cocoa with hints of marshmallows blended with a dark roast to give its unique flavor.
Pike Place Roast Filter Coffee
Pike Place has been on the Starbucks menu since 2008 and tastes like the first Starbucks roast. A venti-size Pike Place Roast comes at 0.0144 oz (410 mg) per cup.
It’s a flavorful medium roast that isn’t overpowering and good to drink any time of year. You can expect to taste notes of cocoa and pralines in each smooth and well-rounded cup.
Clover Light Roast (Willow)
The Clover Light Roast or Willow is the light roast variation of Starbucks’ line of clover roasts. Even though it’s a light roast, the Willow still packs a punch with 0.0149 oz (425 mg) of caffeine.
The beans of this coffee are a hybrid that has characteristics of African and Latin coffee beans. Being a light roast, the Willow has a subtle complexity with a crisp flavor and lemon finish.
Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Shaken Espresso
The name is a mouthful, but it has quite a bit of caffeine in each cup. The Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Shaken Espresso has four shots of espresso and six pumps of brown sugar syrup.
A grande size cup of this drink has around 0.009 oz (255 mg) of caffeine. Starbucks’ website does not list if this drink is available in venti size, which would make the caffeine content even higher.
If the name doesn’t give away what this drink tastes like, it’s pretty sweet and will keep you up and working.
Starbucks Cold Brewed Coffee
Starbucks’ original cold brew has what you need to wake up if you’re a fan of cold-brewed coffee. The Starbucks cold brew caffeine content is around 0.01 oz (310 mg) of caffeine in a venti-size cup.
Drinking a Starbucks cold brew is an excellent option if you suffer from acid reflux. It has a full flavor and will wake you up like hot coffee without the acid burning your esophagus.
Starbucks’ Nitro Cold Brew
A nitro cold brew coffee gives a cold brew the look and thickness of stout beer like Guinness. This cold brew is made with liquid nitrogen to provide its trademark cascading bubbles and thick foam.
Unfortunately, you can only get a nitro cold brew in smaller sizes to maintain the right consistency and flavor. If Starbucks could figure out how to serve the nitro brew in a venti cup, it would contain 0.012 oz (350 mg) of caffeine per serving.
Quad Espresso
You should consider a quad espresso if you don’t have time to mess around and get work done. The name means exactly what it is: four shots of espresso put into one cup of coffee.
You’re getting 0.01 oz (300 mg) of caffeine per quad espresso that you can get hot or on ice. We’re not sure, but four espresso shots may be the limit baristas will serve you at Starbucks.
Espresso Con Panna
An Espresso Con Panna is a variation of the quad espresso with a sweet twist. To remove an espresso’s heavy flavor, the barista adds a dollop of whipped cream to alter the texture.
Adding this dollop of whipped cream helps enhance the notes of caramel and makes the espresso smoother. It has the same caffeine as the quad espresso with 0.01 oz (300 mg).
Espresso Macchiato
Do you like creamy espresso but don’t want the sweetness from an Espresso Con Panna? Then the Espresso Macchiato from Starbucks is the drink you’re looking for.
Instead of a dollop of whipped cream, this espresso is made with steamed milk to give you the same texture. It also has the same high amount of caffeine at 0.01 oz (300 mg).
Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brewed Coffee
If you want a sweeter version of Starbucks’ Cold Brew Coffee, they make another version with sweet vanilla cream. It’s a good option if you like your cold brew coffee a little more on the sweet side.
The only drawback with this being a sweeter cold brewed coffee is that you’ll take in more calories. With this sweeter version, you can also expect to take around 0.01 oz (310 mg) of caffeine.
Iced Caffe Americano
This coffee drink is a version of hot chocolate served cold with three espresso shots. Mixing the sweetness of chocolate with the caffeine of a strong cup of coffee creates an outstanding balance.
The Iced Caffe Americano contains 0.009 oz (265 mg) of caffeine in a venti-size cup. You may even be able to order an extra shot of espresso to make it even stronger!
Honey Almondmilk Nitro Cold Brew
Another cold brew coffee option that Starbucks offers is the Honey Almondmilk Nitro Cold Brew. While this is a sweeter version of the original nitro cold brew coffee, it also has more caffeine.
It has around 10% more caffeine per serving at 0.013 oz (385 mg). You’ll get the sweetness of a frappuccino with the caffeine of a strong cup of coffee.
Caffe Mocha
Starbucks has made the classic Caffe Mocha for years, and it remains one of their most popular drinks. It is a rich, full-bodied espresso mixed with mocha sauce and steamed milk.
Then it is topped off with whipped cream to give this drink its signature look. You can expect to get around 0.007 oz (200 mg) of caffeine per serving without adding anything to the beverage.
Iced Coffee
The iced coffee from Starbucks is their cold version of their standard drip coffee served on ice. It gives you the kick of caffeine from an average cup of coffee with the refreshing feel of a cold drink.
You can get a Starbucks Iced Coffee in trenta-size, giving you around 0.009 oz (280 mg) of caffeine. Also, around 160 calories in this serving size.
Cold Brew with Cascara Cold Foam
This drink is another sweet version of the Starbucks Cold Brew. Starbucks adds a cascara syrup as the sweetening agent to make this cold brew sweet.
Then they cold brewed the coffee for 20 hours, which gets nearly all of the caffeine in the coffee beans. You’ll get up to 0.012 oz (350 mg) of caffeine in this sweet cold brew coffee.
Featured Dark Roast
The Featured Dark Roast Coffee from Starbucks is their signature dark roast blend coffee. It is full-bodied and full of robust flavors, showing what a dark roast-style coffee should be.
Not only are you getting a dark roast coffee with robust flavor, but one that packs a punch with caffeine. A venti size Featured Dark Roast has 0.011 oz (340 mg) of caffeine.
Espresso Frappuccino
The frappuccino is a sweet drink, but it’s pretty lacking in its caffeine content. That is until Starbucks blended the frappuccino with their espresso to make the espresso frappuccino.
If you ask for a simpler style frappuccino, you could load it up with as many espresso shots –turning a drink with next to no caffeine into one with well over 0.007 oz (200 mg) of caffeine.
You’ll get the sweet dessert flavor of a frappe together with strong shots of espresso.
Double Shot on Ice
Another iced coffee that Starbucks makes is the Double Shot on Ice. It consists of two shots of espresso, milk, and syrup mixed with ice.
The drink is simple to make, but it has a high caffeine content of 0.013 oz (375 mg) in a venti-size cup.
Blonde Caffe Americano
The Blonde Caffe Americano is another simple yet powerful drink on the Starbucks menu. It’s a drink that consists of two blonde espresso shots and hot water to produce a light layer of crema.
On the menu, the Blonde Caffe Americano has 0.011 oz (340 mg) of caffeine. If you wish, add another shot of blonde espresso to make it even stronger!
Iced Shaken Espresso
An Iced Shaken Espresso is a simple yet powerful cold variation that Starbucks offers. The ingredients for an Iced Shaken Espresso are just three shots of espresso with ice, simple syrup, and milk shaken together.
It makes a flavorful coffee drink that will keep you up for hours. This beverage contains 0.0079 oz (225 mg) of caffeine without additives added. You can easily double this amount by ordering add-ons of espresso.
Iced Latte Macchiato
The macchiato espresso is mixed with ice to make the delicious Iced Latte Macchiato. It’s a cold version of the original macchiato served over ice.
Just like the iced shaken espresso, the Iced Latte Macchiato contains three shots of macchiato espresso. It also contains 0.0079 oz (225 mg) of caffeine of your choice, and you can add more espresso shots to make it stronger.
Iced Caramel Macchiato
If you like a caramel macchiato, you can order the cold version called an iced caramel macchiato. Starbucks makes it the same as a normal Iced Macchiato that includes caramel syrup.
Like the other iced espresso drinks, you’ll get 0.0079 oz (225 mg) of caffeine in a venti cup.
Starbucks Reserve Dark Chocolate Mocha
A Starbucks Reserve Dark Chocolate Mocha is one of the unique specialty drinks that the business makes. It is the only hot coffee drink with four shots of espresso as a standard.
Starbucks has the caffeine content for this drink listed at .009 oz (265 mg), a venti-size cup.
Iced Chocolate Almond Milk Shaken Espresso
The Chocolate Almond Milk Shaken Espresso consists of three shots of blond espresso, ice, and chocolate malt powder. Then almond milk is put on top to give the drink a creamy texture.
The three shots of blond espresso in a venti-size cup have 0.0089 oz (255 mg) of caffeine.
Strongest Non-Coffee Drinks at Starbucks
The coffees at Starbucks aren’t the only drinks they serve that contain caffeine. Here are the other non-coffee drinks they sell that are also caffeinated.
Starbuck Refreshers
Starbucks refreshers are iced drinks that are an alternative for customers that don’t like coffee. They mainly consist of teas and fruit blended drinks that are refreshing.
All Starbucks refreshers in trenta size have a caffeine content of 0.003 oz (90 mg). The same caffeine content as a large drip coffee.
Frappuccinos
Frappuccinos are high in sugar but have a meager amount of caffeine. This means roughly between 0.00035 to 0.0007 oz (10 to 20 mg), depending on the size and flavor. Read our article and find out Cappuccino vs. Frappuccino:What’s the Difference?
Hot Chocolates
Starbucks offers flavors of hot chocolates with around 0.008 oz (25 mg ) of caffeine per serving. Around the same amount of caffeine in their decaf coffee.
Starbucks Teas
The flavors of tea that Starbucks offers also have trace amounts of caffeine in each cup. Also, around 0.008 oz (25 mg) of caffeine per serving.
How to Make Your Starbucks Coffee Stronger?
Are the high-caffeine Starbucks drinks not strong enough for you? Here are your options if you want to make your coffee stronger.
Add an Espresso Shot
Your first course of action to make your coffee stronger is to ask the barista to add a shot of espresso. A shot of espresso is a small, highly concentrated coffee with high caffeine content.
If you need your coffee stronger to wake up, you can always order a shot of espresso.
You could order two or three shots if you want a more robust cup of coffee.
Add a Long Shot Espresso
If you want a bigger shot of espresso added to your coffee, you can ask for a long shot of espresso. A long shot espresso means that more water was run through the machine, which makes a bigger espresso shot.
You could even ask for two long shots, but the barista may hesitate to give you the beverage.
Order a Red Eye
The Red Eye is a drip coffee with a shot of espresso. Made for those pulling an all-nighter or working long hours.
If you need to wake up or stay up, we recommend a red eye of one of the many stronger variations.
Ask for Blonde Roast
As we wrote in the section above, the blond roast Starbucks makes has 10% more caffeine than its standard espresso roast. If you want a stronger cup of coffee, you can ask for a blonde roast to help you wake up.
Order the Biggest Cup
If you want to strengthen your Starbucks coffee, always order it in the largest available cup. That way, you’ll get the largest caffeine content possible and add any additives you like.
Don’t Order a Frappuccino
You may like frappuccinos, but they are not the drink to get if you need a caffeine boost. Out of all of the drinks Starbucks offer, frappuccinos have the lowest caffeine content.
They have the highest sugar content, but a sugar rush isn’t the same as a caffeine rush. A sugar rush is shorter, and the crash is worse.
FAQs on Starbucks Coffee
Which Starbucks Refresher has the Most Caffeine?
Any refresher in a trenta-size coffee cup has 0.0031 oz (90 mg) of caffeine, around the same as a large regular coffee.
Is Espresso Stronger Than Coffee?
An espresso is far stronger than a regular drip-style coffee. It’s a smaller but more powerful coffee drink due to the brewing process.
A 2-ounce (56.7 ml) espresso has between 0.002 to 0.003 oz(60 to 100 mg) of caffeine. An 8-ounce (236.7 ml) cup of drip coffee has around the same amount of caffeine as an espresso.
What is the Best Drink to Wake You Up?
Of course, the best Starbucks drink to wake you up would be the Blonde Roast, their strongest coffee. Of course, the best beverage to wake you up is the one you like the most.
What is the Best Starbucks Drink to Keep You Awake?
Again, the answer to this question is the same as the previous question. The Blonde Roast would be the best option to keep you awake, but always choose your favorite to stay awake.
Are There Other Size Options?
Believe it or not, two drink-size options are not on the menu. If you want a smaller cup of coffee, you can order a “short” coffee—an 8-ounce (236.5 ml) cup of whatever coffee you’d like.
There is also the “trenta” that means thirty, but it’s a 31-ounce
916 ml) cup. Unfortunately, this size is not available for their coffee drinks.
Are There Any Free Add-Ons?
At Starbucks, you can always add caramel or whipped cream to any drink you order. It’s true; they won’t charge you extra for the add-ons.
Can a Starbucks Barista Grind My Coffee Beans for Me?
You may not know this, but a Starbucks barista will grind your beans for free if you don’t have a grinder. Of course, they will only grind Starbucks brand beans, so don’t try to bring another brand of beans to grind.
Can You Order Discontinued/Out-of-Season Drinks?
You can still order the beverage if your favorite drink is out of season. The barista will be happy to make it depending on if they have the ingredients on hand to make your drink.
Did You Know You Can Order a Pour Over Coffee?
Most Starbucks just order the regular drip coffee, but you can ask for a pour-over coffee. It takes longer to make, but a pour-over tastes fantastic if you’re in no rush.
Did You Know Starbucks Originally Didn’t Sell Coffee Drinks?
When Starbucks opened its doors in 1971, it only sold packs of coffee beans and grinders. The owners didn’t decide to start selling cups of coffee in their stores until 1983.
Howard Schultz was vacationing in Milan, where he had an espresso at a cafe. He then pitched serving lattes to the other founder, and this idea led to Starbucks becoming a billion-dollar coffee company.
How Many Shots of Espresso Can I Legally Purchase?
You can purchase as many shots of espresso as the cup you’re buying will hold. Although that isn’t the healthiest option, Starbucks is not liable for anything that may happen if you drink too much.
Did You Pay More for the Caffeine Than the Coffee Itself?
Starbucks coffee may be pricey, but you’re paying more for caffeine than coffee. Their coffee has some of the highest caffeine content of any other chain coffee store.
Starbucks’s standard grade drip coffee has 0.011 oz (330 mg) of caffeine. That is the equivalent of drinking three cans of Red Bull in one sitting.
The Final Say
Starbucks has some of the most potent drinks available on its menu. Whether you need to wake up or stay up, the drinks on our list will do the job. Try them all, but not all at once, of course!