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Is it true that espresso has less caffeine than regular coffee?
Yes and no. An espresso cup has about as much caffeine as a cup of strong coffee. But servings for espresso are much smaller. Which means that the content of caffeine per milliliter are much higher than with a regular brew. Moreover, caffeine is more quickly assimilated when taken in concentrated dosages, such as an espresso cup.
The myth of lower caffeine espresso comes comes from the fact that the darker roast beans used for espresso do have less caffeine than regularly roasted beans as roasting is supposed to break up or sublimate the caffeine in the beans (I have read this quote in research articles, but found no scientific studies supporting it. Anybody out there?).
One more thing that should be considered when comparing caffeine content of espresso is whether the beans are arabica or robusta. Robusta has about twice as much caffeine as arabica therefore a coffee blend starting with a large amount of robusta will have more caffeine regardless of prep method. Many (but not all) supermarket brands of coffee have a fair amount of robusta mixed into the blend to keep production costs low. Some espresso blends have between 4% and 12% robusta. The robusta is uses for a combination of reasons not least of which is flavor and better crema production. Many espresso blends have no robusta at all. For a good espresso blend price is not the reason for adding robusta and a good quality robusta is actually much more expensive than a cheap arabica bean and somewhere on par with a similar relative quality arabica.
Here's the caffeine content of Drip/Espresso/Brewed Coffee:
Drip 115-175 (7 oz cup) Espresso 100 1 serving (1-2oz) Brewed 80-135 (7 oz cup)
Obviously these numbers are estimates at best.
Comments
Caffeine content espresso vs drip or brew Coffee
I am Chemical Engineer. Eventhogh I have never practice any chemical analysis to the coffee, but for years I have read information that the main cause of the higher caffeine content in dripping coffee compared to espresso is about the kind of coffee used. Usually for espresso, the coffee bean is toasted or roasted more profusely, and in Europe and some other countries is called "torrefacto". It causes that the content of caffeine is less after being toasted. On the top of all, espresso powder is coarser after grinded, compared with the very fine grindind used for most drip or brew coffee. This fine grinding allows a bigger contact area between powder and hot water, extracting even more the caffeine from the mix ( a process called "lixiviation"). Let's explaingthe "contact area" better: If you have a piece of metal (iron for example) and you leave it outdoor it will get rusted all around its body, you can easily get the dimensions of the piece and have the contact area with the outdoor elements, but the inside part of this body will not be rusted. If you cut this mertal piece in very small pieces and get the total area of all of them you will have a bigger "contact area" comparing with the original piece. The same happens with the coffee grinded coarse or fine.
So, I would like to know if ther is some kind of a serious study about the content of caffeine, but using the differentes scenarios. Because if I make brew coffee, using a "torrefacto" mix, grinded coarse it will not be the same than using a regular grind and less toasted coffee mix.
Posting is wrong...
I work for Nespresso, one of the biggest espresso companies in Europe. An espresso that is 1.35 oz has LESS caffeine compared to drip coffee at 85 mg. Espresso has 65 mg of caffeine, and the reason why it tasts so good is because its concentrated and being brewed by pressure. If you were drinking an espresso lungo (long espresso at 3.75 oz) its still less then drip coffee.. coming in at 75 mg.
Thanks for sharing
Thanks for sharing! People ask us the same thing all the time at our coffee shop in Frisco, TX. Glad to see that you took the time to research it.
Great job here. I really
Great job here. I really enjoyed what you had to say. Keep going because you definitely bring a new voice to this subject. Not many people would say what you’ve said and still make it interesting. Well, at least I’m interested. Cant wait to see more of this from you.
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Drip vs brew
What differentiates brew from drip? All coffee is 'brew'ed, but drip coffee uses a filter, where the coffee drips through a filter.
Mitul from Technology Blog
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Mitul from Technology Blog
Caffine strength
I heard an interview a few years ago with a so called "coffee expert" on NPR and he said that the amount of caffine is determined by how the coffee is brewed. He stated the longer the coffee brews the more caffine results. He said perked is the strongest then drip and espresso from a pump machine (20 seconds). What I've read here is that it has less caffine but only in lesser portions than regular coffee. Someone please clear this up for me. I love espresso and full flavored coffees but my cardiologist says I need to drink decaf. :-(
Decaf
Most direct coffee services have decaf espresso varieties available, you just have to ask for it, or you can brew your own at home with decaf beans. With Starbucks you sometimes have to go to a Starbucks branch and not the one located in a Safeway store to get the decaf versions of the specialty lattès. I found home brewed coffee with the Folgers Simply Smooth Decaf is tasty.
Re: Caffeine Strength
Why did you drink the coffee? Was it to wake you up? There are herbal alternatives that are also heart-friendly: like dandelion, or St. John's Wort (although be careful about that one, as it will interact with any mood-enhancers you may or may not be taking...ask your doctor first). There's a lady I work for at my local Renaissance Festival who blends herbal teas. You can order them from her website ( -edited- ). Let her know what you need :) Was it for the taste? I loved coffee for the taste. When I started having heart problems from the caffeine I was taking in, I started using herbal remedies to sleepiness, and started taking a supplement of Vitamin D...and I switched to decaf. I still drink coffee/espresso regularly, without the jitter :) I hope this helped :) Best of Luck! -KA612
the more intake the more you have problems
I have drake coffe for a long period of time. I feel drinking coffee is good for you but drink with moderation. anything that is too much will cause problems.
I like coffee I like expresso a lot and other coffee . but good expresso has a good strong taste. but you will get use to it then you will lose the taste for it.
been trying some Italien coffee too the best you can buy. I have got some Melitta Estate whole bean 100 percent arabica am trying. that has been a while I had tried that. its good with a little milk and sugar. it brings out the flavor. and it does wake you up.