Starbucks Caffeine Chart: Which Drink is the Strongest?

If you’re searching for the strongest coffee at Starbucks, you’ve come to the right place. Whether you’re trying to keep your caffeine intake to a minimum, or you’re in need of the strongest coffee that Starbucks has to offer, you’re in the right place.

I love breaking down various menus in terms of their calories and macros, but I find it incredibly useful to look at caffeine content as well.

I have a full guide that breaks down the calories of the Starbucks menu that you can find here, but we’re going to put all of that to the side and just look at caffeine here.

And if you’re someone who likes to customize a very specific Starbucks order, my Starbucks Nutrition Calculator also calculates the caffeine of every drink!

Which Type of Coffee Roast Contains the Most Caffeine?

If you’re ordering hot coffee at Starbucks, you’ll have a few main roast options: Verdana (light roast or blonde roast), Pike Place (medium roast), and Dark Roast.

If you’re like me, you’re probably assuming that a dark roast contains the most caffeine. I mean, it certainly has the strongest coffee taste, so surely it contains the most caffeine.

It wasn’t until recently that I discovered that the opposite is true: the lighter the coffee roast, the more caffeine it contains.

When coffee beans are measured by weight, the differences in caffeine are actually very minimal. A coffee bean is a coffee bean, and it will contain roughly the same amount of caffeine.

However, the lighter the roast, the denser the coffee becomes. So, when coffee is scooped out and measured by volume instead of strict weight, you’re actually getting more coffee. Thus, lighter roasts technically contain more caffeine.

You’ll see this ring true with Starbucks coffee, as the light roast contains the most caffeine, followed by the medium roast, then dark roast.

Caffeine in Iced Coffee, Cold Brew, & Nitro Cold Brew

As a lover of cold coffee, and a complete cold brew coffee snob, it’s important to me that you understand the differences between these drinks.

I have an entire post dedicated to iced coffee vs cold brew, but I’ll give you a very brief overview here.

Starbucks iced coffee is simply hot coffee that has been cooled down and then served over ice. The coffee is brewed as a regular pot of hot coffee, then chilled in the fridge before being served over ice.

Starbucks cold brew coffee, on the other hand, is brewed by slow-steeping coffee in cold water for 12-24 hours. Cold brew is made as a cold brew concentrate, which is then diluted with water to create a drinkable cold brew coffee.

Generally speaking, cold brew contains more caffeine than iced coffee because it is brewed as a very strong concentrate. However, depending on how diluted the final product is, the caffeine content will vary.

In the case of Starbucks, cold brew coffee contains more caffeine than iced coffee.

But what about nitro cold brew coffee?

Nitro cold brew is a regular cold brew that is served through a nitrogen-infused tap. The nitrogen chills the cold brew and creates a frothy finish, leading to an even smoother cold brew.

Since it is served without ice (you would lose the beautiful cascading effect with ice) you can only order a tall or grande, but you’ll be getting even more cold brew in the smaller cups due to the lack of ice.

And if you are wondering if the nitro cold brew is worth it: yes, it absolutely is.

The Most Caffeinated Drink at Starbucks

We’ll rank all of the Starbucks coffee options below, but which is the most caffeinated Starbucks drink?

That title goes to the Venti Blonde Roast Coffee.

A Venti (20oz) Verdana Blend / Blonde Roast Coffee contains 475mg.

For comparison purposes, the most caffeinated drink at Dunkin’ is a large iced coffee with 396mg of caffeine, and this Starbucks coffee contains almost 100mg more than that!

A venti medium roast coffee contains 410mg, while the dark roast contains 340 mg.

In other words, if you’re looking for the strongest coffee at Starbucks, order yourself the blonde roast.

What Are The Starbucks Cup Sizes?

Avid Starbucks coffee drinkers are familiar with the Starbucks cup sizes by now, but if you don’t frequent Starbucks, it may seem like a foreign language.

While the verbiage may not make the most sense (I mean, why is “Tall” referring to a small drink anyway?) the sizes themselves are actually straightforward. Here’s a very simple breakdown of Starbucks drink sizes that are available:

The most common sizes that are available for all drinks are Tall, Grande, and Venti. However, you can go extra large with “Trenta” for cold drinks only, and small with a “Short” for hot drinks.

Since cold drinks come with ice, the large 30oz is offered, but the smallest 8oz is not (I mean, once you add ice, you’d have no coffee left!)

The names of the cup sizes seem to always trip me up, so hopefully this visual can help you!

Top 5 Strongest Coffee Drinks At Starbucks (based on caffeine)

As you can see by the size chart above, it’s pretty clear that a Trenta coffee is going to contain more caffeine than a Tall coffee.

So, rather than simply list all of the Trenta beverages with the most caffeine, I’m going to provide you with the top 5 strongest drinks at Starbucks regardless of size. If you’re ordering a Grande, it’s only fair that you can order the one with the most caffeine if you need that boost!

5. Cold Brew

Cold brew coffee is some of the strongest coffee you’ll find because it comes as a concentrate. However, the end result is diluted with water and served over ice, so the caffeine content comes back down to Earth a bit. Still, it’s one of the drinks at Starbucks with the highest caffeine content.

Tall: 155mg
Grande: 205mg
Venti: 310mg
Trenta: 360mg

4. Dark Roast

I know it sounds like a dark roast would be the strongest coffee, but it actually contains the least amount of caffeine of any of the Starbucks coffee roasts.

Still, compared to the same-size iced coffee or specialty drink, you’re still getting plenty of caffeine to get your morning started off right.

Short: 130mg
Tall: 195mg
Grande: 260mg
Venti: 340mg

3. Nitro Cold Brew

Nitro cold brew isn’t served over ice, so it ends up being a stronger coffee than regular cold brew.

And even though nitro cold brew is the strongest Starbucks coffee (when it comes to cold drinks) its taste is some of the smoothest!

Tall: 215mg
Grande: 280mg

2. Pike Place Coffee

Pike Place is Starbucks’ medium roast, and it’ll give you a nice boost over the dark roast.

Short: 155mg
Tall: 235mg
Grande: 310mg
Venti: 410mg

1. Veranda / Blonde Roast Coffee

Starbucks’ Blonde Roast (also known as Veranda Blend) is by far the strongest coffee on the Starbucks menu. If you need a coffee to wake you up, the blonde roast will do it.

Many people think that a light roast means less caffeine, but the Veranda Blend is here to prove to you that the exact opposite is true.

Short: 180mg
Tall: 270mg
Grande: 360mg
Venti: 475mg

Starbucks Caffeine Content Ranking For All Tall Drinks

Both the hot and cold tall drinks at Starbucks come served in 12oz cups. While hot drinks also come in a smaller size (short, or 8oz) this is the smallest cup size for cold drinks.

Decaf Coffee: 20mg

Iced Tea: 20mg

Hot Chocolate: 20mg

Starbucks Refresher: 30-45mg

Matcha Latte (Hot or Iced): 55mg

Cappuccino (Hot or Iced): 75mg

Latte (Hot or Iced): 75mg

Macchiato (Hot or Iced): 75mg

Chai Latte (Hot or Iced): 75mg

Iced Flat White: 90mg

Caffe Mocha (Hot or Iced): 95mg

Frappuccino (Varies by Flavor): 95mg

Iced Coffee: 120mg

Flat White: 130mg

Americano (Hot or Iced): 150mg

Iced Shaken Espresso: 150mg

Cold Brew: 155mg

Dark Roast Coffee: 195mg

Nitro Cold Brew: 215mg

Pike Place (Medium) Coffee: 235mg

Verdana Blend (Blonde) Coffee: 270mg

Starbucks Caffeine Content Ranking For All Grande Drinks

Grande is the standard “medium” coffee, served in a 16oz cup whether you order a hot or cold Starbucks drink.

Decaf Coffee: 25mg

Iced Tea: 25mg

Hot Chocolate: 25mg

Starbucks Refresher: 45-55mg

Matcha Latte (Hot or Iced): 80mg

Chai Latte (Hot or Iced): 95mg

Iced Flat White: 130mg

Cappuccino (Hot or Iced): 150mg

Latte (Hot or Iced): 150mg

Macchiato (Hot or Iced): 150mg

Iced Coffee: 165mg

Caffe Mocha (Hot or Iced): 175mg

Frappuccino (Varies by Flavor): 175mg

Flat White: 195mg

Cold Brew: 205mg

Americano (Hot or Iced): 225mg

Iced Shaken Espresso: 225mg

Dark Roast Coffee: 260mg

Nitro Cold Brew: 280mg

Pike Place (Medium) Coffee: 310mg

Verdana Blend (Blonde) Coffee: 360mg

Starbucks Caffeine Content For All Venti Drinks

“Venti” actually means 20 in Italian, so a venti hot coffee will come in a 20oz cup. However, if you order a cold venti drink, it will be served in a 24oz cup. If you want one size larger, cold drinks also come in a “trenta” size, which is 30oz.

Decaf Coffee: 30mg

Hot Chocolate: 30mg

Iced Tea: 40mg

Starbucks Refresher: 70-85mg

Matcha Latte (Hot or Iced): 110mg

Chai Latte (Hot or Iced): 145mg

Iced Flat White: 175mg

Caffe Mocha (Hot or Iced): 185mg

Frappuccino (Varies by Flavor): 185mg

Flat White: 195mg

Cappuccino (Hot or Iced): 225mg

Latte (Hot or Iced): 225mg

Macchiato (Hot or Iced): 225mg

Iced Coffee: 235mg

Americano (Hot or Iced): 300mg

Iced Shaken Espresso: 300mg

Cold Brew: 310mg

Dark Roast Coffee: 340mg

Pike Place (Medium) Coffee: 410mg

Verdana Blend (Blonde) Coffee: 475mg

How Much Caffeine Should You Have in a Day?

We’ve broken down how much caffeine is in Starbucks coffee, but it’s important we address just how much caffeine we should be consuming in a single day.

The truth is, caffeine tolerance is incredibly individualized. One person may be able to handle large amounts of caffeine without any issues, while another person may feel that even the smallest amount of caffeine affects them far too much.

According to the FDA, 400 mg of caffeine is the upper caffeine limit we should aim for.

That’s just a general rule that certainly cannot apply to everyone.

We can estimate that a small cup of coffee contains roughly 100mg of caffeine. If you enjoy an average cup of coffee, you’re likely consuming around 200mg of caffeine.

Some days you may find yourself dragging in the afternoon once your morning coffee wears off, so you might turn to an energy drink, many of which contain 300mg of caffeine.

If you consume 500mg of caffeine throughout the day, is that bad? Of course not! If your body can handle that, then it is totally fine.

As with anything, I’d recommend working up to that, though. If you’ve never really had much caffeine in your life, don’t suddenly begin consuming 500mg of caffeine every day. Start with a cup of coffee and bump it up as needed.

Please note that this is not medical advice, and since caffeine consumption can vary so much based on the individual, it’s important to discuss it with your physician if you are concerned.

Tips to Maximize Your Caffeine at Starbucks

If the strongest coffee at Starbucks is still not strong enough for you, here are some of my favorite tips for maximizing your caffeine (don’t forget that you can use my Starbucks Calculator to calculate the exact caffeine in your drink):

1. Add an extra espresso shot to your drink.

If you order any espresso drinks, like a caffe Americano or latte, you can add an extra espresso shot to kick the caffeine up. One espresso shot contains 75mg of caffeine, making it a really easy to infuse more caffeine. Or, you can add an espresso shot to your favorite coffee drink for an extra caffeine boost.

2. Get less ice in your cold drinks.

When you order a grande iced coffee, you’re not actually getting 16oz of coffee. It’s more likely you’re getting about half of that.

To maximize the amount of coffee you’re getting, ask for less ice! Doing this is a great way to get more bang for your buck, along with more caffeine to keep your day moving.

3. Limit the number of add-ins you order.

If you order a black coffee, it’s going to have much more caffeine than coffee with oat milk and multiple pumps of syrup, since the latter will contain less coffee overall.

While I don’t expect everyone to order just black coffee, you should try to limit the number of add-ins you’re adding to your drink if you want to maximize your caffeine intake.

How Much Caffeine is in Clover Brewed Coffee?

Starbucks has recently rolled out Clover brewed coffee at select locations, so if you’re lucky enough to be near one of these locations, you have a ton of additional coffee options.

Clover brewed coffee is a way for Starbucks to offer small-batch coffee roasts without making full pots of drip coffee like with the standard light, medium, and dark roast coffee.

The Clover machines are able to brew single cups, allowing Starbucks to offer lots of unique limited-supply coffee beans from all around the world.

Since this Clover coffee is not offered at all locations, I didn’t include the caffeine amounts in the full guide, but I’ll include them here for you.

The specific coffee beans that Starbucks offers will vary, but they can be broken down into 4 categories: Reserve Roasts, Light/Blonde Roasts, Medium Roasts, and Dark Roasts.

Clover Starbucks Reserve Coffee

Costa Rica, Hawaii, Zambia, Vietnam, Peru, Rwanda, Italian Roast

Short: 190mg

Tall: 280mg

Grande: 380mg

Venti: 470mg

Clover Starbucks Blonde Roast Coffee

Veranda Blend Clover, Willow Clover

Short: 155mg

Tall: 255mg

Grande: 340mg

Venti: 425mg

Clover Starbucks Medium Roast Coffee

Breakfast Blend, Pike Place, Ethiopia

Short: 170mg

Tall: 280mg

Grande: 375mg

Venti: 445mg

Clover Starbucks Dark Roast Coffee

Espresso Roast Clover, French Roast, Sumatra Clover, Caffe Verona

Short: 190mg

Tall: 280mg

Grande: 380mg

Venti: 470mg

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