PauseCafé › Caffeine content
How much caffeine is in each drink?
8 guides
The full table, drink by drink, with real ranges rather than a single figure. Because an espresso can hold 40 mg or 80 depending on the bean and the extraction, and hiding that helps nobody.
The full table
| Drink | Portion | Caffeine | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕ Espresso | 30 ml | 77 mg | 40 to 80 mg |
| ☕ Filter coffee | 240 ml | 108 mg | 65 to 120 mg |
| 🍵 Green tea | 240 ml | 30 mg | 20 to 45 mg |
| 🍵 Black tea | 240 ml | 50 mg | 40 to 70 mg |
| 🍡 Matcha | 240 ml | 70 mg | 60 to 80 mg |
| ⚡ Energy drink | 250 ml | 80 mg | 80 mg |
| 🍫 Dark chocolate (2 squares) | 14 g | 7 mg | 2 to 12 mg |
| 🌙 Decaf | 240 ml | 5 mg | 2 to 15 mg |
« Caffeine » column: the value used by the PauseCafé app. « Range » column: the spread actually observed across preparations. Each guide explains what produces that gap.
The detailed guides
Three common reading mistakes
Confusing concentration with quantity. Espresso is the most concentrated drink, but not the one delivering the most caffeine: you drink 30 ml of it against 240 for a filter coffee. What counts for your body is the total swallowed.
Forgetting the real size. A large mug is not a cup, a double espresso is not an espresso, a large can is not a can. It is the factor that most distorts calculations, and one that almost no table accounts for.
Assuming a gentle drink is a light one. A matcha latte holds as much caffeine as a plain matcha — milk adds volume, not caffeine. A green tea drunk four times in an afternoon equals a filter coffee.
Frequently asked
Which drink has the most caffeine?
Among everyday drinks, the 500 ml energy can leads with 160 mg, ahead of the large mug of filter coffee at 158 mg and the double espresso at 154 mg. Per unit of volume, espresso stays the most concentrated: about 250 mg per 100 ml.
Does espresso have more caffeine than filter coffee?
No, contrary to a widespread belief. A 30 ml espresso brings 77 mg, a 240 ml mug of filter brings 108. Espresso is more concentrated, but the volume is eight times smaller.
How much caffeine a day is reasonable?
EFSA considers 400 mg a day raises no concern for a healthy adult, and 200 mg for a single dose. For pregnant or breast-feeding women the mark drops to 200 mg a day. These are population figures, not individual limits.
Why do figures vary so much between sources?
Because the reference portion changes from one source to another, and because preparation genuinely matters. A cup can be 150 or 350 ml, an espresso pulled from arabica or robusta. The ranges here reflect that variability instead of hiding it.
⚕️ Wellbeing information. The figures on this page are typical orders of magnitude, not individual measurements. They are not medical advice or a diagnosis. If you have questions about your intake, trouble sleeping, or any concern about pregnancy or medical treatment, speak to a healthcare professional.
Track all of this automatically
PauseCafé logs every drink in one tap, with its real size, and shows what remains hour by hour.
