Coffee is one of the main sources of caffeine in our diet and we can find variable amounts of this substance depending on the type of coffee we consume. If you want to know how much caffeine is in your cup, you need to know the following information.
Caffeine in different types of coffee
On average a cup of coffee of 150 ml provides 100 mg of caffeine, hence it is recommended to take two to three cups daily to ingest between 200 and 300 mg of caffeine, in these proportions does not generate side effects according to EFSA.
However, depending on the industrial processing that coffee receives or its form of preparation, the amount of caffeine can vary from one cup to another.
Thus, in a 150 ml cup we can find the following proportions of caffeine according to the different types of coffee :
- Decaffeinated coffee : 3 mg
- Espresso coffee : 37 mg
- Coffee capsule : 60 to 90 mg
- Instant coffee : 80 mg
- Roasted coffee : 70 to 120 mg
- Green coffee : 100 mg
- American coffee : 150 mg in 240 ml
Depending on the type of coffee, its form of preparation and, in many cases, the ration associated with the type of coffee because of its form of serving, the caffeine content can vary considerably from 30 to 150 or 200 mg per cup.
The caffeine of commercial coffees
Nowadays, it is very common to consume a coffee while walking down the street, going to big chains like Starbucks that sell their ready-made coffees .
In these types of coffee we can find the following amounts of caffeine :
- Caffe latte de Sturbucks Short (whole or skim milk, 240 ml): 75 mg
- Caffe latte from Starbucks Tall (whole or skim milk, 330 ml): 150 mg
- Caffe latte Starbucks Venti (with milk, soy drink or lactose free, 660 ml): 225 mg
- Starbucks Short filter coffee (240ml): 160 mg
- Starbucks Tall filter coffee (330 ml): 240 mg
- Large Starbucks filter coffee (480 ml): 320 mg
- Starbucks Venti filter coffee (660 ml): 400 mg
- Caffe latte de Kaiku (240 ml): 120 mg
- Capuccino of Kaiku (240ml): 80 mg
Within these types of coffee we see that highlights the high caffeine content given the large size of the servings served.
Other alternatives within this group are the Nescafé Shakissimo that are elaborated in their different versions with around 1% soluble coffee, which is why they are mostly made up of sugar and milk.
Other sources of caffeine
Although coffee is the main source of caffeine in our diet, we can also obtain this substance from other foods such as tea , chocolate or cola drinks that have the following caffeine proportions:
- Cup of green tea (150 ml): 20 mg
- Cup of black tea (150 ml): 45 mg
- Cola soft drink (with or without 330 ml sugar): 35 to 40 mg
- Cup of hot chocolate : 20 to 80 mg
- Chocolate bar (30 g): 5 to 15 mg
The maximum limit of caffeine recommended by the EFSA is 500 mg daily, an amount that five cups of average coffee offer but that if we drink only Starbucks, American or roasted coffee we can easily surpass with smaller amounts.
Therefore, it is always important to remember that the caffeine proportions vary from one cup to another, as well as depending on the trade, the coffee maker or the brand that the coffee maker makes.
What happens if we pass caffeine in our day to day
Caffeine, even in minimal amounts is an addictive substance due to its effects on the central nervous system, therefore, it is very common that we spend with its consumption and with amounts greater than 500 mg daily we can suffer different side effects.
Among the main symptoms that we can experience due to an elevated intake of caffeine are: nausea, irritability, anxiety, tremors, heart rhythm disturbances, insomnia, sweating and diarrhea.
All these effects go from the vain of the overstimulus to the central nervous system that accelerates the digestive and intestinal transit, as well as the heart rate and motor functions.
Therefore, it is important to drink coffee in moderate quantities and contemplate that other foods and / or drinks also have caffeine, because we can easily spend with their consumption.
