Caffeine in Coffee Drinks: A Sourced Reference Table

How much caffeine is in a cup depends on the drink, the serving size and the source you ask. This page lists the figures published by public health agencies, Mayo Clinic, the U.S. nutrient database, peer-reviewed papers and two drink makers, each next to the serving size that source uses and a link to the page it comes from. The figures are not converted into a single serving size, so each one can be checked against its source exactly as written.

How to read this table

• Unit: every caffeine figure is in milligrams (mg).
• Serving: each figure keeps the serving the source states, in the units the source uses (ml, mL, fluid ounces, or per 100 g of the prepared drink for USDA FoodData Central). Because the servings differ, two figures for the same drink from different sources are not directly comparable.
• Ranges: where a source gives a range, the range is shown. Where a source gives one typical value, that value is shown.
• Last checked: the date each source page was last read for this table is listed in the source list at the end.

The sources explain why the numbers vary. EFSA says concentrations in coffee beverages “depend on the manufacturing process, the type of coffee beans used, and the type of preparation (e.g. drip coffee, espresso)”. Mayo Clinic names how the product is grown and brewing time, and asks readers to use its numbers as a guide.

Caffeine reference table

Drink	Caffeine (mg)	Serving, as the source states it	Source
Brewed (drip / filter) coffee	90	A cup of filter coffee (200ml)	EFSA
Brewed (drip / filter) coffee	96	8 oz. (237 mL)	Mayo Clinic
Coffee	75 to 100	6 ounce cup	MedlinePlus
Brewed coffee, regular non-specialty	113 to 247	Per drink; FDA notes that container sizes can vary	FDA
Brewed coffee, prepared with tap water	40	Per 100 g	USDA FoodData Central 171890
Espresso	80	An espresso (60ml)	EFSA
Espresso	63	1 oz. (30 mL)	Mayo Clinic
Espresso	40	1 ounce espresso	MedlinePlus
Espresso, restaurant-prepared	212	Per 100 g	USDA FoodData Central 171891
Decaf brewed coffee	2 to 15	8-fluid-ounce cup	FDA
Decaf brewed coffee	1	8 oz. (237 mL)	Mayo Clinic
Decaf brewed coffee, prepared with tap water	1.0	Per 100 g	USDA FoodData Central 171889
Decaf espresso	1	1 oz. (30 mL)	Mayo Clinic
Decaf espresso, restaurant-prepared	1.0	Per 100 g	USDA FoodData Central 174125
Instant coffee	62	8 oz. (237 mL)	Mayo Clinic
Instant coffee, prepared with water	26	Per 100 g	USDA FoodData Central 174130
Instant decaf	2	8 oz. (237 mL)	Mayo Clinic
Instant decaf, prepared with water	1.0	Per 100 g	USDA FoodData Central 171894
Cold brew (laboratory brew, undiluted)	990 to 1230	Per litre (mg/L), mean values for four coffees after 1440 minutes	Fuller and Rao, Scientific Reports, 2017
Nespresso Original capsules	40 to 130	Per cup; Ristretto 25ml, Espresso 40ml, Lungo 110 ml	Nespresso FAQ
Nespresso Vertuo capsules	60 to 200	Per cup; Espresso 40 ml up to Alto 414 ml	Nespresso FAQ
Nespresso decaf capsules	2 to 4 (Original); 4 to 12 (Vertuo)	Per cup	Nespresso FAQ
Yerba mate, brewed	approximately 78	1 cup of Mate tea (approximately 150 mL)	Heck and de Mejia, Journal of Food Science, 2007
Yerba mate, traditional preparation	260 or more	Intakes of around 500 mL	Heck and de Mejia, 2007, citing Mazzafera 1997
Club-Mate Original (bottled mate soft drink)	20	Per 100ml (label)	Brauerei Loscher label information
Black tea	50	A cup of black tea (220ml)	EFSA
Black tea, brewed	48	8 oz. (237 mL)	Mayo Clinic
Black tea	71	Per drink; FDA notes that container sizes can vary	FDA
Black tea, brewed with tap water	20	Per 100 g	USDA FoodData Central 173227
Green tea, brewed	29	8 oz. (237 mL)	Mayo Clinic
Green tea	37	Per drink; FDA notes that container sizes can vary	FDA
Green tea, brewed	12	Per 100 g	USDA FoodData Central 171917
Black or green tea	60 to 100	16 ounce cup	MedlinePlus
Energy drink	80	A standard can of “energy drink” (250ml)	EFSA
Energy drink	79	8 oz. (237 mL)	Mayo Clinic
Energy drink	41 to 246	Per drink; FDA notes that container sizes can vary	FDA
Energy shot	200	2 oz. (60 mL)	Mayo Clinic

Notes on individual rows

Brewed coffee and the FDA range

The FDA consumer update gives typical amounts per drink type and adds that “the amount of caffeine in specific products, and container sizes, can vary.” Its table does not state one serving size for each row, so its brewed-coffee, tea and energy-drink ranges should not be read as per-cup figures for a cup of a particular size.

USDA values are per 100 g

USDA FoodData Central reports nutrients per 100 g of the food as described, for example “Beverages, coffee, brewed, prepared with tap water”. These rows are useful for comparing drinks with each other on the same basis. They are not a serving size.

Decaf is not caffeine-free

The FDA says decaffeinated coffees and teas “still contain some caffeine” and gives 2 to 15 milligrams for an 8-fluid-ounce cup of decaf coffee. Mayo Clinic lists 1 mg for 8 oz. of brewed decaf, and Nespresso lists 2 to 4 mg per cup for its Original decaf capsules.

Cold brew figures come from a laboratory study

The cold brew row comes from Fuller and Rao (2017), who placed 35.0 g of coffee in 350 mL of water at room temperature (21 °C to 25 °C) and measured caffeine after 1440 minutes. The 990 to 1230 mg/L range covers their four coffees (medium and dark roast, medium and coarse grind) and describes that brew before any dilution. A home batch or a bottled concentrate made with a different coffee-to-water ratio will differ, and how much caffeine reaches the glass depends on how far the concentrate is diluted. For a bottled concentrate, the maker’s label is the figure to use; no label value is included here.

Capsules: one maker only

The capsule rows cover Nespresso only, as stated in Nespresso’s own FAQ. Nespresso says caffeine content is defined by the proportion of Robusta in the blend and the “grammage” of coffee per capsule, and that “there is no link between ‘intensity’ and caffeine level.” Other capsule and pod brands are not covered by these figures.

Yerba mate: cup size changes the picture

Heck and de Mejia (2007) report approximately 78 mg of caffeine in a cup of mate of approximately 150 mL, and compare it with approximately 85 mg per cup of coffee. The same review notes that traditional preparation can mean intakes of around 500 mL, which it puts at 260 mg or more. The Club-Mate row is a bottled soft drink that lists both mate extract and added caffeine among its ingredients, so it is not a figure for brewed mate.

Context: daily and single-dose figures

For most adults, the FDA has cited 400 milligrams a day as “an amount not generally associated with negative effects”, and says there is wide variation in how sensitive people are to caffeine. EFSA concluded that intakes up to 400mg per day do not raise safety concerns for healthy adults in the general population, except pregnant women, and that single doses up to 200mg from all sources do not raise safety concerns for the general healthy adult population. For pregnant and lactating women, EFSA concluded that intakes from all sources up to 200mg per day do not raise safety concerns for the foetus. EFSA also notes that single doses of 100mg may affect sleep duration and patterns in some adults, particularly close to bedtime.

The FDA recommends that people who are pregnant, trying to become pregnant or breastfeeding, or who are concerned about a condition or medication, talk to their health care provider about whether to limit caffeine. This page is a reference to published figures and is not medical advice.

Sources and last-checked dates

• EFSA, “Caffeine” topic page (summarising EFSA’s 2015 Scientific Opinion on the safety of caffeine). Last checked 7 November 2026.
• Mayo Clinic Staff, “Caffeine content for coffee, tea, soda and more”, dated Feb. 06, 2025. Last checked 7 November 2026.
• MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, “Caffeine in the diet”. Last checked 7 November 2026.
• U.S. FDA, “Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine is Too Much?”, content current as of 08/28/2024. Last checked 1 November 2026.
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy foods 171890, 171889, 171891, 174125, 174130, 171894, 173227 and 171917. Last checked 7 November 2026.
• Nespresso FAQ, “What is the caffeine content in each capsule?”. Last checked 7 November 2026.
• Fuller M, Rao NZ. “The Effect of Time, Roasting Temperature, and Grind Size on Caffeine and Chlorogenic Acid Concentrations in Cold Brew Coffee.” Scientific Reports 2017;7:17979. Last checked 1 November 2026.
• Heck CI, de Mejia EG. “Yerba Mate Tea (Ilex paraguariensis): A Comprehensive Review on Chemistry, Health Implications, and Technological Considerations.” Journal of Food Science 2007;72(9):R138-R151. Last checked 3 November 2026.
• Brauerei Loscher, CLUB-MATE Original label information. Last checked 3 November 2026.