Brewed Coffee Vs Nitro Cold Brew: Which Starbucks Drink Has More Caffeine?
Whether you're watching your caffeine intake to keep it under a certain limit, or you need the most you can get due to a bad night's sleep, it's helpful to know how much caffeine is in the drinks at Starbucks. If you're looking to start your day with a black coffee drink, you're probably choosing between a hot brewed coffee and a nitro cold brew. If you really need to wake up that morning, get the brewed coffee as it has the most caffeine out of the two options.
A 16-ounce brewed coffee at Starbucks will have approximately 315 mg to 390 mg of caffeine. It's hard to know just how much caffeine will be in a cup of coffee. Most of your options at Starbucks are blends, so the season will affect the varieties of beans used, causing the levels to differ. And, while darker roasts will have less caffeine than lighter roasts by volume, measuring by weight evens it out, so there is little difference in which roast level you pick.
16 ounces of nitro cold brew, however, has around 280 mg of caffeine. The nitro has more than a regular cold brew, which clocks in at 205 mg. The extra 75 mg comes from the nitro cold brew being served without ice. Perhaps because of this, you can only purchase a nitro cold brew in 12 or 16-ounce sizes.
Why does Starbucks' cold brew have less caffeine?
To some, the lower caffeine levels of the nitro cold brew come as a surprise. There is an idea out there that cold brew is generally stronger. If steeped long enough, it can be, but in general, more caffeine is extracted from the beans by hot water than cold. Starbucks steeps its cold brew for 20 hours, which is near the higher end of the standard 12 to 24-hour time range. Other factors that could affect the level of caffeine in the Starbucks cold brew are the ratio of beans to water, types of beans (Starbucks uses a blend), and the grind size of the beans. All this sounds complicated, but cold brew is pretty easy to make at home!
The process of making cold brew also reduces the extraction of more complex and acidic flavors. The flavors left are more chocolatey than fruity. This often makes it great to infuse with nitro, adding a natural sweetness and creaminess, making it a good option for anyone who wants a Starbucks drink with less than 10 grams of sugar.