Brewed coffee, by size
Starbucks' filter (brewed) coffee is potent. Approximate caffeine for Pike Place brew:
- Short (8 oz): ~155 mg
- Tall (12 oz): ~235 mg
- Grande (16 oz): ~310 mg
- Venti (20 oz): ~410 mg — basically a whole day's limit
For reference, a normal home cup is ~95 mg. A Grande is more than three of those. See it on the caffeine chart. (Approximate; varies by store, roast and day.)
Espresso drinks are lower
Counterintuitively, a latte or cappuccino has less caffeine than brewed coffee, because it's built on espresso shots:
- Solo shot / Tall latte: ~75 mg (one shot)
- Grande latte / cappuccino: ~150 mg (two shots)
- Venti hot latte: ~150 mg (still two shots); iced Venti ~225 mg (three)
So if you want the Starbucks experience with less caffeine, an espresso drink beats a brewed coffee. More on this in caffeine in espresso.
What it means for your day and sleep
A Grande brewed coffee (~310 mg) is most of the 400 mg adult limit — one drink. Have it early and it's a great morning lever; have it after lunch and a big chunk is still onboard at bedtime. Run your order through the intake calculator and the half-life calculator to keep it off your sleep.
Put it into practice: a Grande at 1 pm — gone by bed? Check with the half-life calculator.