How Much Caffeine is in My Cup of Coffee?

With more people becoming aware of 'caffeine sensitivity', more people are starting to wonder whether how much caffeine they consume is actually having a positive affect on their health, or a negative one.

This question is very difficult to answer when most people don't really know how much caffeine is in their coffee.

So, to make answering that question quick & easy, we've researched the info we need to know and compiled it all into some simple answers.

Before we take a look at that, we need to know that there are 3 different kinds of coffee bean and that there's a big difference in the amount of caffeine naturally contained in each kind of bean.

Arabica

Liberica

Robusta

Naturally contains the lowest amount of caffeine. Widely claimed by coffee connoisseurs to be the nicest tasting bean out of the 3.

Naturally contains the highest amount of caffeine.

Around 75% of all coffee consumed around the world is made from the the Arabica bean.

2.6% Caffeine.

1.6% Caffeine.

1 % Caffeine.

Beans & Caffeine:-

So, if there's only a really small %'age difference in caffeine between the 3 beans, surely that can't really mean much of a difference, right?

Let's take a look.

Approx' 235ml

Approx'440ml

Approx'590ml

Approx'740ml

If you drink instant coffee and it does not say what kind of coffee bean it is, then you can safely assume it is Arabica. If it was either of the other 2 kinds of bean, it would certainly say so on the label or packaging.

As you can see, the type of coffee bean you use makes a BIG difference.

A large (20 fl oz) serving of Liberica has less caffeine than a small 8 fluid ounce cup of Robusta.

The American FDA and the European Food Safety Authority state that 400mg per day is a safe amount of caffeine for the average healthy adult to consume (aged 18 to 65).

But ... (There's almost always a 'But').

The 400mg per day limit is based on an 'average' adult. According to the food safety authorities, the average adult weighs around 155lbs or 70 Kg.

Your 'safe caffeine limit' is mainly calculated by your body weight and it does differ quite a lot between different sized people.

The diagram below is a general guide which groups body weight into 5 general groups. Find the one closest to yours and get an insight into how much caffeine per day is safe for your body.

How Much Caffeine in Instant Coffee ?

You'll get 5 grams of coffee on 1 teaspoon.

So, for caffeine per teaspoon you'll get:

Liberica = Around 35mg.

Arabica = Around 50mg.

Robusta = Around 85mg.

Even though these amounts are calculated by established authorities, you should ideally always ask your doctor first just to make sure your body is ok with consuming a large amount of caffeine in a day.

It's pretty clear to see from the diagram above that there is no difference between male and female when it comes to caffeine consumption.

Also, you should note that these numbers are just a 'general guide'. So, if you weigh around 150lbs or 68kg and you consume more than 370mg of caffeine in a day, there is no need to panic.

Just try and make sure that you don't exceed your safe limit on a regular basis. Persistently consuming more caffeine than what your body can safely process may end up having a negative affect on your health.

To Sum It Up.

We've established that the kind of coffee bean you use and your body mass are the 2 main factors to consider.

We couldn't find anything online that simply explained how much coffee we can drink based on what bean we use. Bearing in mind the significant difference in caffeine between Liberica and Robusta, we were quite surprised that nobody had done this.

So, to get straight to the point, we created a few simple diagrams which clearly show us roughly how much coffee we can drink, based on what kind of bean we use and approximate body mass.

Just look for your approximate body mass, then look for the size of cup or mug you usually like to use.

Let's get straight to it.

Regardless of what kind of coffee bean you use, what your body mass is or what size of cup/mug you prefer to use, now you know how much caffeine you ideally should be consuming per day.

Again, don't worry if you go over your body's daily limit, it's just a matter of trying not to do that on a regular basis. 'All good things in moderation' as they say.

If you'd like to know more about how caffeine affects your body when your amazing and mature, check out this article.

If you'd like to know about consuming caffeine during pregnancy, check out this article. Get all the facts you need, quick & easy.

And that's pretty much it.

Also ...

We hope you found our article helpful and you found the facts you needed quickly & easily. Thank you for reading it.

If you would like to find out more detailed information, regarding caffeine consumption, just click on the logo of the health authority of your preferred country.