Skip to main content

The strongest coffee at Starbucks: What to order for an extra caffeine kick

What to order when you need something strong

Starbucks sign
Lingchor / Unsplash

From sleepless nights to long working hours, we’ve all had those times when a single cup of coffee won’t cut it. Especially for coffee drinkers who have built up a tolerance to caffeine, there’s a time and a place for ordering something bolder than a regular cup of coffee. A standard cup of coffee contains about 80 mg of caffeine, but many of Starbucks’ specialty beverages contain far more caffeine.

Are you scouring the menu for the strongest coffee at Starbucks? Here’s how to place a strong and bold order. These top Starbucks drinks are packed with caffeine for those rough mornings.

Recommended Videos

Strongest coffee at Starbucks: Hot beverages

Starbucks cup
Sorin Sîrbu / Unsplash

When ordering the strongest coffee at Starbucks, you’ve got options. We’ve broken down the strongest coffees at Starbucks into two categories: hot and cold. While espresso shots contain more caffeine per ounce than brewed coffee, the difference in serving size means Starbucks’ brewed coffees generally contain more caffeine per cup than espresso-based beverages.

Starbucks Blonde Roast brewed coffee

Among all coffee roasts, light roast (also known as blonde roast) contains the most caffeine. This is because the beans are roasted shorter than dark roast coffee, allowing them to retain the most caffeine. Order a brewed coffee in the blonde roast for the strongest coffee at Starbucks.

A grande-sized order (16 ounces) of this coffee contains about 360 mg of caffeine. This coffee can also be ordered in a venti size, packing in over 400 mg of caffeine in just one cup. Typically, Starbucks only brews blonde roast in the morning up until noon. However, anytime you can still order blonde roast coffee, made as a pour-over coffee.

Even on those mornings when you need something ultra strong, don’t forget to be mindful about consuming too much caffeine in one day. The FDA recommends that adults consume no more than 400 mg of caffeine per day — which the venti size of the Starbucks Blonde Roast already exceeds.

Starbucks Pike Place brewed coffee

Close behind the Blonde Roast in second place is Starbucks’ beloved medium roast coffee, the Pike Place blend. If you don’t love the light taste of a blonde roast, this medium roast is a bit more of a full-bodied flavor and still contains quite a bit of caffeine. A grande-sized order of Pike Place contains 310 mg of caffeine per cup, and a venti contains 410 mg of caffeine per cup.

Starbucks dark roast brewed coffee

Last but not least is Starbucks’ dark roast blend of hot-brewed coffees. The longer roasting time removes some of the caffeine from this roast, yet a grande-sized order still contains 260 mg of caffeine per cup. A venti order has 340 mg of caffeine. Starbucks’ dark roast coffee is known for having a fuller-bodied, robust, bold taste. Although dark roast is not the strongest in terms of caffeine content, it is the strongest brewed coffee offered at Starbucks in terms of flavor profile.

Americano

Starbucks’ Americano is among the strongest espresso-based drinks the chain offers. Made with just water and espresso shots, a grande-sized order of an Americano coffee contains 225 mg of caffeine, and a venti contains 300 mg of caffeine.

Cappuccinos, lattes, and macchiatos

While not necessarily the strongest drinks at Starbucks, creamy-based espresso drinks still contain a solid amount of caffeine. If you want something indulgent and frothy, a grande-sized cappuccino, latte, or macchiato, each contains about 150 mg of caffeine, while a venti size contains 225 mg.

Strongest cold coffees

Starbucks iced coffee
Nadine E / Unsplash

Starbucks’ cold coffee contains less caffeine than many of the hot options. However, cold coffee lovers can still enjoy several orders containing over 200 mg of caffeine per cup.

Nitro Cold Brew

Slow-steeped for a super-smooth taste, Starbucks’ Nitro Cold Brew is a popular favorite among cold coffee lovers. The nitrogen infusion through brewing on tap creates a sweet flavor without sugar. Nitro Cold Brew also contains more caffeine than regular cold brew, with 215 mg of caffeine in a tall size and 280 mg in the grande size. Unlike cold brew, Nitro Cold Brew is unavailable in larger sizes than a grande.

Cold brew

Regular cold brew may not contain as much caffeine as Nitro Cold Brew in terms of tall and grande sizes, yet it can contain more caffeine when ordered in larger sizes. A venti cold brew contains 310 mg of caffeine, and a trenta size contains 360 mg of caffeine.

Iced coffee

Starbucks’ iced coffee contains slightly less caffeine than cold brew, but is still a great option for a morning pick-me-up. A grande order contains around 165 mg of caffeine with venti and trenta sizes at 235 and 285 mg, respectively.

Is ordering a shot of espresso a better idea?

Espresso cup
Matt Hoffman / Unsplash

Starbucks also offers a blonde espresso shot containing about 85 mg of caffeine. If you want something super strong without much volume, order a quad espresso (four shots). A quad espresso contains around 340 mg of caffeine per cup, which is still not as strong as the Starbucks Blonde Roast brewed coffee. On the flip side, however, you can drink the quad espresso shots much faster than a 20-ounce venti coffee.

Emily Caldwell
Emily is an accomplished freelance journalist focusing on food, beverage, health, fitness, and travel content. She loves to…
Four Sigmatic launches ultra-caffeinated “The Last of Us” coffee ahead of Season 2
Get caffeinated ahead of the season 2 launch
The Last of Us Coffee

Four Sigmatic has debuted "The Last of Us: High Caffeine Organic Ground Coffee" in collaboration with Sony Pictures Consumer Products ahead of the upcoming season two, which will stream on Max on April 13th. With mushrooms being a central part of the plot, this synergistic partnership aims to combine the show's appeal with Four Sigmatic’s expertise in mushroom coffee.

The new Four Sigmatic coffee is crafted with organic Arabica coffee, cordyceps, lion’s mane mushrooms, vitamin B12, and coffee bean extract for infectious focus and energy without the jitters. The dark roast coffee has a smooth, full-bodied taste with notes of dark chocolate. The blend is made from Honduran beans grown at a high altitude and designed for a super-smooth drinking experience.

Read more
Coffee on the carnivore diet: Do you need to give it up?
What to know about consuming coffee on a carnivore diet
Cups of long black coffee

Throughout the seven years I've followed a low-carb or ketogenic diet, I've tested the world of the carnivore diet multiple times. The carnivore diet takes a low-carb diet to the next level as a no-carb diet, which consists only of animal proteins. From weight loss benefits to enhanced mental clarity, people choose to try carnivore diets for many reasons.

The carnivore diet can be followed in several ways, from rigorous forms to more relaxed and liberal variations. When I first tried it, one of my biggest concerns was giving up my true love: coffee. As it turns out, some diet versions allow for coffee, making it much more straightforward to adhere to (if you ask me).

Read more
PKN’s newest zero pecan milk is the newest plant-based coffee creamer
Using pecan milk as coffee creamer
PKN zero milk

It's no secret that plant-based milks have come a long way in the last couple of years, giving coffee drinkers more options for creamers. Leading innovator in plant-based beverages, PKN, is the first company to bring pecan milk to the market. The brand has just launched a zero-sugar version of its creamy PKN milk: PKN Zero Pecan Milk. Available now in stores and online, the new PKN Zero offers a simple, delicious, nutritious non-dairy milk with a subtle taste of roasted pecans, reminiscent of pecan pie, with a buttery texture without gums, added sugar, or other additives.

Made from upcycled pecans, PKN Zero pecan milk has only four simple ingredients: Filtered water, pecan butter, vanilla extract, and sea salt. With a satisfying, buttery taste to rival cow’s milk, the new PKN Zero supports brain health and heart health with the highest levels of flavonoids and the highest ratio of anti-oxidants of any tree nut. Pecans also provide a healthy dose of ALA Omega-3 fatty acids. All of the pecan milk products by PKN, including the PKN Zero, are keto-friendly, gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO, dairy-free, and kosher.

Read more