14 Most Caffeinated Drinks At Starbucks

Caffeine is the most widely used stimulant in the world, and one of the most common ways people consume caffeine is through coffee. About 66% of Americans drink coffee every day, so it's no shock that Starbucks, the most widespread coffee chain in America, earned over $9 billion in 2024. However, a trip to Starbucks doesn't guarantee a caffeine fix, as different drinks have different amounts of caffeine.

Coffee beans naturally produce caffeine, but so do other things like cacao beans, which are used to make chocolate, and green tea leaves. Caffeine works by blocking the adenosine receptors in your brain, which are what tell your brain that you're sleepy. The higher the caffeine content, the stronger this blockage is. So, which Starbucks drinks will give you the biggest boost?

Using the data provided by the Starbucks website, we determined which drinks — without added shots of espresso — have the most caffeine. If the options below don't seem like enough, you can add another 75 milligrams of caffeine per espresso shot. However, keep in mind that too much caffeine can lead to a rapid heartbeat, anxiety, jitters, and insomnia.

The Caffè Mocha at Starbucks is a classic drink made by combining espresso with steamed milk and mocha sauce, which is typically a chocolate syrup made with strong coffee. As a result, a tall (12-ounce) Caffè Mocha has 95 milligrams of caffeine. 75 milligrams come from the espresso, while the other 10 milligrams come from the mocha sauce. Note that this is about the same for the hot Caffè Mocha as it is for the iced one.

If you order a White Chocolate Mocha instead, you're only getting 75 milligrams of caffeine in a tall. This drink is made similarly to the Caffè Mocha. However, instead of the mocha sauce, it uses a white chocolate sauce which doesn't add any additional caffeine to the drink. Caffeine is found in the solids of chocolate, but because white chocolate is made using cocoa butter, it has no solids. In fact, because of this, the FDA once ruled out white chocolate as real chocolate. 

The Caffè Mistro at Starbucks is made by blending fresh-brewed coffee with steamed milk in a one-to-one mixture, resulting in about 115 milligrams of caffeine in a tall, depending on the roast used. Starbucks generally uses its Caffè Verona or Pike Place roasts for this drink. Now, if you know anything about coffee, it might seem strange that the Caffè Misto would have more caffeine than the Caffè Mocha, but there's a reason for this.

Espresso is basically coffee concentrate, brewed under extreme pressure and with less water than brewed coffee. As a result, it has more caffeine per ounce than brewed coffee. A Caffè Mocha has one shot of espresso, which is .75 fluid ounces, and the rest of your 12-ounce drink is milk and syrup. A 12-ounce Caffè Misto, however, is six ounces of brewed coffee and six ounces of steamed milk, meaning there's far more coffee overall in a Caffè Misto than there is espresso in a Caffè Mocha, which is why the Caffè Misto has so much more caffeine.

The hot flat white at Starbucks is made with two ristretto shots of espresso and steamed whole milk, resulting in a drink that has 130 milligrams of caffeine. If you were thinking, "Didn't you say that a shot of espresso has 75 milligrams of caffeine?" you would be onto something. Yes, a long shot of espresso does have 75 milligrams of caffeine. However, a flat white doesn't use long shots, it uses ristretto shots. 

Ristretto shots are a type of espresso shot, but they're even more concentrated than long shots. Ristretto uses the same amount of coffee grounds as a regular espresso shot, but the barista forces less hot water through the grounds. This results in a more intense flavor, but also a smaller amount of espresso. As a result, the two shots of ristretto have less caffeine than two shots of long shot espresso.

Iced coffee is the perfect pick-me-up for a hot summer day. Not only is the drink refreshing and cold, but a tall from Starbucks contains 135 milligrams of caffeine. The fresh-brewed coffee, with notes of malted milk chocolate and brown sugar, is served chilled and unsweetened over ice. The Starbucks website doesn't name the specific roast used, instead saying it's made from a blend of washed and sun-dried Latin American coffees. Employees on Reddit say that the roast isn't available for retail, but the brand's Siren's Blend is the most similar.

If you are making yourself a simple iced coffee at home, keep in mind that different roasts have different amounts of caffeine. While the amounts don't typically vary too wildly, it could make a difference if you're monitoring your caffeine intake. In general, the lighter the roast, the more caffeine it will have, but what really matters is how much you're drinking. Additionally, Starbucks offers other iced coffee versions, and this caffeine ranking is just for the basic iced coffee.

Not in a coffee mood but still want something to give you energy and maybe even cool you off on a hot day? That's where Starbucks Iced Energy drinks come in. The Frozen Tropical Citrus Iced Energy with Strawberry Puree is a delicious, delectable frozen drink made with strawberry puree, and passion fruit and citrus from the brand's Tropical Citrus drink. It comes in one size, a 24-fluid-ounce venti, and contains 140 milligrams of caffeine.

The thing about caffeine is that while it's naturally present in things like coffee and chocolate, it can also be added to drinks. Consider sodas, for example. When Coca-Cola was invented, it had caffeine in it naturally from the kola nut, through which the brand got its name. Today, caffeine is extracted from plant sources, like coffee beans and tea leaves, and added to drinks. This offers a caffeine alternative for those who just aren't that into coffee.

The Honey Almondmilk Flat White is made a little differently than the basic version that Starbucks offers. To recap, the flat white is made with two ristretto shots and steamed whole milk. The Honey Almondmilk Flat White, on the other hand, is made with two ristretto shots of Starbucks' Blonde Espresso Roast, almond milk, and three pumps of honey blend. This creates a drink with a completely different flavor profile. 

The blonde roast has notes of candied apple and bittersweet chocolate, and the almond milk and honey add additional sweetness. Because the drink has the blonde roast in addition to the ristretto shots, it has a total of 150 milligrams of caffeine. The iced version of this drink contains 150 milligrams as well. The 20-milligram difference between the caffeine levels of the Honey Almondmilk Flat White and the Flat White of the same size may be because lighter roasts tend to have more caffeine than darker roasts, and the difference may also be elevated by the ristretto shots.

The Caffè Americano is an Italian drink made by diluting espresso with hot water. Starbucks makes the tall size of this drink using two shots of its dark Signature Espresso roast, a multi-region blend with notes of molasses and caramel. The two shots are then topped with hot water, which creates a creme layer at the top of the drink. Since the drink is made with two standard espresso shots, it's no surprise that a tall Caffè Americano has 150 milligrams of caffeine. The drink increases by one shot as you go up a size, so the grande has three shots of espresso, or 225 milligrams of caffeine, and the venti has four shots of espresso, or 300 milligrams of caffeine.

The Iced Caffè Americano is made similarly, with two shots of espresso, but cold water instead of hot water and the addition of ice. It's made with the same blend as the hot Caffè Americano and also has 150 milligrams of caffeine.

The cold brews at Starbucks are made by steeping the company's cold brew blend in cool water for 20 hours. Unlike other types of coffee, cold brew doesn't use heat at all. This reduces the amount of acid in the drink, saving your stomach and making the coffee taste sweeter. The original cold brew has 155 milligrams of caffeine in a tall size. 

Starbucks offers a variety of different cold brew flavors as well, and these drinks generally have around 145 milligrams of caffeine as they often include a creamy foam that lowers the amount of coffee in the cup. Some options include pistachio cream, salted caramel cream, chocolate cream, and vanilla sweet cream. There are also non-dairy alternatives available for most of these flavors. All use the same cold brew roast that the original cold brew uses. The cold brew blend isn't for sale, but if you want to make a similar-tasting drink at home, the company recommends substituting it with Siren's Blend, which has a combination of chocolatey and citrusy flavors.

There are three year-round options for iced shaken espressos at Starbucks. The original uses two shots of the signature espresso blend, which are then shaken and chilled. Next, a pump of classic syrup and a little milk is added. This drink has 150 milligrams of caffeine in a tall.

The Iced Hazelnut Oatmilk Shaken Espresso has 170 milligrams of caffeine in a tall. This drink is made with two shots of the Starbucks Blonde Espresso Roast, which as we mentioned above has notes of bittersweet chocolate and candied apple. The espresso is shaken, mixed with a pump of hazelnut syrup, and chilled, and then the drink is then topped with oat milk.

The Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso also has 170 milligrams of caffeine. It's also made with two shots of the blonde roast but instead of the hazelnut syrup, gets a pump of brown sugar syrup and a sprinkling of cinnamon powder before being topped with oat milk.

Another one of the iced energy drinks Starbucks offers is the Melon Burst Iced Energy. This refreshing, sugar-free, fizzy pink drink features flavors like melon and cucumber balanced with the brand's bright Passion Tango tea. It's an ideal afternoon pick-me-up, especially in the warmer months, with 180 milligrams of caffeine. Only one size is available, a 24-ounce venti.

The Passion Tango Tea is a blend of hibiscus, lemongrass, and apple flavors shaken together with ice. Although some teas contain caffeine, the Passion Tango Tea does not, making it one of the handful of caffeine-free drinks the brand offers. This means all the caffeine in the Melon Burst Iced Energy drink is added in, like with an energy drink, which is exactly what this delightful (and quite pretty) drink is meant to be. That makes this an excellent option for those who need a wake-up but aren't in the mood for coffee.

The final iced energy drink offered by Starbucks — and the one with the most caffeine — is the Tropical Citrus Iced Energy. If the name sounds slightly familiar, that's because the Frozen Tropical Citrus Iced Energy with Strawberry Puree listed above uses the Tropical Citrus Iced Energy as a base and mixes it with strawberry puree.

The Tropical Citrus Iced Energy is a sparkling, golden-yellow, sugar-free energy drink. It blends citrus flavors with that of passion fruit, as well as minty green tea. This refreshing option has 205 milligrams of caffeine in a 24-ounce cup. Like the other Iced Energy drinks the company offers, it's a great option for a boost of energy if you're not feeling coffee, especially for a warm day.

Now, green tea does have some caffeine; the Iced Green Tea at Starbucks has between 20 to 25 milligrams of caffeine in a tall. However, that's not nearly enough to equal the 205 milligrams found in the Tropical Citrus Iced Energy, so the rest has to be added. In fact, caffeine is the fourth ingredient in the ingredient list, just behind carbonated water, citric acid, and natural flavorings.

We already talked about the cold brew — a drink made by soaking coffee beans in cold water rather than hot, which reduces the acidity and makes the coffee sweeter. So what's a Nitro Cold Brew? This drink is infused with nitrogen, creating teeny-tiny bubbles in the drink. As a result, the cold brew has a layer of foam on the top and a foamy appearance throughout most of the drink.

This is a technique the beer industry has been using for years. By infusing the drink with nitrogen, you can change the way it feels and tastes. As Bill Nye says in this video, the nitrogen makes the drink taste "smooth and velvety." It adds a creaminess without using cream, and a sweetness without any added sweeteners. While the nitrogen doesn't affect the caffeine content at all, a tall nitro cold brew still packs 215 milligrams of caffeine.

However, if you order the Vanilla Sweet Cream Nitro Cold Brew, you'll get a little bit less caffeine. This drink is nearly the same as the Nitro Cold Brew, except that it's topped with a splash of house-made vanilla sweet cream. Because the addition of the cream means a little less coffee in the cup, a tall Vanilla Sweet Cream Nitro Cold Brew has 200 milligrams of caffeine.

The Cortado is one of the newest drinks added to the Starbucks lineup. But Starbucks' new drink actually originated in Spain, specifically the Basque region. The name "cortado" comes from the Spanish word meaning to "cut," or in this case, to dilute. That's because this drink is made from espresso shots cut with steamed milk.

The Starbucks version of the Cortado is made with three ristretto (remember, more concentrated) shots of the Starbucks Blonde Espresso roast and steamed whole milk. It's only eight ounces, but those eight ounces hold 230 milligrams of caffeine. The Blonde Espresso roast is the same roast used in the Honey Almondmilk Flat White, and overall, the Cortado and the Flat White are very similar. However, Cortados use less milk than Flat Whites do, resulting in a less creamy texture but a more pronounced coffee taste.

In addition to the basic Cortado, Starbucks also offers the Brown Sugar Oatmilk Cortado. Like the original Cortado, this drink is made with three ristretto shots of the Blonde Espresso blend but uses oat milk instead of whole milk and includes two pumps of brown sugar syrup and a sprinkling of cinnamon powder. It also has 230 milligrams of caffeine.

So which coffee on the Starbucks menu has the most caffeine? Drumroll, please .. it's the brewed coffee. That's right, the brand's basic brewed coffee is the winner here, with somewhere between 235 and 290 milligrams of caffeine in a tall. Pretty much all the brewed coffees you can order off the menu have this amount.

First up is the Single-Origin Ethiopia roast. As the name suggests, this comes solely from Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee. Specifically, it comes from the Sidama region of Ethiopia, which is known for coffee with fruity tones. The Single-Origin Ethiopia roast doesn't disappoint, with bright notes of tangerine and lemon balm. It's also available for purchase as whole beans.

The Pike Place Roast is another option you'll often find available at Starbucks. This medium roast comes from the first Starbucks location, based in Pike Place Market in Seattle. It's a blend of different Latin American coffees, resulting in a rich flavor profile of chocolate and toasted nuts.

Finally, Starbucks typically has a dark roast option that they offer to customers, but this tends to vary more by day and store. This includes the nearly 50-year-old Caffè Verona blend and the spicy, earthy, Komodo Dragon blend. You can usually find out more about the featured dark roast by visiting your local Starbucks.