10 Strongest Coffee Brands Reviewed! Need Caffeine?

Well, well, well. So, you just ordered a double espresso. But wait, it doesn’t pick you up as you expected. You ask the barista: “Is this decaf? Can I have some very high caffeine coffee?”

Perhaps we’ve all been there, needing an extra dose of caffeine and wondering what went wrong with our usual morning, midday or afternoon drink. The answer is simple: the variables. We need to take in consideration some other factors that determine the amount of caffeine that’s in your coffee. And yes, we’ll also crown the world’s strongest coffee.

One thing I can promise you, as we talk about high caffeine coffee, it’ll be “eye-opening”.

Most people associate “strong” with “bold”. Think of French roast. That is a very bold blend! Technically, burnt coffee. After consuming a super large cup, they feel ready to seize the day. But people at the other coffee shop, the one known for their light roast, feel as awake and pumped up as they do.

Let me tell you a little industry secret. Lighter roasted coffee has more caffeine than darker roasted coffee.

Nevertheless, let me tell you another one. It’s not always so. There’s no contradiction. Coffee variety, extraction method, grind size and the quantity you consume, play a big role in coffee strength.

There’s also the psychological aspect of it. I have friends tell me they wake up to a large cup of decaf. People’s habits involve routines that translate into starting their day on the right foot. Skip your coffee in the morning, and it’s already a bad day. We also get used to a particular profile and any deviation from it, throws us back. My decaf friends, perhaps, wake up because of the sugar they dump in their cup. Most decaf brands are dark, so that plays into the whole ritual.

Coffee, Caffeine and Beans

As we take a look at the coffee industry, we conclude that of the two main coffee plant varieties, Coffea arabica is the most consumed and desired. Some popular coffees such as Colombian, Brazil, Kona, Mocha Java, etc, belong to this plant variant. It’s smooth, acidic, and flavorful.

On the other hand, Coffea canephora, (aka Robusta) doesn’t have the reputation Arabica has. Normally, this variety is blended with Arabica to kick it up a notch because it contains more caffeine. It’s less popular too because of its bitterness, 50 percent less sweet than Arabica. (We love sweet!) A very common espresso coffee blend is 60% Arabica and 40% Robusta. Proportions vary as roasters try to accommodate everyone. I know a roaster who produces a blend for the 20 regions of Italy.

If our only purpose is to find the highest concentration of caffeine, Robusta wins.

The Brew Method

Coffee making is simple, although sometimes it can be explained with so much science that it scares people away. All you need is hot water and coffee.

The French press method is the way to go if you want to drink one of the world’s strongest coffees. By doing so, you are pouring boiling water over coffee grounds. The mesh plunger filters them out. Not only will you extract a considerable amount of caffeine, but other soluble components.

Let’s be clear, espresso has more caffeine per fluid unit. But a serving of French press coffee of 8 ounces would hit you with 107 mg of caffeine. One shot of espresso is just 1.5 oz, yielding 77 mg of caffeine.

Drip coffee can also yield a decent amount of caffeine. If you adjust your water to coffee ratio, perhaps 1 oz of coffee per 6 oz of water, you’ll end with a strong cup of coffee. Or you can alter the ratio, up or down.

There’s also Turkish style coffee. It’s literally pulverized coffee. It’s prepared by cooking the coffee until boiling water foams up the concoction and raises to the top of the pot. Then it’s poured in a cup, without filtering. You would think this is the most caffeine-extracting method and yet, it only yields 25.5 mg per fluid ounce.

Roast Level Misconception

Roast levels vary for many reasons. Recipe, traditions and yielding more weight, impact what roasters do. Green coffee as you roast it, loses density. Because of this, notice darker blends costs more. That means you’ll need more beans to yield a pound of coffee.

However, this process does not concentrate or intensify, the caffeine content. It actually cooks it away. Lighter roasted coffee has more caffeine than its darker counterpart because it cooks for a shorter amount of time. This way it retains more caffeine.

Here’s where it gets tricky. Caffeine breaks down at 460.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Most popular roasts don’t go over 455 degrees Fahrenheit. So, depending on the variety you’re comparing, the difference in caffeine content between light and dark is going to be small. Roasting times differ by only a few seconds. Bean size, plays into the comparison also.

That said, overall, as a rule of thumb, the lighter roast has more caffeine when weight by volume. “My heart” tells me all the time!

Don’t forget, though, the higher natural caffeine concentration is in the Robusta plant, by twice as much.

On the other hand, grind size plays a more significant role in yielding a higher caffeine content. How so?

Importance of the Grind Size

The grind size, how fine or coarse the coffee grounds are, will impact the size of your dose. Finely ground, coffee will pack a decent amount of caffeine into a 21 g portafilter. You’ll fit more. That translates to a little more than 160 mg of caffeine. You could also prepare a dose in the same portafilter with coarser coffee and yield less caffeine, and a weaker tasting beverage.

The contact time between the water and the coffee, plays a big role in how strong your coffee will taste. That is why you see baristas timing their shots. If the contact time exceeds 27 to 31 seconds, you’ll taste the bitterness and actually be extracting more caffeine.

The same is true of coffee ground for French press. It’s coarser. Yet, if you alter that, use very fine espresso this way, your caffeine extraction would be significant.

Drip coffee is not any different. In a coffee shop, the industrial drip coffee maker, has pulses, by-passes and drip modes that optimize contact time between coffee and water.

Note of caution

Research is split in many ways as to the benefits and health hazards of caffeine
Not everyone metabolizes it the same. Moderation!

As a general rule, the FDA’s recommendation of 400 mg a day, would be true for most people. That’s about 4 to 5 cups a day. All our reviews exceed that in one serving. “Too much,” will depend also on other factors. No two individuals are alike. Metabolizing caffeine is tricky. My mom drinks coffee to go to sleep, I avoid it before bed. It’s as simple as that.

Most studies used rats to determine the effect of caffeine in the human body. Guess what? We are not rats. Rats are more sensitive to caffeine than we are Not all studies agree. In fact, disparities are huge. Some say is the cure of all ailments, others the cause of them.

Caffeine is a drug, treat it as you would any other found in food (e.g. alcohol, quinine, etc).
If you are a casual coffee drinker, stay away from the death wish coffee.