The average 8oz. cup of coffee contains approximately 95 mg of caffeine. A single shot of espresso has about 60 mg. There are numerous factors at play here (brew method, grind size, extraction, etc.), but this is an average. This post isn’t about the specifics of caffeine content in various coffee drinks, but rather caffeine content as it relates to roast degree. To put it plainly, there is no significant difference in caffeine content among the various levels of roast. It is a common misconception that dark roast coffee has more caffeine. This is likely because it has a stronger flavor and is usually more bitter. Or, it is just one of those myths that has been passed along from generation to generation without any real basis for the claim. I’m not really sure. But, technically speaking, although not significant, a lighter roast contains more caffeine.

The only way to significantly increase the caffeine content when making coffee is to simply add more coffee to your brewing recipe. More coffee = more caffeine! Personally, I just prefer to make it the same as usual, but drink an extra cup some days.

Keep in mind that the above blabbering is assuming that we are roasting the exact same coffee, but to different roast levels. In my business, I only roast and sell specialty coffee, which is all Arabica beans (Coffea arabica). There is another species of coffee that is used in some blends and commercial grade coffee called Robusta (Coffea canephora), and one of the traits of this coffee is that it contains approximately twice the caffeine as Arabica. However, along with that extra caffeine comes the bitter taste that Robusta is known for. That is why many companies use it in blends.

Bottom line is that darker roasts don’t contain more caffeine, and the only way to increase caffeine is to add more coffee to your brewing, drink an extra cup, or turn to a commercial grade coffee that is made from Robusta.

Here’s to great coffee, and the people that drink it!