How much caffeine is in coffee depends on the drink, the amount of coffee used and the beans. As a European reference, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) estimates about 80 mg of caffeine in a 60 ml espresso. That figure does not tell you the exact amount in your home espresso, and a larger cup of filter coffee can contain more caffeine overall even though espresso is more concentrated.
Espresso and filter coffee: compare the serving, not just the strength
Espresso is concentrated because a relatively small amount of water passes through finely ground coffee. Filter coffee is less concentrated but is usually served in a larger cup. Comparing a small espresso with a full mug solely by taste or by caffeine per millilitre can therefore give the wrong impression.
EFSA's caffeine explainer uses approximately 80 mg for a 60 ml espresso serving. It also presents a 200 ml filter coffee as a separate reference serving. The sizes are part of those examples: a café's single or double espresso and a home-brewed mug may use different amounts of ground coffee and produce different caffeine totals.
| Drink | What determines the caffeine in your cup? |
|---|---|
| Espresso | Bean choice, dry coffee dose, recipe and number of servings. |
| Filter coffee | Ground coffee dose, brewed volume, bean choice and brew method. |
| Latte or cappuccino | The espresso used; adding milk does not remove caffeine. |
| Americano | The espresso used; adding hot water changes concentration, not the total caffeine already extracted. |
| Decaf coffee | The product and serving size; decaf usually contains some caffeine. |
These descriptions help you compare recipes without pretending that every drink has a fixed milligram value. If a precise amount matters to you, use tested information supplied for the specific coffee or drink.
How much caffeine is in an 18 g espresso dose?
There is no dependable conversion from 18 g of dry beans to a fixed number of milligrams in the cup. Two shots made with the same dose can differ because the beans contain different amounts of caffeine and the brewing process does not transfer an identical share into each drink.
An 18 g dose describes the amount of ground coffee in the basket, not the weight of caffeine. The 60 ml espresso in EFSA's example is a reference drink, not a laboratory measurement of your 18 g recipe. It would be misleading to label a home double espresso as “80 mg” simply because those two numbers appear in different examples.
Which beans make the biggest difference?
Arabica and Robusta do not generally have the same caffeine content. A coffee made partly or entirely with Robusta can deliver more caffeine than an Arabica coffee prepared to a comparable recipe. The exact amount still varies among coffees. If you want to make an informed choice, check whether the bag identifies the species or ask the roaster about the blend.
Roast colour is less useful as a shortcut. “Dark roast has more caffeine” and “light roast has more caffeine” can each sound plausible depending on how someone measures a scoop, but roast level alone cannot tell you the milligrams in a prepared cup. Weighing the dry dose makes the comparison between recipes clearer, while it still does not measure caffeine.
Our EU coffee beans collection lets you compare roast level and tasting notes for flavour. Choose a bean for the cup you enjoy, and use information from the roaster when you specifically need caffeine data.
Does a double espresso have twice as much caffeine?
If two comparable espresso servings use twice as much of the same coffee, the total caffeine will generally be higher and may be roughly double. But “double” is a menu name, not a standard dose across every café. A single basket, a double basket and two separate shots can involve different amounts of coffee.
For a latte or flat white, ask how many espresso servings go into the drink. Milk changes the volume and the way the coffee tastes; it does not cancel out the caffeine. The same applies to the water added to an Americano.
Can grind, yield or a shorter shot lower caffeine predictably?
Changing grind size, contact time or beverage yield changes extraction and flavour, but it is not a reliable way to calculate or guarantee a caffeine reduction. A shorter drink can still contain a meaningful amount of caffeine, and a poorly extracted shot may taste worse without meeting your intake goal.
A better home routine is to keep the recipe repeatable: weigh the ground coffee, use a consistent bean and track the number of espresso servings you drink. The espresso recipe guide explains how to compare dose and beverage yield. The Meraki Espresso Machine can weigh the dose and espresso yield during brewing, but those scales cannot measure caffeine in milligrams.
If you want less caffeine while keeping a similar coffee routine, consider fewer espresso servings, a coffee sold as decaf, or a blend with a declared lower caffeine content. “Decaf” means reduced caffeine; do not assume it means none.
How much caffeine is appropriate in a day?
EFSA's scientific opinion on caffeine found that intakes up to 400 mg per day, spread through the day, do not raise safety concerns for healthy, non-pregnant adults in the general population. For pregnant women, the assessment identifies up to 200 mg per day from all sources as not raising safety concerns for the foetus. These are population-level findings, not a personalised target or a guarantee that everyone will feel comfortable at those amounts.
Count caffeine from tea, energy drinks, chocolate and supplements as well as coffee. Sensitivity, sleep, medicines and health conditions can change what is appropriate; EFSA's assessment does not cover every medical situation. If your intake matters for pregnancy or a health condition, seek advice from a qualified healthcare professional rather than estimating from cup size.
Frequently asked questions
Does espresso always have more caffeine than filter coffee?
Espresso is usually more concentrated per millilitre. A larger serving of filter coffee can contain more caffeine in the whole cup. Compare the amount of coffee used and the serving sizes.
Does adding milk reduce the caffeine in a latte?
No. Milk dilutes the coffee flavour and increases drink volume, but it does not remove the caffeine from the espresso.
Can a coffee machine tell me the caffeine content of a shot?
Not from the dose and beverage weight alone. Those measurements make a recipe more repeatable; determining its caffeine content requires specific tested data.
Is decaf coffee caffeine-free?
Not necessarily. Decaffeination removes much of the caffeine, but the finished drink can still contain some. Check product information if you need a precise limit.
