A medium (16 oz) Caribou brewed coffee has about 305mg of caffeine, per Caffeine Informer, which compiles its figures from Caribou's own published data. A small (12 oz) runs 230mg and a large (20 oz) hits 385mg. Those are big numbers. Caribou's brew works out to roughly 19mg of caffeine per fluid ounce, which is why regulars describe the medium as doing the work of someone else's large.
Why Caribou runs hotter than you expect
Two things stand out in Caribou's numbers. First, the drip is simply strong. At 19.06mg per fluid ounce, a small already clears 230mg, which is more caffeine than many chains put in a large. Second, Caribou's espresso servings are heavier than the industry default. Caffeine Informer's Caribou caffeine guide lists a small espresso drink at 180mg, scaling to 360mg in a large. If you are used to the per-shot math at other shops, recalibrate before you order a large anything here.
The ceiling of the menu is the Depth Charge, which is brewed coffee with espresso added. A large comes in at 445mg, which is past the FDA's 400mg daily reference point in a single cup. It is a legitimate closing-shift survival tool, but it is not a casual order.
Caribou caffeine by drink and size
All figures below are from Caffeine Informer's compiled Caribou data. Hot drink sizes at Caribou are small 12 oz, medium 16 oz, and large 20 oz. Caffeine in brewed drinks varies with the roast on the pot that hour, so treat these as good estimates rather than lab results.
| Drink | Small (mg) | Medium (mg) | Large (mg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depth Charge (coffee + espresso) | 290 | 370 | 445 |
| Brewed coffee | 230 | 305 | 385 |
| Nitro Cold Press | 320 | n/a | n/a |
| Cold Press iced coffee | 190 | 230 | 270 |
| Espresso | 180 | 270 | 360 |
| Iced mocha | 190 | 285 | 380 |
| Caffe mocha | 190 | 195 | 290 |
| Caffe latte | 180 | 180 | 270 |
| Cold Press latte | 115 | 155 | 190 |
| Iced classic black tea | 95 | 195 | 290 |
| Pomegranate vanilla tea latte | 100 | 155 | 205 |
| Brewed decaf | 4 | 5 | 6 |
Grocery-store cans are gentler than the cafe menu. Per Caffeine Informer's canned cold brew page, an 11.5 oz can of Caribou canned cold brew (Black) has 177mg, Crafted Original has 165mg, and Crafted Vanilla has 150mg.
If you want the Caribou experience with less of a jolt, the menu does give you a ladder down. A small Cold Press latte at 115mg is the lowest real coffee drink on the list, the pomegranate vanilla tea latte starts at 100mg, and a small iced black tea sits at 95mg. Ordering half decaf in a brewed coffee is also a legitimate move here, since even the small starts at 230mg and cutting it roughly in half still leaves you with more caffeine than plenty of full-strength drinks elsewhere.
For context, the FDA cites 400mg of caffeine a day as an amount generally not associated with negative effects in healthy adults. How caffeine affects you depends on your own tolerance and health, so treat these numbers as information, not advice.
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How Caribou compares to other chains
Caribou sits near the top of the chain-coffee caffeine ladder. Its medium brewed coffee outguns the large drip at most competitors, and the Depth Charge has few rivals outside dedicated energy drinks. If you want to line the numbers up yourself, we have the same size-by-size tables for Starbucks caffeine content and Dunkin caffeine content. Caribou's Cold Press is its house name for cold brew, and if you are wondering why that method skews strong across every brand, the mechanics are covered in our cold brew caffeine guide.
One practical takeaway for anyone behind the bar: when a customer transfers their usual order from another chain to Caribou, the same size is not the same dose. A customer who drinks a large drip elsewhere gets a meaningful step up in a Caribou large, and a Depth Charge habit is its own category.
Looking for a different drink? The full caffeine database has every chain and can we have verified.
FAQ
How much caffeine is in a medium Caribou coffee? A medium (16 oz) Caribou brewed coffee has about 305mg of caffeine, based on figures Caffeine Informer compiled from Caribou's published data. That is more than the large drip at many other chains.
Does Caribou decaf have caffeine? Yes, a small amount. Caribou brewed decaf runs about 4mg in a small, 5mg in a medium, and 6mg in a large. No decaffeination process removes 100 percent of the caffeine.
What Caribou drink has the most caffeine? The large Depth Charge, brewed coffee with added espresso, at about 445mg. That single drink exceeds the FDA's 400mg daily reference amount for healthy adults.