brewed coffee vs espresso vs brewed black tea: which has more caffeine?

brewed coffee wins on total caffeine per serving (95mg per 8 oz cup, against 63mg for espresso and 47mg for brewed black tea), but ounce for ounce espresso is the strongest of the three at about 63mg per fluid ounce. The three servings are different sizes, so the ranking flips depending on which number you mean.

brewed coffee vs espresso vs brewed black tea: the numbers

Sources: brewed coffee is 95mg per 8 oz cup per USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy 171890, 40mg per 100g times 237g (source), and the figure is carried in our the caffeine database; espresso is 63mg per 1 oz shot per USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy 171891, 212mg per 100g times 30g (source), and the figure is carried in our espresso guide; brewed black tea is 47mg per 8 oz cup per USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy 173227, 20mg per 100g times 237g (source), and the figure is carried in our brewed black tea guide.

Why the three numbers are not measured the same way

Canned drinks list an exact figure because caffeine is a measured ingredient, so the number on the label is the number in the can. Brewed drinks are averages: grind, dose, water temperature and steep time move a cup of coffee or tea by tens of milligrams either way. When you compare across those categories, treat the canned figures as fixed and the brewed ones as a center point with real spread around it.

The three head-to-head pages

Each pairing has its own page with the full math:

• brewed coffee vs espresso, head to head
• brewed coffee vs brewed black tea, head to head
• espresso vs brewed black tea, head to head

Which one should you pick?

Take brewed black tea when you want the smallest dose of the three, espresso when you want a middle number without thinking about it, and brewed coffee when you actually want the 95mg and know how you handle it. If you drink more than one caffeinated thing a day, the useful move is adding the day up against the 400mg reference rather than judging each drink alone.

For context, the FDA cites 400mg of caffeine a day as an amount generally not associated with negative effects in healthy adults. Tolerance and health vary, so treat these numbers as information, not advice.

Related reading

• The verified caffeine database
• Every drink compared: the comparisons index
• Compare any two of 120+ drinks

FAQ

Which has the most caffeine, brewed coffee, espresso or brewed black tea? brewed coffee, at 95mg per 8 oz cup. espresso has 63mg per 1 oz shot and brewed black tea has 47mg per 8 oz cup.

Which of the three is strongest per ounce? espresso, at about 63mg per fluid ounce, ahead of brewed coffee at 11.9mg and brewed black tea at 5.9mg.

How many brewed coffee servings reach the FDA 400mg reference? About 4.2 of them, at 8 oz cup each. The FDA cites 400mg a day as an amount generally not associated with negative effects in healthy adults. This is information, not advice.