A grande (16 oz) Starbucks Caffe Mocha has 175mg of caffeine, per the Starbucks nutrition listing (menu). That works out to 10.9mg per fluid ounce and about 1.8 cups of 8 oz brewed coffee. It takes about 2.3 grandes to reach the 400mg daily amount the FDA cites for healthy adults.
Caffeine by size
| Size | Volume | Caffeine |
|---|---|---|
| Short | 8 oz | 90mg |
| Tall | 12 oz | 95mg |
| Grande | 16 oz | 175mg |
| Venti | 20 oz | 185mg |
Per-size figures match Caffeine Informer's compiled Starbucks guide (source), which mirrors the Starbucks nutrition listing.
The grande against the standards
| Drink | Serving | Caffeine | Per fl oz | Servings to reach 400mg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starbucks Caffe Mocha (grande) | 16 oz grande | 175mg | 10.9mg | 2.3 |
| Brewed coffee | 8 oz cup | 95mg | 11.9mg | 4.2 |
| Espresso | 1 oz shot | 63mg | 63mg | 6.3 |
How the number behaves
A mocha is a latte with chocolate sauce, and the sauce itself carries caffeine from cocoa. That is why every mocha size runs 15 to 35mg above the same-size latte: the grande mocha is 175mg against the grande latte's 150mg. The odd-looking numbers, 95 tall and 185 venti, are the shot count plus the chocolate's contribution.
Compare it
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- The verified caffeine database
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.
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Gear from this guide
FAQ
How much caffeine is in a mocha at Starbucks? 175mg in a grande (16 oz), per the Starbucks nutrition listing. Sizes run 90mg short, 95mg tall, 175mg grande, and 185mg venti.
Is a Starbucks mocha stronger than regular coffee? Per drink, yes: 175mg in a grande versus 95mg in an 8 oz cup of brewed coffee. Per ounce it is 10.9mg versus 11.9mg, so coffee is still more concentrated.
How many grande mochas reach 400mg of caffeine? About 2.3 of the 16 oz grande servings reach the 400mg daily amount the FDA cites for healthy adults.
Sources: the Starbucks Caffe Mocha figures (175mg grande and the per-size ladder) are the Starbucks published nutrition listing (source), corroborated by Caffeine Informer's Starbucks guide (source). Brewed coffee (95mg per 8 oz) and espresso (63mg per 1 oz) reference values are from USDA FoodData Central.
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