Barista Life Blog · 1 min read

Mountain Dew vs Poppi Classic Cola: which has more caffeine?

Mountain Dew has more caffeine than Poppi Classic Cola: 54mg vs 40mg in the same 12 oz can. That is a 14mg gap, and since the cans match, the per-serving number is the whole story.

Mountain Dew vs Poppi Classic Cola: the numbers

Mountain Dew Poppi Classic Cola
Caffeine per serving 54mg per 12 oz can 40mg per 12 oz can
Caffeine per fl oz 4.5mg 3.3mg
Servings to reach 400mg (FDA context) 7.4 10.0

Sources: Mountain Dew's figure is verified in our Mountain Dew caffeine guide against Caffeine Informer (source); Poppi Classic Cola's figure is verified in our Poppi Classic Cola guide against Caffeine Informer (source).

Which one should you pick?

Pick Poppi Classic Cola when you want the lighter dose or a slower ramp, and Mountain Dew when you actually need the bigger hit and know your tolerance. If you are stacking either with other caffeinated drinks through the day, run the math against the 400mg reference rather than guessing.

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

FAQ

Does Mountain Dew or Poppi Classic Cola have more caffeine? Mountain Dew: 54mg per 12 oz can versus 40mg per 12 oz can for Poppi Classic Cola.

Which is stronger per ounce? Mountain Dew, at about 4.5mg per fluid ounce versus 3.3mg for Poppi Classic Cola.

Comparing caffeine? The caffeine comparison tool puts hundreds of drinks side by side, and the caffeine curfew calculator can check your cutoff time for tonight.

Free download: the espresso dial-in cheat sheet baristas tape to the machine.

Get the PDF