A grande Starbucks Caffe Misto has about 150mg of caffeine. A tall runs about 115mg, a short about 75mg, and a venti about 195mg, according to Starbucks' own nutrition page and the Caffeine Informer Starbucks guide. It lands well under a same-size drip coffee and roughly even with a latte at the larger sizes.
Why a misto sits lower than the drip it is made from
A Caffe Misto is a one-to-one pour: half fresh-brewed coffee, half steamed milk. That is the whole drink. Because half the cup is milk, you are getting roughly half the brewed coffee you would in a straight cup of the same size, and milk carries no caffeine. So a grande misto (16 fl oz) is built from about 8 oz of brewed Pike Place plus 8 oz of steamed milk.
That is why the numbers look the way they do. Grande Pike Place brewed coffee is around 310mg. Cut the coffee volume in half for the milk and you land near 150mg, which is exactly what the misto reports. The milk softens the taste and the caffeine hit at the same time.
One thing worth flagging behind the bar: caffeine in brewed coffee swings with the roast and the batch. Starbucks notes the figures are approximate and vary with the coffee variety and brewing equipment. Blonde and medium roasts tend to test a touch higher than dark. Treat the misto number as a solid ballpark, not a lab reading.
Caffe Misto vs latte vs drip coffee by size
Here is how a misto stacks up against a Caffe Latte and against straight Pike Place brewed coffee at Starbucks, in milligrams of caffeine.
| Size | Caffe Misto | Caffe Latte | Pike Place brewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short (8 oz) | 75mg | 75mg | 155mg |
| Tall (12 oz) | 115mg | 75mg | 235mg |
| Grande (16 oz) | 150mg | 150mg | 310mg |
| Venti (20 oz) | 195mg | 150mg | 410mg |
Numbers from Starbucks nutrition and Caffeine Informer. Two patterns jump out. Against brewed coffee, the misto is roughly half, every size. Against a latte, it depends on the size: a tall misto actually beats a tall latte (115 vs 75) because the latte still uses a single shot at tall, while the misto scales with brewed volume. At grande and venti the latte adds a second shot, so grande ties at 150mg and venti the latte falls behind the misto.
If you want the coffee flavor of drip but a gentler, milkier cup, the misto is the move. If you want the most caffeine per ounce, straight brewed wins by a wide margin.
How to bump or cut the caffeine on a misto
The misto is easy to dial. The base drink is brewed coffee plus steamed milk, so the two levers are the coffee itself and any shots you add.
To push it up, ask for Blonde roast instead of Pike Place. Blonde tests higher on caffeine than the darker default. You can also add an espresso shot, which stacks about 75mg per shot on top of the brewed base. A grande misto with one added shot lands near 225mg, still under the FDA's daily reference point for a single drink.
To pull it down, order it half-caf or fully decaf on the brewed side, or size down. A short misto at 75mg is a light option that still tastes like real coffee rather than a milk drink. Sizing from grande to tall drops you from about 150mg to 115mg without changing the recipe.
One note on ordering: a misto is not the same as a latte, so do not let a barista ring it as one. The latte is espresso and milk, the misto is drip and milk. The caffeine math above only holds if you get the actual misto.
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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Related caffeine breakdowns
- Starbucks Refreshers caffeine content
- Iced shaken espresso caffeine content
- The full caffeine database
FAQ
Is a Caffe Misto stronger than a latte? It depends on the size. A tall misto has more caffeine than a tall latte (115mg vs 75mg), a grande ties at 150mg, and a venti misto (195mg) beats a venti latte (150mg). A latte tastes stronger because it is espresso, but the misto often carries equal or more caffeine.
How much caffeine is in a grande Caffe Misto? About 150mg, based on Starbucks' nutrition data. That is roughly half a grande Pike Place brewed coffee, since a misto is half brewed coffee and half steamed milk.
Can I get a Caffe Misto decaf? Yes. Ask for it made with decaf brewed coffee and you drop to a trace amount, usually under 15mg for a grande. The milk half stays caffeine-free either way.