Starbucks decaf brewed coffee (grande) vs dark chocolate (70 to 85% cacao): which has more caffeine?

Starbucks decaf brewed coffee (grande) has 25mg of caffeine per 16 oz grande, dark chocolate (70 to 85% cacao) has 22.7mg per 1 oz (28.35g) square. Both are small numbers: the 2.3mg between them is a rounding error next to a regular 8 oz cup of coffee at 95mg.

Starbucks decaf brewed coffee (grande) vs dark chocolate (70 to 85% cacao): the numbers

Both figures were checked against their source before this page went up: Starbucks decaf brewed coffee (grande) against Caffeine Informer / Starbucks published figures (source) and dark chocolate (70 to 85% cacao) against USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 170273 (80mg per 100g) (source). Brewed drinks and cocoa foods vary by batch, so published figures are averages rather than guarantees. One of these is a food and one is a drink, so the per ounce row weighs an ounce of dark chocolate (70 to 85% cacao) against a fluid ounce of Starbucks decaf brewed coffee (grande). The per serving row is the one that matches how people actually consume them.

What the gap means in practice

Starbucks decaf brewed coffee (grande) is doing the real work here. The practical question is not which number is bigger but whether dark chocolate (70 to 85% cacao) is small enough to ignore in your day: at 22.7mg per 1 oz (28.35g) square you would need 18 servings to reach the 400mg reference point, against 16 for Starbucks decaf brewed coffee (grande).

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If you are chasing the low end on purpose, the bean and the process matter more than the brewer: browse decaf coffee beans on Amazon and check whether the bag says Swiss Water or CO2.

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

• Starbucks decaf brewed coffee (grande): the full caffeine breakdown
• Dark chocolate (70 to 85% cacao): the full caffeine breakdown
• Does decaf have caffeine? Every decaf drink ranked
• Hidden caffeine: the foods and drinks people forget to count
• The verified caffeine database
• Compare any two drinks side by side

FAQ

Does Starbucks decaf brewed coffee (grande) or dark chocolate (70 to 85% cacao) have more caffeine? Starbucks decaf brewed coffee (grande), at 25mg per 16 oz grande against 22.7mg per 1 oz (28.35g) square for dark chocolate (70 to 85% cacao).

How much caffeine is in Starbucks decaf brewed coffee (grande)? 25mg per 16 oz grande, which works out to about 1.6mg per oz. The figure comes from Caffeine Informer / Starbucks published figures.

Is dark chocolate (70 to 85% cacao) caffeine free? No. Dark chocolate (70 to 85% cacao) carries 22.7mg per 1 oz (28.35g) square. It is a small amount, but small is not the same as none.