How much caffeine is in Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew?

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Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew has 280mg of caffeine per 16 oz grande, per Starbucks nutrition listing. That works out to about 17.5mg per fluid ounce, which is denser than brewed coffee at 11.9mg per ounce. Against the two standards everyone actually knows, one 16 oz grande equals about 2.9 cups of brewed coffee or 4.4 shots of espresso.

Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew caffeine by size

Nitro is poured from a tap, so it is only sold in tall and grande. There is no venti or trenta Nitro Cold Brew.

Per-size figures from Caffeine Informer's compiled Starbucks caffeine guide (source). The canned Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew sold in stores is a different product at 235mg per 11 fl oz can, per the same guide. A grande Reserve Nitro at 400mg is the FDA's whole daily reference amount in one cup.

Starbucks cold brew caffeine: the regular tap numbers

Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew vs coffee and espresso

How the number behaves

Brewed coffee numbers vary with the beans, roast, and brew method, which is why the published figure matters: Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew is listed at 280mg for the 16 oz grande, far above the generic 95mg average for a plain 8 oz cup, mostly because the serving is bigger and the brew is strong.

The mistake people make is counting it as "a coffee." At 280mg, one 16 oz grande is 70 percent of the 400mg FDA reference, so a second serving puts the day near the line before any other caffeine is counted.

Where to find it

Check Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew prices on Amazon

Compare it

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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.

FAQ

How much caffeine is in Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew? 280mg per 16 oz grande, per Starbucks nutrition listing. That is about 17.5mg per fluid ounce.

Is Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew stronger than coffee? Ounce for ounce yes: Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew carries about 17.5mg per fluid ounce versus 11.9mg for brewed coffee, and a full 16 oz grande delivers 280mg versus 95mg in an 8 oz cup.

How many servings of Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew reach 400mg of caffeine? About 1.4 of the 16 oz grande servings reach the 400mg daily amount the FDA cites for healthy adults.

Sources: the Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew figure (280mg per 16 oz grande) is Starbucks nutrition listing (source). Brewed coffee (95mg per 8 oz) and espresso (63mg per 1 oz) reference values are from USDA FoodData Central (source).