It may be assumed that a stronger darker roast of coffee contains more caffeine than a mild lighter roast. What do you think? Fact or Myth?
That is actually a myth. A stronger darker roast doesn’t equate to more caffeine in your cup of coffee. If anything, the opposite is true. A lighter roast coffee will usually have slightly more caffeine than a dark roast.
As coffee is roasted it slowly loses its natural chemicals and caffeine. So as a dark roast coffee’s taste grows stronger through a longer roasting process it can actually lose more caffeine. Light roasts have a shorter roasting process so it retains slightly more caffeine.
What Other Factors Affect Caffeine Contents?
The Coffee drinks that have the most Caffeine depend on MANY variables. For this reason, our baristas put a lot of effort and expertise into serving you the best cup of coffee at our coffee shop near the U of M.
Coffee Brewing Method– The different methods of brewing coffee can give you very different results. Espresso can be more syrup-like while pour over will be more light and vibrant.
Water Temperature- The hotter the water, the faster the natural essence and caffeine of coffee gets absorbed into the water.
Coffee type- Taking a look at the differences between Robusta and Arabica, there is a higher concentration of caffeine in Robusta overall.
Water to Coffee Ratio- The standard water to coffee ratio is about 1-2 tablespoons of coffee for every six ounces of water. Using a lower ratio of water of coffee contributes to a higher dosage of caffeine.
Extraction Time-The longer the water sits with the ground coffee, the more the caffeine will be absorbed into the water.
Roasting- As coffee gets roasted, the deterioration of chemicals accelerates. This means that the darker the coffee, the less caffeine there is.
This can all factor into the amount of caffeine found in a single cup of specialty coffee. This leaves a lot of room for the amount of caffeine, taste, and characteristics to fluctuate according to your taste and preferences.
At 7 Corners Coffee our baristas are dedicated to serving you the highest quality cup of specialty coffee according to your liking. Stop into our coffee shop near the U of M for your caffeine kick today!
