FAQ - Caffeine and K-Cups

Coffee contains between 80 and 125 milligrams of caffeine per 8 ounce cup, depending on many factors including the type of coffee bean and the method of preparation. Generally, the darker the coffee roast, the less caffeine the coffee contains. This is because the roasting process reduces the bean's caffeine content, and the longer a bean is roasted the darker the coffee becomes.

Some of the k-cup single serve coffees with high caffeine content are the Caribou Daybreak Morning Blend and Green Mountain Breakfast Blend. For single cup pods it's Baronet Donut Shop Blend coffee pods, and the JavaOne Kona Blend pods. It might surprise you to know that the Melitta "Buzzworthy" coffee pod has lower caffeine than these varieties. Even so, it is one of our most popular products due to it's rich flavor and exceptional aroma.

Chemically speaking, caffeine is a psychoactive stimulant. In nature the beans, leaves, and fruit of some plants use caffeine as a natural pesticide to paralyze and kill insects feeding on the plants. It is extracted for consumption from the bean of the coffee plant and the leaves of the tea bush, as well as from various foods and drinks containing products derived from the kola nut.

Caffeine is the world's most widely consumed psychoactive substance, but, unlike many other psychoactive substances, is legal and unregulated in nearly all jurisdictions. It acts as a stimulant, temporarily enhancing alertness and reducing drowsiness.

Regular caffeine users develop a strong tolerance to caffeine's effects, which can lead to various health risks. In large amounts, caffeine can lead to a condition known as caffeinism. Caffeinism usually combines caffeine dependency with physical and mental conditions such as nervousness, irritability, anxiety, tremors, involuntary twitching, insomnia, headaches, ulcers, erosive esophagitis, and gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Although risks exist with overconsumption, there are a number of benefits from using caffeine in moderation. Caffeine can benefit people who are at high-risk for liver disease because it increases muscle strength and muscle recovery. Caffeine also increases metabolism by breaking down fat, freeing fatty acids and forcing them to be burned, and increases the effects of pain relief medication, mental faculty, and even reduces asthma symptoms.

Decaffeinated coffees usually still contain some caffeine. The international standard by which decaffeinated coffee is characterized is by having at least 97% of the caffeine removed. Decaf coffee should fall somewhere in the range of 2 to 4 milligrams per 8 ounce cup.