The truth is, there’s about 60mg of caffeine in a tablespoon—a level tablespoon, not an approximate tablespoon that sits an inch above the lip of the tablespoon—of Arabica coffee grounds, and about 110mg in a tablespoon of Robusta coffee grounds.
If these numbers seem scary or off-putting to you, then read on to find out what these numbers actually indicate, as well as how much caffeine is normal for an adult to consumer during the day.
Is there really that much Caffeine in a Tablespoon of Ground Coffee?
I have some news that may relieve you: Although there is 60-110mg of caffeine per tablespoon of ground coffee—depending upon the type of coffee bean and the roasting method—only 70-90% of that caffeine is released during the brewing process.
So, it’s not as much caffeine as you would initially think.
It’s also worth thinking about how many tablespoons of ground coffee you put into your French press or coffee maker every time you brew coffee, though. Personally, I put three tablespoons of Arabica coffee grounds into my French press every morning, so my one container of coffee already has 180mg of caffeine (or rather 70-90% of 180mg).
Additionally, there are certain beans and types of coffee—chocolate covered coffee beans and instant coffee are a couple examples—that do inherently have higher levels of caffeine. Interestingly enough, when we’re making instant coffee we typically use significantly less coffee meaning that instant coffee actually has a lower overall caffeine level than Arabica coffee grounds.
How much Caffeine is too much?
Although it hurts me to admit it, there is such thing as too much caffeine, which I’m sure we’ve all experienced at some point in our lives when that extra cup of coffee pushes us over the edge.
The maximum amount of caffeine that an adult can safely consume in a single day is approximately 400mg: Anything more and you might start encountering some health issues.
When considering your daily intake of caffeine, it is important to recognize that caffeine does not just come from coffee but also from other drinks and foods we might consume on a regular basis.
Other beverages and foods that are known to be high in caffeine include energy drinks, soda, green tea, chocolate, and gum. Green tea is a tricky one and I’ve met so many people who try to kick their caffeine addiction by switching to green tea believing that it is caffeine-free when it’s not.
It is ideal to try and stay within the 400mg limit for caffeine per day, and if you can reduce your caffeine intake to below 400mg, that’s even better.
Not all types of coffee have the same amount of caffeine
The team at Coffeness did a small experiment and tested 15 coffee drinks in a laboratory to find out which one has the most caffeine. Their results showed that ristretto and 24-hour cold brew sit at the top of their list of the most caffeinated drinks, while drip coffee with a super-automatic espresso machine and an American press came in last at just around 58 grams per 100 ml. The two most important factors to affect caffeine content were time and volume, while pressure, temperature, and the amount of coffee grounds weren’t quite as crucial.
