If you’ve read our post on the “intensity” numbers associated with Nespresso capsules, then you know these numbers do not, as some people mistakenly think, refer solely to the caffeine levels in the coffee. Higher numbers do tend to have more caffeine per serving but not always.
In fact, Nespresso and many of the other other capsule brands don’t provide much guidance on the caffeine content of their coffee capsules.
You can see this post to find out about those capsule intensity numbers that Nespresso advertises.
To further help you out, we’ve done the research on the caffeine levels for some of Nespresso’s most popular capsule options and outlined our findings below.
For instance the Kazaaar OriginalLine is the Nespresso capsule with the most caffeine in it per shot while the Cosi OriginalLine capsule has the least!
In this article, we’ll provide the most accurate information available on the caffeine content of Nespresso capsules, as well as a brief overview of what caffeine is and where it comes from.
Read on for our caffeinated consideration of everyone’s favorite espresso capsules.
A Closer Look at Caffeine
Before we get into the caffeine content of Nespresso capsules, let’s first take a look at what caffeine is and where it comes from.
What Is Caffeine?
Caffeine is a chemical compound (an alkaloid) that is found in roughly 60 plant species.
Moreover, as it relates to human consumption, caffeine is a mild stimulant of the central nervous system. On the plus side, this means caffeine can give you a boost when you need to be awake and more alert. On the downside, caffeine—especially in high doses—can make you jittery and disturb natural sleep patterns.
Yet, caffeine is perfectly safe for most people in moderation—as hard as that may be!
(source)
Where Does Caffeine Come From?
As we mentioned above, caffeine is a completely natural plant product found in dozens of plant species. The caffeine is typically concentrated in these plants’ fruits or leaves, and here are some of the more common sources:
- Tea leaves
- Kola nuts
- Cocoa beans
- COFFEE BEANS!
(source)
Caffeine Content in Nespresso Capsules
With that little caffeine crash course out of the way, let’s get to the real reason you’re here: information on the caffeine levels of Nespresso capsules.
Here, you’ll find a listing of caffeine content for some of the more popular Nespresso varieties, as well as some brief comments about why some have higher or lower levels of caffeine than others.
You’ll notice that the caffeine content in most of these capsules don’t vary all that much, with a couple of exceptions.
Indeed, according to Nespresso, the amount of caffeine in each cup of brewed Nespresso coffee ranges from about 55 to 65 mg (source). But this certainly isn’t the whole story.
So, take a look for yourself, and find the capsule with the caffeine content that’s right for you.
Cosi
- Caffeine per Serving: 59 mg
- Intensity Rating: 4
- Capsule Size: 5.0 g
Roma
- Caffeine per Serving: 73 mg
- Intensity Rating: 8
- Capsule Size: 5.0 g
Rosabaya
- Caffeine per Serving: 73 mg
- Intensity Rating: 6
- Capsule Size: 5.0 g
Arpeggio
- Caffeine per Serving: 83 mg
- Intensity Rating: 9
- Capsule Size: 5.0 g
Ristretto
- Caffeine per Serving: 75 mg
- Intensity Rating: 10
- Capsule Size: 5.0 g
Dulsão
- Caffeine per Serving: 84 mg
- Intensity Rating: 4
- Capsule Size: 5.0 g
Fortissio Lungo
- Caffeine per Serving: 85 mg
- Intensity Rating: 8
- Capsule Size: 6.0 g
Indriya
- Caffeine per Serving: 94 mg
- Intensity Rating: 10
- Capsule Size: 5.0 g
Kazaar
- Caffeine per Serving: 120 mg
- Intensity Rating: 12
- Capsule Size: 5.0 g
(source)
As you can see each capsule can vary a lot in base caffeine content so if this is important to you then make sure to use this information in making your brewing choices because how you pull your shot can also impact the amount of caffeine in each cup.
Related:
► Do Nespresso Machines Make Real Espresso or Just Really Strong Coffee?
► What Are The Best Nespresso Machines Of The Year
Is There More Caffeine in a Lungo Shot Than in an Espresso Shot?
This question is a common debate among Nespresso enthusiasts, but to answer it we must first ask if we are asking which has more caffeine per ounce or are we asking which has more in its drink all together.
Espresso Uses Less Water But Not Less Coffee Grind
All espresso and lungo shots contain espresso grind in the capsules; lungo shots are just a different variation of brewing espresso in that it’s basically a long pull – more water is brewed through the same amount of grind resulting in a less potent espresso that is less fruity and more bold (bitter) to the taste.
Espresso is the name of a brewing process, which features coffee grounds being “punched” with a stream of highly-pressurized water. This brewing process can only be completed using an espresso machine.
Please see this post on all the differences between espresso, lungo, and ristretto for a complete education but to summarize let’s consider the lungo shot.
What is a Lungo Shot?
A lungo shot, similar to the brewing method of regular espresso, starts off as coffee grounds, which are subjected to this same stream of highly-pressurized water. The difference between the two, and most espresso variations, lies in the amount of water used during the brewing process.
A lungo shot uses roughly double the amount of water used during the brewing process of a regular shot of espresso. Coffee enthusiasts also consume ristretto shots, which are the opposite of a lungo shot. Ristretto shots use less water than regular espresso shots.
The extra brewing time of the lungo shot results in extra compounds being extracted from the grind. Usually with more time more of the bitters extract but some additional acids, sugars, and of course caffeine extract as well.
Caffeine By Ounce or Volume
When comparing regular espresso shots and lungo shots by caffeine by ounce, a clear victor emerges. A regular shot of espresso contains on average around 75 milligrams of caffeine, whereas since lungo shots are brewed using more water they contain more caffeine.
Although they may have slightly more caffeine in them the caffeine per ounce is lower.
This increase in water levels cause an increase in caffeine, because more water is used as a highly-pressurized stream. This longer, more forceful stream, extracts more caffeine from the coffee grounds.
When comparing regular espresso shots and lungo shots by caffeine by volume the lungo shot has more caffeine in it in total.
As an aside, a ristretto shot (which uses the least amount of water) contains the highest concentration of caffeine by volume of any espresso variation but less in total overall caffeine.
So how does all of this compare to the popular Keurig machines?
The Level of Caffeine in Nespresso VS Keurig
In the coffee discourse there are several debates surrounding the Keurig machine and its leading competitor the Nespresso. Being one of the more popular debates, the level of caffeine present in the average cup of coffee brewed using the nespresso and the level of caffeine present in the average cup of coffee brewed using the Keurig is often on the forefront of coffee enthusiasts’s wonders.
Two Different Kinds of Nespresso Machines: They Work Differently
The Nespresso machine brews two different styles of brew: OrignalLine and VertouLine.
First for the OrignalLine stats:
On average, an OrignalLine shot of espresso contains 55 – 65 milligrams of caffeine, whereas an average OrignalLine lungo shot contains 77 – 89 milligrams of caffeine.
Now for the VertouLine stats:
On average, an VertouLine shot of espresso contains 110 milligrams of caffeine, whereas an average VertouLine lungo shot contains around 65 milligrams of caffeine.
The Keurig and its Caffeine
The keurig machine also brews two different styles of brew: K-Cups and Extra Bold K-Cups.
Since, keurig typically brews 8 ounce cups of coffee (or 6 oz cups in some homes), both the K-Cups and the Extra Bold K-Cups contain quite a bit of caffeine.
See this post for this post for more on why coffee is frequently measured in six ounce cups.
The average cup of coffee brewed using a keurig K-Cup contains 100 milligrams of caffeine per serving, whereas the average cup of coffee brewed using a keurig Extra Bold K-Cup contains 130 milligrams of caffeine per serving.
However, it is important to note that narrowing down how much caffeine is in the average cup of coffee brewed using the Nespresso machine is much easier than narrowing down the amount of caffeine that is in the average cup of coffee brewed using the keurig machine.
This discrepancy is mostly a product of the Keurig’s wide variety of flavor options and the wide variety in strength of brews you can get with a Keurig machine.
Each of these options contain slightly different caffeine levels, which creates a problem when trying to narrow down an average for the overall machine.
What’s in Your Coffee Cup?
Though the keurig numbers may not be as accurate as the Nespresso numbers, it is clear that Keurig on average produces cups of coffee with larger amounts of caffeine.
Why Don’t You Learn A Little Bit More About Nespresso and Pod-Based Espresso Makers
► Is Nespresso Worth It Or A Waste Of Money?
► The Best Espresso Machines That Use Pods
► Best Nespresso Machine For A Latté
► Does Nespresso Make Good Enough Espresso?
► The Quietest Nespresso Machines
► Can You Use Other Pods In A Nespresso Machine?
► Are All Nespresso Machines Basically The Same
► Can Nespresso Machines Make Regular Coffee?
► How To Reprogram Nespresso Machines For Larger Shots
► Nespresso Espresso vs Lungo vs Ristretto
► What The Intensity Numbers Mean on Nespresso Capsules
► Can You Use Your Own Coffee In A Nespresso Machine?
► What’s The Difference Between Lungo And Espresso