Revealed: The huge gap in caffeine levels between coffee sold in biggest chains

Your favourite cappuccino could have 3x more caffeine

Which? has found a huge gap between the caffeine levels in coffees sold by some of Britain’s biggest chains, with Costa’s drinks containing considerably more than several of its competitors, RTÉ reports.

The consumer group tested a range of coffees and other drinks from Costa Coffee, Starbucks, Caffè Nero, Greggs and Pret A Manger, and found that Costa’s medium cappuccino contained 325mg of caffeine. That is more than three times the amount in Starbucks’ equivalent drink, which had just 89mg, and works out at roughly the same caffeine as four cans of Red Bull.

Greggs came next with 235mg, while Caffè Nero’s cappuccino contained 221mg. Costa also had the highest figures when Which? looked at some of the other drinks on its menu. A single Costa espresso contained 100mg of caffeine, while its flat white had 241mg.

Starbucks’ figures were much lower in comparison, with 45mg in a single espresso and 89mg in a flat white. The results show that the caffeine content can vary dramatically even when customers are ordering essentially the same type of drink.

Why your coffee could be stronger than it used to be

The differences have also changed over time. Which? found that Costa has kept the caffeine levels in its cappuccinos and single-shot espressos at the same level since 2013.

Caffè Nero, however, now puts around twice as much caffeine in its cappuccino as it did previously, while Starbucks has also increased the caffeine found in its espressos, cappuccinos and filter coffees over the last three years.

Which? said the findings should encourage customers to check how much caffeine they are actually consuming, rather than assuming every high street coffee contains a similar amount. That is particularly important for people who have been advised to limit caffeine for health reasons, including during pregnancy.

Jessica Carson, Which?’s health and wellbeing expert, said that while a strong coffee might be part of many people’s morning routine, the research shows how easily customers can consume more caffeine than they intended without realising it.

"Our research shows caffeine content varies wildly from chain to chain. If you drink multiple cups a day or need to cut back for health reasons, pay attention to where you shop and what you order to avoid any unwanted side-effects," she added.