Caffeine levels in takeout coffee can vary wildly, research shows

Dru Sefton
Newhouse News Service

A new scientific study is stirring controversy among coffee aficionados.

Researchers have found that the amount of caffeine in takeout coffee - even the same brew from the same cafe - differs greatly.

In one case, 16-ounce samples over six days of Starbucks Breakfast Blend from one outlet in Gainesville, Fla., had anywhere from 259 to 564 milligrams of caffeine.

"The results weren't what we expected," said Bruce Goldberger of the University of Florida, who led the study. "The caffeine concentrations varied quite a bit."

The findings, "Caffeine Content of Specialty Coffees," appear in the latest issue of the Journal of Analytical Toxicology.

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