How much caffeine is there in espresso?
Straight espresso! Some coffee purists would say that’s the one true way to taste the best that a coffee bean has to offer! Personally, I drink espresso without added milk (latte) or hot water (americano), but not all the time. I find that making an americano with less water (more like 1:1 espresso to water ratio) lessens the intensity and makes it easier to sense some of the tasting notes.
Back to the subject. We know espresso is a super strong drink! Does that mean it has a ton of caffeine too, especially compared to regular filter brewed drip coffee? First, we need to know how many shots or ounces of espresso we are talking about. A typical single shot of espresso is about 1 ounce of liquid. And if you are drinking this at Starbucks, a single shot of espresso would contain 75mg of caffeine. If you are visiting a specialty coffee shop, traditionally most espressos are a double shot. A typical 12oz latte with a double shot of espresso would then contain about 150mg of caffeine.
As I always mention, these numbers are averages and still just approximations. Coffee is a natural product, and 20 grams of ground coffee may not always contain the same amount of caffeine in every espresso shot. Also, in a specialty cafe, there is a lot more room for variation as each shot is pulled by a barista and the espresso output could vary a bit. Some cafes may use 18g for a double shot while others may make a double with 16g or even 20g of ground coffee. Then the output amount and the overall extraction can also affect how much caffeine is ultimately extracted and brewed into the liquid.