Caffeine table: how much caffeine is in coffee, tea, cola and Energy drinks

How much caffeine is there in coffee? A 200 ml cup of filter coffee contains around 90 mg, whilst a 60 ml espresso contains around 80 mg. The table below compares coffee, tea, cola, energy drinks and chocolate – per serving and converted to per 100 ml. All figures are approximate, as caffeine content varies.

Caffeine table: a comparison of drinks and foods

Sources: Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, based on EFSA (2015); Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety; Red Bull; Energy Blackcurrant label. Values converted by the author per 100 ml.

Coffee and espresso: per cup or per 100 ml?

The question ‘How much caffeine is there in coffee?’ has two answers. Per cup, filter coffee leads the way with 90 mg, whilst espresso contains 80 mg. Per 100 ml, the figures are reversed: espresso contains around 133 mg, filter coffee 45 mg – espresso is more concentrated, but the cup is smaller.

Coffee is the main source of caffeine for adults in Germany: according to the Second National Consumption Study (conducted between 2005 and 2007), 85 per cent of their caffeine intake comes from coffee.

Energy drinks: Red Bull, Monster and Energy – Blackcurrant & Pomegranate

In Germany, a maximum limit of 320 mg of caffeine per litre applies to caffeinated soft drinks and energy drinks – that is, 32 mg per 100 ml. Such a drink must not contain more than this; the larger the can, the more caffeine it contains in total: 250 ml contains a maximum of 80 mg, whilst 500 ml contains 160 mg.

• Red Bull: 80 mg in a 250 ml can, 114 mg in a 355 ml can, 151 mg in a 473 ml can.
• Monster and other large cans: The mandatory information on the can states the exact caffeine content – drinks containing more than 150 mg of caffeine per litre must state this in mg per 100 ml. According to the maximum limit, it is not possible to have more than 160 mg in 500 ml.
• Energy – Blackcurrant & Pomegranate by ACQUA REAPER: 32 mg per 100 ml, i.e. 105.6 mg in a 330-ml can – no sugar and no sweeteners.

You can read more about the legal classification in the article ‘Caffeinated water’.

Cola and tea

According to the BfR, a cola drink in a 330-ml can contains around 35 mg of caffeine. Lebensmittelklarheit states that most cola drinks contain around 100 mg per litre – meaning they do not need to carry the warning ‘High caffeine content’, which is only mandatory from 150 mg per litre.

A cup of black tea (200 ml) contains around 45 mg of caffeine, whilst green tea contains around 30 mg. The caffeine in tea, coffee, cocoa, mate, guarana and matcha powder is naturally occurring and does not need to be labelled.

How much caffeine is there in matcha?

In Japanese, ‘matcha’ means ‘ground tea’: a finely ground powder made from the unfermented leaves of the tea plant, which is stirred into water and drunk. In 2024, the Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety analysed a total of 47 samples: the caffeine content ranged from 1.4 to 3.6 g per 100 g of dry matter.

A cup of matcha tea containing 1 to 2 g of powder therefore contains between 13 and 68 mg of caffeine. Because of the caffeine content, the agency does not consider matcha tea or other products containing matcha to be suitable for children.

How much caffeine is safe?

The BfR bases its findings on the 2015 risk assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA):

• Healthy adults: up to 200 mg as a single dose and up to 400 mg spread throughout the day.
• Pregnant and breastfeeding women: up to 200 mg spread throughout the day.
• Children and adolescents: 3 mg per kilogram of body weight, either as a single dose or spread throughout the day.

The EFSA has not assessed people with medical conditions or ailments, nor those who combine caffeine with medication, drugs or large amounts of alcohol – these limits do not apply to them. To put this into perspective: according to the table, four cups of filter coffee contain around 360 mg. Read more in the article ‘How much caffeine a day?’.

Spotting caffeine on the label

• Warning: Drinks containing more than 150 mg of caffeine per litre must carry the label ‘High caffeine content. Not recommended for children or pregnant or breastfeeding women’, along with the caffeine content per 100 ml.
• Exceptions: coffee and tea. Coffee- or tea-based drinks with ‘coffee’ or ‘tea’ in their name do not require this statement.
• List of ingredients: Added caffeine is listed there as ‘caffeine’ or ‘caffeine flavouring’; in soft drinks, ‘caffeine flavouring’ is only permitted up to 150 mg per kilogram.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

1. Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR): Questions and answers on caffeine and caffeinated foods, including energy drinks, FAQ dated 5 January 2026. bfr.bund.de
2. Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety (LGL): Analysis of the trendy drink matcha tea, updated 26 June 25. lgl.bayern.de
3. Food Transparency (Federal Association of Consumer Organisations): Caffeine labelling is not mandatory for all food products, as at 19 June 26. lebensmittelklarheit.de
4. Red Bull: How much caffeine is there in a can of Red Bull?, accessed 16 September 2026. redbull.com
5. Federal Ministry of Justice: Fruit Juice and Soft Drinks Regulation (FrSaftErfrischGetrV), Section 5 and Annex 8, accessed 16 September 26. gesetze-im-internet.de
6. Acqua Reaper: Product label for Energy Blackcurrant, as at 07/26.