In this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Gem Newman discusses everybody’s favourite caffeinated beverages with Ian James and Laura Creek Newman.

Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a program promoting secular humanism and scientific skepticism presented by the Winnipeg Skeptics and the Humanists, Atheists & Agnostics of Manitoba.

Links: Pesticide Traces in Some Tea Exceed Allowable Limits (CBC) | Caffeine Ingestion and Fluid Balance: A Review (Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics) | Caffeine and Carbonated Soft Drinks | Caffeine Addiction Is a Mental Disorder, Doctors Say (National Geographic) | Coffee: The Greatest Addiction Ever (CGP Grey) | Good News About Coffee and Amazing Skeptic Conference (Scientific American Podcast) | New Mountain Dew Recipe in Canada | Does the LDS Church Own Coca-Cola? (Snopes) | Kopi Luwak (Wikipedia) | Coffee Enemas (Science-Based Medicine, Wikipedia) | Yerba Mate (Wikipedia) | The True Benefits of Herbal Tea (The Daily Mail)

Approximate Caffeine Content

Caveats: Numbers listed for coffee assume a drip-brew method. Numbers listed for tea assume the tea is steeped for 3 minutes. Equivalent beverage sizes are provided for Tim Hortons and Starbucks, but these numbers do not necessarily reflect the caffeine content of any particular brand, roast, or blend of coffee.

Food Item Serving Caffeine
Coffee 24 oz (Extra Large) 394–600 mg
Coffee 20 oz (Large, Venti) 329–500 mg
Coffee 16 oz (Grande) 263–400 mg
Jolt Cola 23.5 oz (695 mL) 280 mg
Coffee 14 oz (Medium) 230–350 mg
Coffee 12 oz (Tall) 197–300 mg
Espresso Double 200 mg
Caffeine Tablet Extra-strength 200 mg
Coffee 10 oz (Small) 164–250 mg
Coffee 8 oz (Extra Small, Short) 131–200 mg
Espresso Single 100 mg
Caffeine Tablet Regular-strength 100 mg
Yerba Mate 6 g mate powder 85 mg
Red Bull 8.5 oz (250 mL) 80 mg
Mountain Dew 12 oz (355 mL) 54 mg
Lipton Iced Tea 20 oz (600 mL) 48 mg
Stash Earl Grey Black Tea 8 oz 48 mg
Exotica China White Tea 8 oz 37 mg
Stash Darjeeling Black Tea 8 oz 36 mg
Coca-Cola 12 oz (355 mL) 34 mg
Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate 43 g 31 mg
Guaraná Antarctica 12 oz (355 mL) 30 mg
Stash Premium Green Tea 8 oz 29 mg
Hershey’s Milk Chocolate 43 g 10 mg
Coffee (Decaffeinated) 8 oz (Extra Small, Short) 6–17 mg
Herbal Tea/Tisane Any amount 0 mg

Sources: Caffeine Content of Brewed Teas (Journal of Analytical Toxicology) | Caffeine in Food (Health Canada) | Caffeine Content of Food and Drugs (Center for Science in the Public Interest) | Caffeine Database (Caffeine Informer)

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About Gem Newman

Medical student and former software developer. Host of the Life, the Universe & Everything Else podcast. Past organizer of the Winnipeg Skeptics. Former board chair at Bad Science Watch. Writer of things. Grower of beards. He/him.

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