Which coffee has the most caffeine light medium or dark

If you're looking to get the most energy out of your cup of coffee, you may find yourself asking which coffee roast has the most caffeine. The caffeine in different coffee roasts varies widely and the answer isn't always straightforward. 

Roasting is a vital part of what makes coffee what it is. The process of roasting releases the flavor and aroma in the coffee bean and determines its flavor profile, acidity, and even caffeine content. Roasting coffee well takes a lot of patience, practice, and skill which is why it's such an important step in the global coffee production chain. 

4 Main Coffee Roast Types 

The duration of roasting is what separates the 4 main types of roasted coffee. Each roast type has its own characteristics and caffeine content. Before we dive into which roast has the most caffeine, let’s understand the basics of different roast types. 

  • Light roast 

Light roast coffee is coffee that is roasted uo till just before the first crack. Cracking of the beans happens at high temperatures and there are usually two cracks if you keep applying heat. To make light roast coffee, we stop roasting very early so that we don’t reach the first crack, keeping the internal temperature of the beans at around 400° F. Light roast coffee has a light brown color, no oily residue on the beans, and the flavors are light, floral or fruity, with a sharp acidity. 

  • Medium roast 

Medium roast coffee is roasted to the first crack, reaching a temperature around 400-428° F. This gives you a darker brown color, no oil on the beans, and a smoother, balanced flavor. Medium roast coffee is the most popular and most commercial coffees are medium roast. The balanced flavor and lower acidity is great for casual coffee drinkers or those new to specialty coffee. But does medium roast have more caffeine? Not always and this roast often gives you a balanced caffeine content. 

  • Medium-dark roast 

Medium-dark coffee roast is roasted just till the second crack or a little longer after it. The beans reach an internal temperature of 437-446°F. Vienna roast is the most recognizable medium-dark roast. Coffee with this roast type has low acidity, a full flavor, a heavy mouthfeel, and slight oiliness on the surface of the beans.  

  • Dark roast 

Dark roast coffee is roasted past the second crack till the beans reach a temperature of roughly 464°F. This gives you the darkest color, almost black and the most oiliness on the beans. Dark roast coffee is often referred to as Italian roast or French roast. This roast gives you a burnt, smoky cup that is best for drinks like espresso. Is there less caffeine in dark roast coffee? Surprisingly, yes but not for the reason you think. 

Caffeine Content in Different Coffee Roasts 

 The most common misconception is that darker roasts like French roast has more caffeine content. In reality, it’s more a question of mass and the volume of coffee used.  

The longer coffee beans are roasted, the more they expand and lose weight. This means they are less dense. Lighter roasts are denser, so scoop for scoop it has more caffeine because there are more beans in 50g of light roast than in 50g of dark roast. The process of roasting itself doesn’t burn away caffeine, it simply alters the size of the beans which affects the final amount of caffeine in each cup. 

A bigger indicator for caffeine content is the type of beans used. There are two main varieties of coffee beans: Arabica and Robusta. Arabica is used to make specialty coffee while Robusta is usually reserved for instant coffee and cheaper alternatives. Robusta has almost double the amount of caffeine per bean than Arabica. 

Ultimately, it’s not always a question of does dark roast have more caffeine than medium roast or which roast is the best. It depends on your personal taste and the number of beans you use to make your cup. Select a light roast and you have more beans per scoop, giving you more caffeine in your cup. Dark roasts being less dense have fewer beans per scoop and so you get less caffeine after brewing. And if you really want a big caffeine boost, consider Robusta beans. Specialty Robusta coffee is fairly new in the coffee world but worth trying if caffeine is your highest priority.

About the author

Asharita D'Silva

Join me in discovering the wonderful world of coffee! As a writer, coffee is my fuel and newfound passion. I love writing about new coffees, sustainability, and coffee culture around the world. I'm always discovering new things about coffee and the industry, which I share with the great community here at Era Of We.

Coffee beans are roasted to different degrees to produce specific flavors, but whether the process affects caffeine level is a question many of us in the test kitchen have also had. We rounded up a bag of green coffee beans and a home coffee roaster and then brought half of the beans to a classic light roast and the rest to a dark roast. After grinding the batches separately in a burr grinder, we brewed two pots of coffee, using the same volume of ground coffee per batch (1/2 cup per 3 1/2 cups of water), and sent both to a lab for testing. When the results came back, we learned that the light roast had much more caffeine than the dark roast—60 percent more in this particular case. Perplexed, we decided to see what would happen if we measured the ground coffee by weight instead. We made two more pots to send to the lab, measuring out 1 1/2 ounces of ground coffee per 3 1/2 cups of water. As we added ground coffee to the scale, we noticed that it took 2 1/2 more tablespoons of dark roast than light roast to reach 1 1/2 ounces. Nevertheless, when the results came back, we saw that both pots had virtually the same amount of caffeine.

It turns out that as the beans roast, they lose water and also puff up slightly—and the longer the roast time the more pronounced these effects. Dark roast beans will thus weigh less (and be slightly larger) than light roast beans. When the ground beans are measured by volume, the light roast particles will be denser, weigh more, and contain more caffeine than the dark grinds, producing a more caffeinated brew.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The only way to ensure that you’re getting the same amount of caffeine with different roasts (all other variables being equal) is to weigh coffee. If you measure by volume, you’ll end up with more buzz with a light roast than with a dark roast.

LIGHT ROAST = HEAVY CAFFEINE

Because light roast coffee is roasted for less time, it’s denser and heavier than dark roast. As a result, each particle of ground light roast contains more caffeine than a particle of ground dark roast. When equal volumes are measured, the light roast will thus pack more caffeine.

Which has the most caffeine light medium or dark roast coffee?

Here it is: if measured by weight, caffeine content is virtually equal in light roast and dark roast coffee. But, if measured by scoop, light roast coffee will have oh-so-slightly more caffeine, since the beans are denser than a darker roast. Because they've been roasted longer, dark roasts have less mass.

What type of coffee has the most caffeine?

Black Label Brewed Coffee is believed to have the most caffeine per ounce at 129.6 mg. And when it comes to brand name caffeine, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf's regular coffee packs the most caffeine per ounce at 20.8 mg. That's more than twice the amount of caffeine offered in McDonald's coffee (9.1 mg per fluid ounce).

Does light or dark ground coffee have more caffeine?

Because light roast coffee is roasted for less time, it's denser and heavier than dark roast. As a result, each particle of ground light roast contains more caffeine than a particle of ground dark roast. When equal volumes are measured, the light roast will thus pack more caffeine.

Is light or medium coffee stronger?

Technically, the roasting process does not affect the caffeine content of coffee beans so light, medium, and dark roast beans all contain the same amount of caffeine. That being said, however, the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee depends on whether you're measuring by weight or volume.