If you need extra energy, it is often the coffee cup that you reach for. This is for a good reason, as caffeine in coffee has an invigorating effect.
Basically, caffeine affects your central nervous system, so you become more alert, get better responsiveness and are more enduring.
It can be advantageous in many cases, whatever it is, to wake up in the morning, get more energy during the workday, or get an extra boost when sitting for a studio lecture.
But how much caffeine is there in a cup of coffee?
You can do that better here, where we also make you much wiser on the popular drink.
A cup of coffee contains a large amount of caffeine
If you want to get the ultimate energy boost, it’s typically a cup of coffee to drink. Namely, a cup of coffee has a caffeine content of 50-100 mg.
This is about twice the caffeine content of a cup of tea. Therefore, if you are tired and need lots of energy, replace the tea with coffee.
How much caffeine is in the coffee depends on the coffee brand?
Namely, there is a difference in coffee origin, brewing method, and composition.
There are over 60 different coffee beans types worldwide, but the most commonly used are Robusta beans and Arabica beans.
If you want a large amount of caffeine, Robusta coffee is a good choice.
Here you get twice as much caffeine as Arabica coffee.
Trees with Robusta beans must protect themselves from plant diseases and animals, and they do so using the high caffeine content in the beans.
By contrast, trees with Arabica beans grow in higher layers of air and grow slower, which means they do not have to protect themselves from plant diseases and animals.
This means that they do not contain as much caffeine as Robusta beans.
Arabica coffee is some of the most expensive beans on the market.
They are typically used to make espresso. Also, filter coffee can be made from 100% Arabica beans.
The taste is sweet and mild with notes of berries, sugar, and fruit. On the other hand, Robusta beans are rarely used alone but are instead mixed with other coffee beans and often turn into freeze-dried coffee or espresso.
Here you get strong and deep flavours as well as a good crema.
A coffee stop can cause withdrawal
If you drink several cups of coffee every day, it is not abnormal to withdraw if you suddenly stop drinking coffee.
For example, if you start each morning with a cup of coffee, you will feel uncomfortable and energized without your daily cup of coffee.
If you take caffeine every single day, you will develop a tolerance for caffeine.
This means you have to drink even more coffee if you want the invigorating effect.
This development of tolerance actually happens after a few days of drinking coffee daily.
If you have been drinking coffee for a long time and suddenly stop from one day to the next, you may have withdrawal symptoms.
These symptoms can range from mild headache and loss of energy to anxiety, flu-like symptoms, and increased irritability.
Fortunately, the symptoms are diminishing quickly, and if you want to stop drinking coffee, the symptoms will be gone in a matter of weeks.
However, there is no need to be afraid of drinking coffee. In fact, drinking is healthy, and it can help prevent several illnesses.
Prevent diseases with coffee – and get better health
Many studies have dealt with coffee. Coffee can prevent diseases.
It is, e.g. healthy for the heart to drink coffee.
A study conducted by Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Medical Center shows that three to four cups of coffee a day can reduce a heart attack risk.
Also, coffee is good for the brain.
Studies have shown that caffeine affects the brain, improves memory, reaction time, alertness, mood, and overall cognitive function.
Long-term memory will also be strengthened through a few cups of coffee.
If you want to reduce the risk of diabetes, you should drink four to five coffee cups a day.
Researchers at Mount Sinai Medical Center have found that for every cup of coffee you drink per day, the risk of developing diabetes will decrease by seven per cent.
Should these benefits not be good enough, you can also reduce the risk of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Studies from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health show that you can reduce the risk of cirrhosis by 80% if you drink up to four cups of caffeine a day.
The risk of liver cancer can be reduced by 43% if you drink two cups of coffee daily, analyzes to The National Institute of Environmental Medicine show.
So there are many good reasons to keep drinking coffee.
At least your health can benefit from it in the long run.
If you want a balanced and healthy diet, a daily caffeine intake of 400 mg is ideal.
Caffeine content in various drinks
It can be difficult to answer how much caffeine is in a cup of coffee because of the difference in coffee beans.
If you drink a cup of 125 ml filter coffee, there will typically be about 85 mg of caffeine in each cup.
If, on the other hand, it is a cup of instant coffee or a small espresso that you drink, the caffeine content will be less.
Your caffeine intake will only be too high if you drink more than seven large cups of coffee a day.
That equates to 1.2 litres, and fortunately, few people drink that amount of coffee.
If you are approaching this amount anyway, you should consider cutting back on your consumption.
Additionally, you should be aware of your caffeine intake if you have anxiety, stomach problems as well as stomach upset.
Here you should not exceed a daily dose of caffeine greater than 400 mg.
The condition can deteriorate, which is obviously not optimal.
You can also get caffeine through other drinks. Energy drinks may contain caffeine.
In the EU, the maximum caffeine content must be 32 mg per day. Dl. Tea also contains caffeine.
Here the caffeine content is significantly less. On average, tea contains 25 mg per day. Dl.
Cola also contains caffeine.
The maximum caffeine content is 15 mg per day. Dl. Again, this is a significantly smaller amount of caffeine. Decaffeinated coffee, chocolate milk, and cocoa contain only 3-5 mg. caffeine pr. Dl.
