How much caffeine is in an Americano? About 63 mg per shot of espresso, so a one-shot Americano has about 63 mg, a two-shot about 126 mg and a three-shot about 189 mg. A grande (16 oz) Starbucks Caffè Americano has 225 mg, according to Starbucks. The hot water adds no caffeine; it only makes the cup bigger.
That makes a big coffee-shop Americano one of the stronger drinks on the menu. To see how much of yours is still in you at bedtime, use the caffeine calculator.
Free toolCaffeine Cutoff CalculatorHow much caffeine is still in you at bedtime, and your latest cup.How much caffeine is in an Americano?
Count the shots and multiply by about 63 mg. USDA FoodData Central lists restaurant espresso at 212 mg of caffeine per 100 grams, which is about 63 mg in a 1 oz shot. An Americano is just those shots topped up with hot water.
| Americano | Shots | Caffeine |
|---|---|---|
| 1 shot | 1 | about 63 mg |
| 2 shots | 2 | about 126 mg |
| 3 shots | 3 | about 189 mg |
| 4 shots | 4 | about 252 mg |
| Starbucks Caffè Americano, grande (16 oz) | 225 mg | |
| For comparison: brewed coffee, 8 oz | about 95 mg |
Shots vary a lot from shop to shop. In a study of 104 coffee-shop espressos in Scotland, Italy and Spain, caffeine ranged from 48 to 317 mg per serving. So 63 mg per shot is a working average, not a promise. The espresso guide covers what changes it.
How much caffeine is in a Starbucks Americano?
A grande (16 oz) Starbucks Caffè Americano has 225 mg of caffeine, according to Starbucks' nutrition information. That's more than a grande Starbucks latte (150 mg), because the Americano gets more espresso and no milk taking up the cup.
How much caffeine is in a grande Americano?
225 mg at Starbucks. That's more than half of the 400 mg a day the FDA cites as generally fine for healthy adults, in a single drink. At another shop, a 16 oz Americano depends on its shot count.
How much caffeine is in a venti Americano?
It depends on how many shots go in, and Starbucks lists caffeine for the grande only, so we don't give a venti number here. A bigger cup with more shots will have more caffeine than the grande's 225 mg; one with the same shots and more water will have the same. Ask the barista how many shots your size gets and count about 63 mg each as a rough guide.
Americano vs coffee: which has more caffeine?
A two-shot Americano has more than an 8 oz brewed coffee: about 126 mg vs about 95 mg. Cup for cup at 16 oz, a grande Starbucks Americano (225 mg) also beats a 16 oz brewed coffee made at USDA strength (about 190 mg).
| Drink | Caffeine |
|---|---|
| Americano, 1 shot | about 63 mg |
| Brewed coffee, 8 oz | about 95 mg |
| Americano, 2 shots | about 126 mg |
| Brewed coffee, 12 oz | about 142 mg |
| Brewed coffee, 16 oz | about 190 mg |
| Starbucks Caffè Americano, grande | 225 mg |
An Americano tastes lighter than espresso because it's diluted, but dilution only spreads the caffeine out. A one-shot Americano is the gentle option; a coffee-shop grande isn't.
How much caffeine is in a Costa Americano?
We don't have a Costa caffeine figure we could verify, so we don't give one here. The same rule applies as anywhere else: find out how many shots your size gets and count about 63 mg each. If the menu or app lists caffeine, use that number instead.
Americano vs latte
Same shots, same caffeine. A latte swaps the hot water for steamed milk, which adds no caffeine. The difference at Starbucks comes from the recipe, not the milk: the grande Americano lists 225 mg and the grande latte 150 mg. Our latte guide has the latte numbers.
What's the latest time to drink an Americano before bed?
For an 11 PM bedtime, finish a one-shot Americano by about 4:19 PM, a two-shot by about 11:19 AM and a grande Starbucks Americano by about 7:09 AM. These are the times each drink falls below 25 mg by bedtime, using the site's average 5-hour caffeine half-life.
| Americano | Caffeine | Hours before bed | Bedtime 10 PM | Bedtime 11 PM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 shot | 63 mg | 6 h 40 min | 3:19 PM | 4:19 PM |
| 2 shots | 126 mg | 11 h 40 min | 10:19 AM | 11:19 AM |
| 3 shots | 189 mg | 14 h 36 min | 7:24 AM | 8:24 AM |
| Starbucks grande | 225 mg | 15 h 51 min | 6:09 AM | 7:09 AM |
| 4 shots | 252 mg | 16 h 40 min | 5:19 AM | 6:19 AM |
| For comparison: coffee, 8 oz | 95 mg | 9 h 38 min | 12:22 PM | 1:22 PM |
A grande Americano is effectively a first-thing-in-the-morning drink. Here's what it leaves at 11 PM depending on when you have it:
| Americano at | 1 shot (63 mg) | 2 shots (126 mg) | Starbucks grande (225 mg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 AM | 7 mg | 14 mg | 24 mg |
| 9 AM | 9 mg | 18 mg | 32 mg |
| 11 AM | 12 mg | 24 mg | 43 mg |
| 1 PM | 16 mg | 32 mg | 56 mg |
| 3 PM | 21 mg | 42 mg | 74 mg |
The 25 mg line is this site's rule of thumb, not an official limit. People clear caffeine at different speeds, and pregnancy and some medications slow it down. Falling asleep fine isn't proof of no effect either: in an at-home study, a large dose taken 6 hours before bed cut total sleep by more than an hour.
How to drink an Americano without losing sleep
- Order fewer shots in the afternoon. A one-shot Americano has about a quarter of the caffeine of a Starbucks grande.
- Ask for a decaf or half-caf shot if you want the cup without the dose.
- Add up the day. A grande Americano plus a soda and a tea can get close to 400 mg. The caffeine limit calculator does the sum for you.
- Check your own times with the caffeine calculator.