Which kind of coffee will energize you the best? For sure the one that contains lots of caffeine. It’s pretty obvious. So which coffee to choose, then? That is not so obvious at all. The common opinion is that coffee with a strong taste is the most powerful and contains the greatest amount of caffeine. Actually it works the other way round.
High caffeine content depends on many factors: type of coffee beans as well as methods of roasting and brewing them. Let’s see which coffee drink will bring you to action?
Types of coffee beans
The two main coffee species that are most widely produced and sold are Coffea Arabica and Coffea Robusta. Arabica is a more noble type with a richer taste and aroma. At the same time, it contains much less caffeine (0.9%-1.4%) than Robusta beans (1.8%-4%). Put simply, Robusta is twice as strong as Arabica. So if you are looking for an energizing coffee, focus on blends with more Robusta beans. It would be hard to find 100% Robusta, and there is a reason for that. This species is, frankly, undrinkable. :) If you ever decided to have a cup of 100% Robusta coffee, that would be perhaps the last cup of coffee you’d want to have for the rest of your life. Its bitter taste of burnt tires would be unforgettable.
Roasting profile
Roasting is the process that “customizes” each batch of coffee, and it affects its character (like taste and caffeine content). That’s why it is good to pay attention to the roasting profile when choosing the right coffee. There is a general rule: the darker the coffee beans, the less caffeine content. So don’t go to the dark side. :) “Dark” beans with intense taste do not always produce strong coffee. It may surprise you that a drip coffee made with a light-colored brew and with a coffee machine or a pour-over cone is stronger! Now, you may ask: how do you recognize if coffee is made of a dark roast? Well, there are no strict rules, but we can compare it to chocolate: dark roast coffee has a dark-chocolate color and light or medium roast coffee looks more or less like milk chocolate.
Methods of brewing
The way in which you prepare your coffee also impacts its strength. It is a common myth that espresso is the strongest brew. Certainly, espresso has an intense taste, and its concentration of caffeine is high (considering the small amount of liquid - 30 ml), but generally the amount of caffeine is low at about 60 mg. Even one mug of instant coffee (150 ml) contains more caffeine (80 mg). Therefore, if you are looking for a higher amount of caffeine, you will find it in a drip coffee prepared in a coffee machine or a pour-over cone. A cup of 150 ml of a pour over brew contains about 150 mg of caffeine. With this method, you use a similar amount of beans as in espresso, but you get more caffeine. It is in fact time who’s to blame: the longer you brew, the stronger coffee you get.
Which coffee, then?
To summarize, if you are looking for a coffee that will help you close your monthly project in a week and reach an “inbox zero” by 5 pm, you should go for:
- a coffee that contains Robusta - if you prefer espresso brew,
- beans that are light or medium roast, and
- a drip coffee made in a coffee machine or a pour-over cone.
Read more about coffee on Nozbe blog
If you’re a coffee drinker you may want to know when is the best time to have your espresso, black, latte, etc. in order to be more productive. Just read the previous article by Daniel and make sure you follow his advice. :)
Author: Daniel Pietrak: The heart of Bean&Buddies, beating heavily and rhythmically with morning coffee. He takes care of the Bean&Buddies blog everyday. Apart from work, he celebrates the difficult art of mastering free time.
