Does Cold Brew Coffee have more Caffeine?

According to the National Coffee Association, one in five Americans under 40 have at least one serving of cold brew per week. Have you ever wondered if Cold Brew has more caffeine? The answer is yes and no…

“The key to caffeine content is to look at how caffeine is created,” Raymond Buerger CEO of Brew Bomb says. “Caffeine is produced by the coffee plant as a natural pesticide to provide a defense against insects. We all know that different varieties, [species], and growing climates affect the taste experience of coffee, so it only makes sense that these variables affect caffeine levels, too.”

But what about the rest of the coffee supply chain, beyond production? What about roasting? Is there more caffeine in darker roasts?

“Caffeine survives the temperature changes affected by the roasting process, so the available quantity of caffeine is the same across all roast profiles. However, roasting does affect the cell structure of the bean, thus making it easier to extract the solubles in dark roasts.”

So, the roasting does not effect the amount of caffein in the bean. BUT, it change how much is extracted. This is why it’s a complicated question.  The extraction is the brewing process and the ratio of coffee to water in the brewing process.  So, ultimately, cold brew’s caffeine content is determined by its brewing ratio and concentration, and not the roast profile or the processing method of the beans used. Confused? Let’s get straight to the point:

First and foremost, any cold brew method will typically produce coffee with slightly higher caffeine levels than those brewed with percolation methods (pour over or batch brew).  But keep in mind most restaurants and cafe’s will dilute their cold brew to stretch profit margins, which obviously brings the caffeine levels down.

This brings us to the answer!

Cold brewing at home will generally give you a coffee that has a higher caffeine rate than what you would get at any cafe or restaurant. In our humble opinion we have the easiest to make pre-measured cold brew pouches that also are the best tasting and will give you a bit more of a caffeine kick.