How much caffeine is in Costa Americano (Medio)?

277 mg — the Costa Americano (Medio) contains 277 mg of caffeine per 360 ml, as recorded in the TrackCaffeine open dataset (TrackCaffeine dataset, 2024).

That equals about 77 mg per 100 ml when computed from the 277 mg dose and 360 ml serving (277 mg ÷ 360 ml × 100 ml ≈ 76.9 mg per 100 ml), with the calculation based on the TrackCaffeine dataset (TrackCaffeine dataset, 2024).

"Cups of drip coffee equivalent" is a simple comparison metric that divides this drink's total caffeine by a standard reference drip brew of 96 mg per 240 ml (96 mg per 240 ml, USDA FoodData Central); using that reference, 277 mg ÷ 96 mg ≈ 2.9× a 240 ml drip cup, a conversion based on the TrackCaffeine dataset and the drip reference (TrackCaffeine dataset, 2024; USDA FoodData Central).

At 277 mg a person will likely notice alertness and reduced perceived sleepiness for several hours, because this dose is substantial compared with typical single espressos and single drip cups measured in public datasets (for example, an espresso single 30 ml is listed at 63 mg in our reference set and a 240 ml drip at 96 mg in USDA FoodData Central); those comparisons are drawn from the TrackCaffeine dataset and USDA FoodData Central (TrackCaffeine dataset, 2024; USDA FoodData Central).

How long Costa Americano (Medio) stays in your system

First-order elimination is a pharmacokinetic pattern where the body removes a constant proportion of a substance per unit time; half-life is the time it takes for the body to reduce the amount by half. In our decay model we use a population-average half-life of 5.7 hours (TrackCaffeine model, population-average half-life 5.7 hours, 2024).

The first-order formula for any remaining caffeine is: remaining = dose × 0.5^(hours / half-life). For this 277 mg dose that arithmetic gives the commonly used checkpoints:

3 hours: 277 mg × 0.5^(3 / 5.7) = 277 mg × 0.695 ≈ 193 mg remaining (calculation based on the TrackCaffeine model, half-life 5.7 hours, 2024).

6 hours: 277 mg × 0.5^(6 / 5.7) = 277 mg × 0.482 ≈ 134 mg remaining (TrackCaffeine model, population-average half-life 5.7 hours, 2024).

9 hours: 277 mg × 0.5^(9 / 5.7) = 277 mg × 0.335 ≈ 93 mg remaining (TrackCaffeine model, half-life 5.7 hours, 2024).

12 hours: 277 mg × 0.5^(12 / 5.7) = 277 mg × 0.232 ≈ 64 mg remaining (TrackCaffeine model, half-life 5.7 hours, 2024).

Example: if the drink is consumed at 15:00, the model predicts roughly 193 mg at 18:00, 134 mg at 21:00, 93 mg at 00:00, and 64 mg at 03:00; those time-point numbers are direct results of the TrackCaffeine first-order elimination model (TrackCaffeine model, 5.7-hour half-life, 2024).

If a reader prefers an interactive check for other bedtimes or personal half-life assumptions, use the calculator at /tools/caffeine-calculator/ (TrackCaffeine tool, 2024) or estimate the last safe cup via /tools/last-cup-before-bed/ (TrackCaffeine tool, 2024).

The commonly cited guidance for healthy adults is a 400 mg daily upper bound; that 400 mg/day figure is the reference used by EFSA in its 2015 Scientific Opinion (EFSA, 2015). At 277 mg, the Costa Americano (Medio) accounts for 69% of a 400 mg daily guidance (277 mg ÷ 400 mg = 0.6925 ≈ 69%), a percentage computed from the TrackCaffeine dose and the EFSA 2015 guidance (TrackCaffeine dataset, 2024; EFSA, 2015).

You can fit at most one full 277 mg Americano plus about 44% of a second before reaching 400 mg (400 mg ÷ 277 mg ≈ 1.44), calculation based on the TrackCaffeine dose and the EFSA 2015 limit (TrackCaffeine dataset, 2024; EFSA, 2015).

Sleep timing example: because 277 mg decays according to the 5.7-hour half-life model we use (TrackCaffeine model, half-life 5.7 hours, 2024), drinking the Americano at 18:00 leaves ~151 mg at 23:00 (277 mg × 0.5^(5/5.7) ≈ 151 mg); that remaining-caffeine calculation uses the TrackCaffeine half-life model (TrackCaffeine model, 2024). Evidence from controlled sleep studies shows that caffeine hours before bedtime can reduce sleep time: one controlled study found that 400 mg given 6 hours before bedtime still reduced total sleep time by over an hour (Drake et al., 2013), a result that highlights why a 277 mg drink in the evening can materially affect sleep for many people (Drake et al., 2013).

Special populations: EFSA's 2015 opinion also reports a lower pregnancy recommendation of 200 mg/day (EFSA, 2015), so this 277 mg Americano exceeds that pregnancy recommendation in a single serving (TrackCaffeine dataset, 2024; EFSA, 2015). Adolescents and people with high caffeine sensitivity should treat a 277 mg serving as a large, potentially sleep-impacting dose (TrackCaffeine dataset, 2024; EFSA, 2015).

The Costa Americano (Medio) at 277 mg sits above many medium-sized milk drinks and below the larger brewed references in our comparison set: it contains more caffeine than Dunkin' Original Blend (Medium) at 210 mg and more than Starbucks Caffè Americano (Grande) at 225 mg, but less than Starbucks Pike Place Brewed (Grande) at 310 mg — those comparisons use the listed values from our dataset (Dunkin' Original Blend (Medium), 210 mg; Starbucks Caffè Americano (Grande), 225 mg; Starbucks Pike Place Brewed (Grande), 310 mg; TrackCaffeine dataset, 2024).

Interpretation: this Americano is stronger than many milk-based grande drinks (for example, Starbucks Caffè Latte and Cappuccino at 150 mg each in our reference set) and approximates roughly three 240 ml drip cups by caffeine content (2.9× a 240 ml drip cup, using 96 mg per 240 ml as the drip reference in USDA FoodData Central), a statement grounded in our dataset and the USDA reference (TrackCaffeine dataset, 2024; USDA FoodData Central).

If a side-by-side comparison would help, use /tools/caffeine-comparison/ to compare this 277 mg Americano directly with other menu items and serving sizes from the TrackCaffeine dataset (TrackCaffeine tools and dataset, 2024).

What changes the number for Costa Americano (Medio)

The 277 mg figure is a single measured value for Costa Americano (Medio) in our open dataset and represents a typical preparation recorded in that dataset (TrackCaffeine dataset, 2024); actual caffeine in any given cup can shift for several operational reasons.

Key sources of variation include extraction and shot count, serving volume, roast and bean origin, and brewing temperature or pressure. For context, not all caffeine changes are small: a single espresso-style shot in our comparison set is 85 mg per 30 ml for Starbucks Blonde Espresso (shot) and 63 mg for a reference espresso single (30 ml) elsewhere in our references, illustrating that shot strength varies between roast/blend and chain (Starbucks Blonde Espresso (shot), 85 mg; TrackCaffeine dataset, 2024).

Practical factors that change the measured caffeine:

• Serving size: larger or smaller than 360 ml will scale the total directly (277 mg is for 360 ml; TrackCaffeine dataset, 2024).
• Extra espresso shots or ristretto pulls: an additional espresso-like shot can add tens of milligrams — see the 85 mg per 30 ml Starbucks Blonde Espresso (TrackCaffeine dataset, 2024) as an example of shot-level variation.
• Extraction and barista technique: longer extraction or finer grind can increase dissolved caffeine versus a weaker pull (TrackCaffeine dataset, 2024).
• Batch-to-batch and seasonal bean variability: different lots of beans and blends change the caffeine concentration even for the same recipe (TrackCaffeine dataset, 2024).

Because of these sources of variation, a single catalog figure is an estimate useful for planning and comparison; the TrackCaffeine dataset publishes measured values that are updated as new shop samples and manufacturer disclosures arrive (TrackCaffeine dataset, 2024).

Where this figure comes from

The 277 mg value comes from the TrackCaffeine open dataset entry for Costa Americano (Medio), compiled from shop disclosures and standard serving measurements and published in the TrackCaffeine dataset (TrackCaffeine dataset, 2024). Where possible we cross-check published menu nutrient information, retailer disclosures, and public chemical databases such as USDA FoodData Central (USDA FoodData Central) before listing a value (TrackCaffeine dataset, 2024; USDA FoodData Central).

Published values disagree because sampling method, serving size, shot strength, and whether the drink is replicated from a single store or averaged across locations all change the measured caffeine; we update a drink's listed value when new primary data, manufacturer corrections, or verified lab assays are available (TrackCaffeine dataset update policy, 2024).

Bottom line

Costa Americano (Medio) contains 277 mg of caffeine per 360 ml, recorded in the TrackCaffeine open dataset (TrackCaffeine dataset, 2024). That is about 77 mg per 100 ml (calculated from 277 mg ÷ 360 ml × 100 ml) and equals roughly 2.9× a 240 ml drip cup using the 96 mg per 240 ml drip reference (96 mg per 240 ml, USDA FoodData Central; TrackCaffeine dataset, 2024).

At 277 mg this serving is 69% of a 400 mg daily guidance from EFSA (69%, calculation: 277 mg ÷ 400 mg; EFSA, 2015), and our first-order elimination model with a 5.7-hour half-life predicts about 193 mg at 3 hours, 134 mg at 6 hours, 93 mg at 9 hours, and 64 mg at 12 hours after consumption (TrackCaffeine model, half-life 5.7 hours, 2024).