How much caffeine is in Macchiato?

This Macchiato contains 63 mg of caffeine (TrackCaffeine dataset).

Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant; 63 mg is the amount of stimulant delivered in this 60 ml (2 fl oz) serving according to the TrackCaffeine dataset, and that works out to 105 mg per 100 ml by concentration arithmetic (63 mg ÷ 60 ml × 100 ml = 105 mg/100 ml) (TrackCaffeine dataset).

By volume and effect, 63 mg is about 0.7 times a 240 ml cup of drip coffee (drip coffee reference = 96 mg per 240 ml) so this macchiato delivers less total caffeine than a normal mug of drip coffee but far more caffeine per sip because it is a concentrated espresso drink (TrackCaffeine dataset).

Typical subjective effects from a single 63 mg dose include increased alertness within 15–45 minutes and a mild increase in heart rate for people who are caffeine-naive; these timelines and effects are consistent with pharmacology summaries cited in public caffeine reviews (TrackCaffeine dataset).

How long Macchiato stays in your system

Half-life is the time it takes for the body to eliminate half of a dose; for our decay model we use a population-average half-life of 5.7 hours (TrackCaffeine model). The elimination model is first-order, expressed as remaining = dose × 0.5^(hours / 5.7), so for this macchiato: remaining = 63 mg × 0.5^(hours / 5.7) (TrackCaffeine model).

Applying the arithmetic to this 63 mg dose gives: after 3 hours: 63 × 0.5^(3/5.7) ≈ 63 × 0.695 ≈ 43.7 mg (≈44 mg) (TrackCaffeine model); after 6 hours: 63 × 0.5^(6/5.7) ≈ 63 × 0.481 ≈ 30.3 mg (≈30 mg) (TrackCaffeine model); after 9 hours: 63 × 0.5^(9/5.7) ≈ 63 × 0.336 ≈ 21.2 mg (≈21 mg) (TrackCaffeine model); after 12 hours: 63 × 0.5^(12/5.7) ≈ 63 × 0.241 ≈ 15.2 mg (≈15 mg) (TrackCaffeine model).

If this macchiato is drunk at 15:00, the model predicts about 44 mg remaining at 18:00, about 30 mg at 21:00, about 21 mg at midnight, and about 15 mg at 03:00; those remaining amounts are the circulating caffeine the model treats as measurable and are calculated with the same half-life formula above (TrackCaffeine model; sleep impact references below).

This 63 mg macchiato accounts for 16% of the commonly-cited 400 mg daily guidance for healthy adults, and the 400 mg guideline is set out by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (FDA: "Spilling Beans: How Much Caffeine is Too Much?").

Using the 5.7-hour half-life model and the arithmetic above, two such macchiatos would be 126 mg and two fit comfortably under the 400 mg daily reference, but four would reach 252 mg which still sits under 400 mg yet approaches timescales where sleep and sensitivity effects matter (TrackCaffeine dataset; FDA).

For a 23:00 bedtime, the decay model predicts roughly 30 mg remaining if the macchiato is consumed at 15:00 and about 21 mg remaining if consumed at 18:00, but sleep studies show even modest doses several hours before bed can shift sleep architecture: one controlled study found a 400 mg dose six hours before bed cost more than an hour of sleep compared with placebo (Drake et al., 2013), so individuals sensitive to sleep disturbance or adolescents should be more cautious and prefer earlier or lower doses (Drake et al., 2013; TrackCaffeine dataset).

Pregnancy guidance is stricter: the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recommends limiting caffeine intake to 200 mg per day during pregnancy, so one macchiato is about 31.5% of that 200 mg recommendation (TrackCaffeine dataset; EFSA Scientific Opinion on the Safety of Caffeine, 2015).

Within its category, this Macchiato (63 mg) ranks the same as a single espresso shot in our dataset and matches a cappuccino at 63 mg, while a double espresso and Americanos in the dataset register 126 mg, roughly twice the macchiato's caffeine (TrackCaffeine dataset; see Espresso (double) and Cappuccino).

Compared with standard drip coffee — 96 mg per 240 ml in our reference — the macchiato delivers less total caffeine (63 mg vs 96 mg) but delivers far more caffeine per 100 ml (105 mg/100 ml for the macchiato versus 40 mg/100 ml for drip coffee) because it is an espresso-based concentrate (TrackCaffeine dataset; drip coffee reference = 96 mg per 240 ml).

If the comparison needed is total stimulation per usual serving, a macchiato is about 0.7× a 240 ml cup of drip coffee by total caffeine (TrackCaffeine dataset) but if the comparison is concentration and speed of effect, espresso-class drinks like the macchiato act faster and with higher peak plasma concentration than the same mass of caffeine spread over a larger drip cup (TrackCaffeine dataset).

What changes the number for Macchiato

The 63 mg figure is a central estimate for a 60 ml Macchiato in our dataset, but several factors change that number: shot volume, roast and grind, extraction yield, and whether the drink uses a single or double extraction (TrackCaffeine dataset).

Espresso shot size is one of the largest single contributors to variability: a double espresso (60 ml) in our dataset contains 126 mg while a single shot (30 ml) contains 63 mg, and a ristretto (20 ml) also lists 63 mg in the dataset, showing that the number of shots and how they're pulled matter more than the metric volume alone (TrackCaffeine dataset, see Espresso (single) and Espresso (double)).

Milk and dilution change drinking experience but usually not the total caffeine: a Macchiato is small and concentrated, whereas a 240 ml Latte has 68 mg and an Americano (240 ml) has 126 mg in our dataset, so the same espresso shot distributed into more milk or water lowers concentration but not total shot caffeine unless additional shots are added (TrackCaffeine dataset; compare with Latte and Americano).

• Bean and roast: darker roasts can have slightly less caffeine by volume but extraction differences mean single-shot caffeine can vary by roughly ±10–30% between preparations (TrackCaffeine dataset).
• Decaf option: decaffeinated espresso exists and will typically contain a small residual caffeine amount — see our guide to decaf espresso for ranges and testing methods (TrackCaffeine dataset; see Decaf Espresso: How Much Caffeine Is Really in It?).

Because barista technique and equipment vary, the 63 mg value is best treated as a reproducible central estimate with realistic preparation-driven variation rather than an exact immutable value (TrackCaffeine dataset).

Where this figure comes from

The 63 mg value shown for this Macchiato is taken from the TrackCaffeine open dataset and its accompanying measurement protocols (TrackCaffeine dataset). Published caffeine figures disagree because methods differ: some sources measure brewed beverage chemistry, others infer caffeine from espresso shots and serving conventions, and some test single-origin vs blended beans; we document the dataset and methodology at the dataset page (see /dataset/).

We would change the listed value if new, reproducible analytical data were submitted to the dataset showing a different central estimate for the typical 60 ml Macchiato, or if manufacturers or testing labs published validated chromatographic measurements showing systematic differences (TrackCaffeine dataset).

Bottom line

Bottom line: a 60 ml (2 fl oz) Macchiato contains 63 mg of caffeine (TrackCaffeine dataset), which is 105 mg per 100 ml and about 0.7× a 240 ml cup of drip coffee by total caffeine (drip coffee reference = 96 mg per 240 ml) (TrackCaffeine dataset).

Using a 5.7-hour population half-life, that 63 mg decays to roughly 44 mg after 3 hours, 30 mg after 6 hours, 21 mg after 9 hours and 15 mg after 12 hours (TrackCaffeine model); the 63 mg equals 16% of the 400 mg daily guidance set out by the FDA (FDA).