Cold Brew Caffeine: How Much Caffeine is in Your Cold Brew?

A 240 ml serving of cold brew contains 200 mg of caffeine (dataset value).

• 240 ml cold brew = 200 mg caffeine (83.3 mg/100 ml).
• Nitro cold brew (240 ml) = 215 mg; slightly more concentrated (89.6 mg/100 ml).
• Starbucks Cold Brew (Grande, 473 ml) = 205 mg; larger volume with lower mg/100 ml than a 240 ml concentrate.
• FDA daily guidance: healthy adults ≈ 400 mg/day; pregnancy guidance ≈ 200 mg/day.

Cold brew caffeine basics: what the 200 mg number means

The dataset lists a standard cold brew at 240 ml containing 200 mg of caffeine (83.3 mg per 100 ml). That figure represents many steeped cold-brew concentrates as sold in cafes or calculated from cold-steep methods—not every bottle or shop recipe. Nitro cold brew at the same volume is listed at 215 mg (89.6 mg/100 ml).

Ready-to-drink chain examples in the dataset include Starbucks Cold Brew (Grande, 473 ml) at 205 mg and Dunkin' Cold Brew (Medium, 710 ml) at 260 mg — larger servings but lower concentration per 100 ml than the 240 ml concentrate value.

Caffeine comparison: cold brew versus other coffee and energy drinks

Below is a compact comparison using the dataset values so you can see where cold brew sits relative to common coffees and energy drinks.

Stok cold brew: what the data tells us and what it doesn't

The dataset does not include a specific Stok product or its label values. Bottle recipes vary by brand and size. Use the dataset concentrations as anchors: a café-style concentrate is ~83 mg/100 ml (240 ml = 200 mg) while branded ready-to-drink large cups can be much lower in mg/100 ml (Starbucks Grande Cold Brew ≈ 43.4 mg/100 ml).

If you want Stok Cold Brew caffeine exactly: read the nutrition label or contact the manufacturer. As a practical rule, many bottled cold brews fall somewhere between concentrated café cold brew and the chain examples shown above; expect a range rather than a single number and log the bottle into an app like CoffeeLog to track precisely.

Factors that raise or lower caffeine in cold brew

Cold brew caffeine concentration is not fixed: it depends on coffee-to-water ratio, grind size, steep time, bean origin and roast level, and post-steep dilution.

• Coffee-to-water ratio: higher coffee mass per water volume → more mg/100 ml.
• Steep time: most extraction happens in the first 12–18 hours for typical cold brews; longer steep can increase caffeine modestly.
• Roast: lighter roasts often yield slightly higher caffeine by bean mass than darker roasts.
• Dilution: many cafe cold brews are made as concentrate and diluted before serving; undiluted concentrate will show the higher dataset numbers.

How caffeine decays in your body (concrete math)

Use a population-average half-life of 5.7 hours: caffeine roughly halves every ~5.7 hours. The table below shows remaining caffeine after 0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 hours for three dataset-based doses.

Example: after a 200 mg cold brew, roughly 96 mg remains at 6 hours and about 46 mg at 12 hours. Individual half-life varies with genetics, liver function, pregnancy and medications; see Mayo Clinic and FDA guidance for context.

Health, safety and timing

FDA guidance for healthy adults is about 400 mg/day; for pregnancy many bodies advise limiting to about 200 mg/day (citing public health guidance and EFSA reviews). The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages regular caffeine for adolescents. Exceeding 400 mg can increase heart rate, anxiety and insomnia risk; acute poisoning is rare but seek medical care for severe symptoms.

Timing: because cold brew often delivers 200+ mg in a single cup, consuming late afternoon can leave substantial caffeine in your system at bedtime. Use the decay table above to estimate residual caffeine near sleep.

Practical tips: measuring, brewing and tracking

• Check the bottle or shop menu for mg on the label; if absent, use dataset anchors (240 ml = 200 mg) as conservative estimates.
• To reduce caffeine, dilute concentrate, shorten steep time or use fewer coffee solids per water volume.
• Track servings and daily totals with an app like CoffeeLog so you stay under your personal limit; log chain sizes (Starbucks Grande 473 ml Cold Brew = 205 mg) rather than guessing.

Sources and authorities referenced: USDA FoodData Central values reflected in the dataset, FDA daily guidance, EFSA and Mayo Clinic counseling on caffeine and pregnancy, and American Academy of Pediatrics position on caffeine in youth.

This page is informational only and not medical advice; consult a healthcare professional for personal guidance.

How do I add up caffeine from multiple drinks in a day?

Add the milligrams on the label (or the dataset values) across every serving to get your daily total, and use first-order elimination with a population-average half-life of 5.7 hours to estimate how much remains at any later time: remaining mg = D × 0.5^(hours/5.7) (TrackCaffeine dataset model). Cumulative dose is the total milligrams of caffeine consumed over a time period.

Example: a 240 ml cold brew is 200 mg (dataset value) and a 250 ml Red Bull is 80 mg (dataset value); the two together are 280 mg consumed. To estimate what's left 8 hours after the cold brew: remaining = 200 × 0.5^(8/5.7) ≈ 200 × 0.5^(1.4035) ≈ 200 × 0.374 ≈ 75 mg (calculation shown), and the Red Bull taken later will be reduced according to the hours since you drank it; use our caffeine half-life calculator for automated math.

Because sleep is sensitive to evening caffeine, remember Drake et al. (2013) found that a 400 mg dose taken 6 hours before bedtime shortened sleep by over an hour, so adding lower-caffeine items still matters if they push you toward that window; see our last-cup-before-bed tool to plan timing.

Can medications or hormones make cold brew last longer in my system?

Yes—certain medications and hormonal states can slow caffeine clearance so the same 200 mg cup will stay in your bloodstream longer than average. CYP1A2 is the liver enzyme that metabolizes most caffeine.

The Mayo Clinic notes that pregnancy and some drugs alter caffeine metabolism, which changes individual half-life and therefore the elimination curve (Mayo Clinic). That means the population-average half-life of 5.7 hours (TrackCaffeine dataset model) can be a poor predictor for you if you are taking interacting medications or are pregnant; when clearance is slower, the remaining-mg arithmetic above produces larger residuals at any fixed time. If you take regular medications, check their interaction notes and consult a clinician; our pre-workout guide and caffeine dosage guide explain common stimulant interactions and why drug histories matter.

How should people who are pregnant adjust their cold brew intake?

Pregnant people should limit total daily caffeine to about 200 mg per day, and a single 240 ml cold brew already delivers 200 mg (dataset value), so one full 240 ml serving hits that recommended ceiling (EFSA 2015). EFSA is the European Food Safety Authority.

Because the half-life increases in pregnancy, the same 200 mg cup will remain higher for longer than the population average; use the elimination formula (remaining = 200 × 0.5^(hours/5.7)) to see that at 6 hours roughly 96 mg remains under the average model, but pregnant clearance is slower so residuals may be higher. For practical planning, consider swapping to a smaller serving, diluting concentrate, or choosing a lower-caffeine ready-to-drink option; our pregnancy safety guide and the EFSA recommendation together explain the limits and options.

Are there safe ways to cut the caffeine in my cold brew without changing the flavor much?

Yes: dilute concentrate, mix with decaf, shorten steep time, or reduce the coffee-to-water ratio to lower mg per serving while keeping a similar mouthfeel. Cold-brew concentrate is a high-ratio extract intended for dilution before serving.

Concrete examples using dataset values: a 240 ml serving that is a concentrate at 200 mg (dataset value) diluted 1:1 with water becomes 480 ml total and contains the same 200 mg overall, so a 240 ml poured from that diluted batch has 100 mg (200 mg ÷ 2). Mixing equal volumes of a 240 ml regular cold brew (200 mg) and a 240 ml decaf brew (3 mg, dataset value) yields 480 ml with 203 mg total, so each 240 ml serving from the blend contains ≈101.5 mg (203 ÷ 2). If you want step-by-step brewing math, try our coffee brewing ratio calculator guide and the decaf coffee guide for practical recipes that hit target mg per serving.

What should I do right away if I feel jittery after a cold brew?

Stop drinking caffeine and move to a safe, calm environment; eat carbohydrate-rich food and drink water—these steps may ease symptoms while your body metabolizes the caffeine. Caffeine overdose is an acute excess of caffeine that causes dangerous symptoms such as chest pain and severe arrhythmia.

For context, the FDA sets about 400 mg/day as typical guidance for healthy adults (FDA), so a single 240 ml cold brew at 200 mg (dataset value) is half that daily benchmark; after 3 hours roughly 138 mg remains under the 5.7-hour half-life model (200 × 0.5^(3/5.7) ≈ 138 mg). If you have chest pain, fainting, severe palpitations or seizures, seek emergency care and consult our caffeine overdose guide for signs and next steps—do not try home remedies for severe reactions.

Bottom line

A standard 240 ml cold brew contains 200 mg of caffeine (dataset value); nitro cold brew at the same volume is 215 mg (dataset value), and ready-to-drink large chain cups like Starbucks Grande Cold Brew are about 205 mg for 473 ml (dataset value). For healthy adults the U.S. Food and Drug Administration advises about 400 mg/day as an upper guidance (FDA), and the European Food Safety Authority advises about 200 mg/day for pregnancy (EFSA 2015), so one 240 ml concentrate-style cold brew equals the pregnancy-day limit and uses about half the FDA adult-day benchmark.

Caffeine elimination follows first-order kinetics in our model with a population-average half-life of 5.7 hours (TrackCaffeine dataset model): remaining mg = D × 0.5^(hours/5.7). Example arithmetic: from a 200 mg cold brew, ≈138 mg remains at 3 hours, ≈96 mg at 6 hours and ≈46 mg at 12 hours (200 × 0.5^(3/5.7) ≈ 138; 200 × 0.5^(6/5.7) ≈ 96; 200 × 0.5^(12/5.7) ≈ 46). Use our on-site tools—caffeine half-life calculator, last cup before bed and safe daily limit by weight—to plan servings, or blend/dilute to lower mg per cup using the methods above.