Is One Cup Of Coffee A Day Bad For You? (Solved & Explained!)

A single cup of coffee per day is a very moderate amount of coffee, and it will not harm your health. This does, of course, depend on the type of coffee you drink and the size of the serving, and the intensity of the ingredients in your drink.

This article takes a look at coffee and how much we drink each day, what it means for your health and what’s in coffee that can have a negative impact on your health.

So what’s in coffee besides…..coffee?

A typical base cup of coffee contains water and some form of ground coffee beans. The coffee beans contain a mix of compounds such as caffeine, antioxidants, and diterpenes (which are present in the oil in the coffee beans).

It is a combination of the effects of caffeine on the human nervous system and the flavour profiles of the roasted beans that keep coffee drinkers coming back for more.

What else is in coffee that can affect our health?

A single basic cup of coffee typically contains an amount (one shot) of ground coffee beans (or instant coffee powder), and a small amount of hot water. This is the base coffee, enjoyed as an espresso.

A double espresso, called a doppio, contains two shots of coffee – if you enjoy these, you can see that one coffee is actually two coffees.

However, many coffee lovers build their drink from here, especially the iced coffee drinks which will also contain any combination of milks, cream, ice cream, syrups and sugars.

If you enjoy these, you can see that one iced coffee (depending on how it’s made) is actually one very rich and very sweet treat, and more than one per day will undoubtedly have an impact on your health.

We’ll take a look at some of the more indulgent modern coffee creations further into the article.

How much coffee should we drink per day?

Coffee, or to be more precise, the caffeine in coffee, has been deemed a safe drug. However, it is recommended that adults consume no more than 400g per day, and less for children and pregnant women.

Therefore, it is not how many cups of coffee you should have per day, it is how much caffeine you have having each day.

And remember that caffeine is present in other foods and drinks besides coffee. Other caffeinated items include:

  • Tea
  • Cola drinks
  • Energy drinks
  • Energy shots
  • Sports drinks
  • Iced milk drinks
  • Chewing gum
  • Most chocolate products
  • Some baked goods
  • Coffee and chocolate liquors

A number of these drinks are consumed chilled. During summer, it is this type of caffeinated drink we are most likely to consume rapidly and repeatedly, thus also ingesting a great deal of caffeine and possibly without realizing it.

The effects on the body of too much caffeine are quite serious, and the daily recommendation limit should be taken seriously.

How much caffeine is there in one cup of coffee?

A typical cup of coffee, which is about 8 ounces, should contain around 95mg of caffeine. These amounts refer to your base black coffee. Remember that this depends on how you style your coffee, the ingredients you include and the serving size.

The following list contains typical coffees and some other caffeinated rinks for comparison.

  • An espresso – (one shot) around 65mg of caffeine or 130mg for a double shot
  • Latte – 65mg
  • Cappuccino – around 65mg
  • Mocha – around 25mg
  • Black tea – around 47mg
  • Green tea – around 28mg
  • Chai tea – around 95mg
  • Decaffeinated coffee/tea – around 2-3mg
  • Soda drinks – between 40mg and 60 mg
  • Guarana drinks – around 125mg
  • Energy drinks – 170mg per serving or 16 ounces
  • Energy shots –  around 200mg per 2 ounces

Which types of coffee contain the most caffeine?

The coffee made with the highest number of “coffee shots” will generally contain the most caffeine. One coffee shot is 30ml and contains around 65mg of caffeine.

The variety of the coffee bean used also impacts on caffeine levels in coffee.

Raw Arabica coffee beans contain around 16mg of caffeine per gram, but the Robusta bean contains about 22mg of caffeine per gram. The Liberica bean has the lowest amount of caffeine, with only 12mg of caffeine per gram.

However, there are now more and more highly caffeinated coffee brands emerging, which use the robusta bean (or a combination of beans) to try and produce the world’s strongest coffee.

For example, Devil Mountain Coffee Company, produced Black Label, which uses a blend of beans to produce a cup of brewed coffee (12oz) with 1555mg of caffeine.

Needless to say, this coffee (and others like it) come with very serious health warnings and consumption advice.

Which types of iced coffee contain the most caffeine?

Iced coffee is a popular beverage among coffee lovers, especially during summer. The level of caffeine in iced coffee varies because of the range of ingredients (which are added to the base milk drink) and the size of the serving.

Iced coffee is not to be confused with an iced latte, which is a smaller and simpler coffee made with a single shot of espresso (to which is added crushed ice and a small amount of cold milk).

A coffee drinker can safely enjoy 2 or 3 iced lattes per day (made with a single shot) with around 65mg of caffeine in each one.

Iced coffees, however, are made with a combination of different coffees, milks, cream, ice cream, flavourings and syrups.

  • The Starbucks venti iced coffee (24 fl oz) contains 235mg of caffeine
  • Dunkin Doughnut’s small iced coffee (16 fl oz) contains 198mg caffeine
  • Macdonald’s medium iced coffee (22 fl oz) contains 200mg caffeine
  • Caribou large iced coffee (24 fl oz) contains 270mg caffeine
  • Seattle’s Best small iced coffee (12 fl oz) contains 35mg caffeine

You can see from even this small list that there are simply no standard sizes (or caffeine levels) for most coffee drinks, and the best way to look after your health is to examine each individual drink before making your choice.