A 6.5 oz can of Starbucks Doubleshot Espresso & Cream carries 125 mg of caffeine. The 15 oz Doubleshot Energy can carries 135 mg, and a Doubleshot pulled in store is about 150 mg.
Related conversions
Pulled in store rather than canned, a double shot runs to the same 150 mg. A single Starbucks shot is roughly 75 mg against 63 mg for a standard shot. Against the daily ceiling, see how many espressos per day. More under coffee answers.
The number
| Product | Size | Caffeine | Share of 400 mg cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doubleshot Espresso & Cream | 6.5 oz can | 125 mg | 31% |
| Doubleshot Energy, various flavours | 15 oz can | 135 mg | 34% |
| Doubleshot on Ice, made in store | tall | about 150 mg | 38% |
| Two Starbucks espresso shots | 2 oz | about 150 mg | 38% |
Three different products share the Doubleshot name and they are not interchangeable. The small can is the one most people mean.
Why the small can beats the big one
The 6.5 oz Espresso & Cream can and the 15 oz Doubleshot Energy can land within 10 mg of each other despite one being more than twice the volume.
The small can is concentrated espresso and cream; the large one is a lightly caffeinated energy drink built around guarana and B vitamins. If you are buying for the caffeine, volume is a poor guide.
Why this is a range, not a constant. Caffeine extraction depends on the bean, the dose, the grind and the length of the pull. Robusta carries roughly twice the caffeine of arabica by weight.
A ristretto pulled short from the same dose lands lower; a lungo pulled long lands higher. Treat every figure here as a planning number accurate to within about fifteen percent, not a laboratory result.
How it compares
| Drink | Caffeine |
|---|---|
| Single espresso, 1 oz | 63 mg |
| Double espresso, 2 oz | 126 mg |
| Drip coffee, 12 oz | about 140 mg |
| Instant coffee, 8 oz | about 60 mg |
| Black tea, 8 oz | about 47 mg |
| Cola, 12 oz | about 34 mg |
| Energy drink, 8 oz | about 80 mg |
The surprise for most people is the drip row. A single espresso is a concentrated shot, but a mug of filter coffee is a far larger volume — and it wins on total caffeine nearly every time.
Common questions
Is the canned version the same as ordering one in store?
No. The in-store Doubleshot on Ice is shaken espresso, ice and a little milk, and lands around 150 mg. The can is a fixed 125 mg regardless of who makes it.
How many cans is too many?
Three small cans is 375 mg, just under the 400 mg guideline — before any other coffee, tea or cola in the day. Two is a more sensible ceiling if you drink anything else caffeinated.
Why is Starbucks espresso stronger?
Larger dose and a longer pull. Their standard shot is roughly 75 mg against about 63 mg for a classic Italian-style shot — nearly twenty percent per shot, which compounds quickly across a day.
Sources
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration — Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine is Too Much? (the 400 mg per day figure for healthy adults)
- U.S. Department of Agriculture — FoodData Central (caffeine content of brewed espresso and coffee)
Figures on this page are planning numbers, not measurements of your particular drink. Caffeine per shot varies with the bean, the dose, the grind and the length of the pull.
