# Does stronger tasting coffee have more MG of caffeine?



## jmurray01 (Nov 21, 2012)

This is something I've wondered for a while.

My current coffee (ASDA Anytime I think it's called) is number 3 on the strength scale but has it got any more caffeine in it than, say, a 6?


----------



## hopsyturvy (Jan 7, 2013)

I would say not necessarily. I don't know if there's any, um robust way to guess at the caffeine content, except that Robusta has a higher content so (cheaper) blends with more robusta will tend to be more caffeinated.


----------



## jmurray01 (Nov 21, 2012)

Good point.

I should have said in my original post "does number 3 have any LESS caffeine in it than a 6". I would say I hadn't drank enough coffee but I fear it was the opposite as I was on my third mug in an hour.


----------



## shrink (Nov 12, 2012)

if you're buying coffees with numbers on the side of the packet, you need to buy different coffee







hehe

seriously though, get off the asda stuff, there are better value, fresher alternatives. Some lovely 100% arabica blends from the likes of has-bean would likely suit you if you like your coffee around the "3" mark.

where in Scotland are you based?


----------



## jmurray01 (Nov 21, 2012)

Don't worry, I will be! It's a bit too bitter for my taste so I'm just using the rest of it up then I'm going back to my Bellarom Gold "strength rating 2" ground coffee from Lidl (I prefer that).

I'm in Moray, what about you?


----------



## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

The only numbers I want on my coffee packets are altitudes and roasted on dates


----------



## Steve_S_T (Dec 7, 2012)

I always assumed that the numbering was more a reflection of how strongly the coffee tasted rather than how much caffeine it contained. Number 5s (I'm sure I once saw a 6 in Waitrose) tend to be very dark roast for sure. Gets me thinking though whether the roasting affects that caffeine content or whether it's part of the bean's genetic make up. Somebody will tell us I'm sure.

Steve.


----------



## shrink (Nov 12, 2012)

jmurray01 said:


> Don't worry, I will be! It's a bit too bitter for my taste so I'm just using the rest of it up then I'm going back to my Bellarom Gold "strength rating 2" ground coffee from Lidl (I prefer that).
> 
> I'm in Moray, what about you?


I'm based in Edinburgh. it'd be worth your while trying some of the ground coffee's from proper UK based roasters. The stuff you buy in supermarkets is months old and about as stale as coffee can possibly get. pre-ground is never ideal, but if you're gonna do it, the likes of hasbean, rave, etc will grind to demand for you, and you'll get coffee thats about 1 day old!

Your taste buds will thank you


----------



## jmurray01 (Nov 21, 2012)

Well I hope I can do that some day, I would really like to but the way things are at the moment (car-less, job-less and soon to be homeless) it is much easier just to grab a cheap pack of ground coffee.

Perhaps in a year or two (hopefully sooner) I'll be able to get into coffee more but right now it's a no go.


----------



## shrink (Nov 12, 2012)

fair enough









worth noting that hasbean are only about £4 a bag though, so pretty much the same as supermarket

hope things pick up, all the best


----------



## jmurray01 (Nov 21, 2012)

But how big a bag is it? Bellarom is 500G for £3.50.


----------



## shrink (Nov 12, 2012)

its only a 250g









but thats 250g of gorgeousness haha


----------



## jmurray01 (Nov 21, 2012)

Well I'll be sure to try it some time - you have my word.

I was thinking about buying some grounds from Taylors coffee, are they any good?


----------



## shrink (Nov 12, 2012)

i tried the taylors stuff... it was horrid. very very bitter, dark, and over roasted. Not my cup of tea at all.

The lavazza qualita rossa is pretty good as pre-ground goes.


----------



## jmurray01 (Nov 21, 2012)

I'll give that a miss then, thanks!


----------



## shrink (Nov 12, 2012)

how are you brewing? espresso? filter? french press?


----------



## jmurray01 (Nov 21, 2012)

I'm using a Sabichi filter coffee machine.


----------



## shrink (Nov 12, 2012)

cool, then the coarser grind of standard shop coffee wont be an issue. It was for me when i didnt have a grinder and was trying to get espresso


----------



## jmurray01 (Nov 21, 2012)

Ah I see.

Can you make espresso in a standard coffee machine?


----------



## shrink (Nov 12, 2012)

nope.... need an espresso machine for that









espresso is a very small quantity of coffee extracted under great pressure. Reliant on the pressure of the water, the amount of water and the grind/tamp of the ground coffee. Can only be made on a dedicated machine sadly


----------



## jmurray01 (Nov 21, 2012)

Of course, for some reason I had a picture in my head of espresso being like cappuccino... I must be losing my marbles - well, the ones that are left.


----------



## shrink (Nov 12, 2012)

happens to the best of us

when i first got into this racket, i was convinced you HAD to use "espresso" coffee in an espresso machine. Didnt realise that coffee was just coffee and that the use of the word espresso simply indicates a blend that has been perhaps aimed at espresso as a brew method. But many single origins work perfectly in espresso.


----------



## jmurray01 (Nov 21, 2012)

So to clear it up, espresso is the kind of coffee you get in little glasses and you can use any kind of coffee for it? That is interesting.


----------



## shrink (Nov 12, 2012)

well you cant use ANY... some coffee varieties or blends are inherently unsuitable for espersso. Not that they cant be made into an espresso, any coffee can. But some would probably taste pretty rancid if brewed in this fashion. In the same way that an ultra dark espresso blend would be terrible as filter coffee.

Espresso is just a way to make coffee. It yeilds about 1-2oz of fluid which can be used to make other drinks.

e.g. espresso plus steamed milk for a latte, espresso plus steamed milk and foamed milk for a cappuccino.... and so on

some blends/roasts/varieties of coffee suit espresso better than others, some suit being used with milk, some dont.

a good example is a recent Ethiopian Tchembe that my local shop have been using a guest espresso of late. Its gorgeous, its like blueberry muffins in a small glass, but would be totally lost in milk. It doesnt have the acidity, power or strength to cut through milk, but its a gorgeous shot of espresso on its own.

And so on....


----------

