notbob > wrote:

>On 2008-07-10, Mark Thorson > wrote:

>> the caffeine content of espresso vs. conventional
>> coffee, but it certainly could be lower in espresso
>> due to the shorter extraction time.

>It is, even though proper espresso extraction is about 25-30 secs. Most of
>an espresso blend is arabica beans versus robusta beans which are typcially
>used in pedestrian coffees and are much higher in caffeine. I get a serious
>buzz off a charbucks venti.

This is a difficult comparison, because there are at least
three variables: how much caffeine is in a given weight of coffee
before it is brewed; how much brewed liquid is yielded from
a given weight of ground coffee; and how many ounces of
liquid comprise a coffee drink.

Some say dark roasting removes some caffeine, and a shot of espresso
is made from about 0.4 ounces of ground coffee rather than the 0.8
ounces or so used to brew a cup of filter coffee. So it's got
to be true a single shot of espresso has less caffeine than
an average cup of coffee, unless the latter is brewed weak.


Steve