Coffee
There are a lot of pre-packed coffee brands like Starbucks, Tim Hortons, Costa Coffee, Black Label, etc but there’s a popular trend when it comes to brewed coffee and that trend is to make the most caffeinated cup imaginable.
The trend began in 2013 when Death Wish Coffee, began sourcing better-tasting highly caffeinated robusta coffee beans and using them in their dark roast coffee.
The coffee that most are accustomed to is made from arabica beans which typically have better flavor but a lower caffeine concentration.
Today these highly caffeinated coffee brands are popping up everywhere and even competing for the title of “world’s strongest cup of coffee.” However, it is important to note that a “strong tasting” coffee doesn’t necessarily mean more caffeine. Bean Poet does a great job of explaining the difference here.
For this article, strongest = highest in caffeine.
Use our Coffee Dosage Calculator to determine how much of these coffees is safe for you.
12+ Extremely Caffeinated Coffee Brands
Black Label – Devil Mountain Coffee Company
Caffeine: 1555 mg per 12 fl oz brewed
Bean type: Not Listed
Black Label just may be the world’s most dangerous cup and has blown the competition out of the water with its blend of highly caffeinated beans. People need to be extremely cautious when drinking this one and not only be highly tolerant to caffeine but also have a low sensitivity to the caffeine molecule.
This organic coffee is available from Amazon.com
Very Strong Coffee – Great British Trading
Caffeine: 1350 mg per 12 fl oz (340 ml) brewed
Bean type: 100% Robusta
Very Strong Coffee is the most dangerous cup in the UK and offers a big dose of caffeine for those who just don’t get a lift from regular coffee anymore.
This strong coffee is available from Amazon.com.
Devils Brew Extreme Caffeine Coffee (UK)
Caffeine: 1325-1350 mg per 12 fl oz brewed
Bean type: Robusta (ethically sourced)
This UK brand is pretty powerful. They also sell a Rocket Fuel blend. We tried both of these blends and posted our review here.
Devils Brew Extreme Caffeine Coffee is available on Amazon in select countries and on their website…
High Voltage Coffee (AU)
Caffeine: 1150 mg per 12 fl oz brewed
Bean type: Not Listed
This Australian brand is the strongest coffee in Australia according to their recent lab report from Australia’s National Measurement Institute. They also claim to use a bean blend that doesn’t taste bitter like some of the highly caffeinated coffees do.
High Voltage Coffee is available to Australians only on their website…
Black Insomnia
Caffeine: 1105 mg per 12 fl oz brewed
Bean type: 80% Robusta 20% Arabica
Black Insomnia originated in South Africa but is available around the world. A stronger blend was created in 2018 leading to the massive caffeine hit they currently serve.
Maximum Charge- Cannonball Coffee (UK)
Caffeine: 1101 mg per 12 fluid ounces brewed
Bean type:Robusta
Maximum Charge takes the prize for the most caffeinated UK coffee and it also is close to the world’s most dangerous cup.
This coffee is available from Amazon UK.
Biohazard
Caffeine: 928 mg per 12 fl oz brewed
Bean type: Robusta
Biohazard was so proud of their coffee they even had it tested for caffeine levels and sent us the lab report. With almost 1 gram of caffeine in a cup, this is great if you want to stay awake the whole night,
Biohazard coffee is available on Amazon.
Death Wish
Caffeine: 728 mg per 12 fl oz brewed
Bean type: Robusta
Death Wish sparked the “world’s strongest coffee” trend with its Super Bowl ad a few years ago but has since conjured up a lot of competition. Things got so heated that competitors even contested the caffeine lab analysis. Everyone needs to sit down and have a cup of tea…
Death Wish also has a medium roast for those who like higher caffeine but less intense flavor from the roasting. It’s sourced from Robusta and Arabica beans.
Death Wish is available from Amazon.com
Sons of Amazon (UK)
Caffeine: 660 mg per 12 fl oz brewed
Bean type: Not listed
Sons of Amazon is available in the UK. It’s made using a blend of ethically sourced coffee beans from the Amazon region.
Killer Coffee (AU)
Caffeine: 645 mg per 12 fl oz brewed (350 ml)
Bean type: Arabica
Killer Coffee is Australia’s deadliest brew. It’s interesting that they get such high amounts of caffeine from only Arabica coffee beans.
Folks in Australia can get it from their site.
Gunpowder Coffee
Caffeine: 644 mg per 12 fl oz brewed
Bean type: Unknown
Gunpowder Coffee claims to have the “best tasting” world’s strongest coffee.
Fire Department Coffee
Caffeine: 500 mg per 12 fl oz brewed
Fire Department Coffee was started by a group of veterans and firefighters. They offer several different roasts and blends but their strong coffee is called Stipe Miocic. It has 2x the caffeine of regular coffee. 10% of all proceeds support first responders.
See more about Stipe Miocic.
Banned Coffee
Caffeine: 474 mg per 12 fluid ounces brewed
Bean type: Arabica and Robusta
Banned Coffee uses a blend of beans in hopes of improving the flavor profile of their “world’s strongest coffee.”
By the way, Banned Coffee was never banned, and neither is it the world’s strongest coffee.
GymBrew Renegade
Caffeine: 333 mg per 12 fl oz brewed
Bean type: Blend of Robusta and Arabica
GymBrew is made by Runner Bean Coffee Roasters out of the UK. It’s geared towards consumers using it as a pre-workout drink.
Shock Coffee
Caffeine: No specific amount but claims to be 50% stronger than regular brewed coffee.
Bean type: Arabica and Robusta
Shock Coffee is a classic. We even reviewed it wayyyyyy back in 2010. It was the original “strong” coffee, but has disappeared into the wilderness.
You can still get it from Amazon.com and may actually be a good place to start if you want to enter the coffee arms race.
Bones Coffee High Voltage
Caffeine: No specific amount but claims to 2x the caffeine of regular brewed coffee
Bean type: Not listed
Bones Coffee is available through their website.
Atomic Coffee
Caffeine:No specific amount listed but claims to be 50% stronger than regular brewed coffee.
Bean type: Arabica
Atomic Coffee is available on their website and on Amazon.
Perk Up Coffee
Caffeine: They list 408 mg per 12 fl oz for brewed and 262 mg per 12 fl oz for drip (filter) coffee.
Bean type: Not listed
Perk Up is available from Gold Star Coffee.
Double Tap Coffee
Caffeine: They say double the caffeine but then also say 4x the caffeine of a standard cup?
Bean type: Not listed
This brand is for sale by the Patriot Depot.
Red Goat Coffee
Caffeine: 3x the caffeine of standard coffee but a more precise amount isn’t listed.
Bean type: Not listed
Red Goat Coffee also claims to be “the world’s strongest” but we weren’t able to find a definitive caffeine amount.
Preparation Method
With all of these coffees, the highest caffeine is found with the brewed coffee method. This is a method in which water stays in contact with the ground coffee for an extended period of time.
Drip/filter, Keurig, and even espresso methods won’t produce the highest caffeine amounts. Only one brand above, Perk Up, made this clear in their advertising.
Is This Type of Coffee Really Deadly?
Just about all of these brands will deliver more caffeine in one serving than is recommended by leading health organizations as a daily safe dose. For the average adult, this is 400 mg.
Use our coffee calculator to determine your safe daily dose of any kind of coffee.
This type of coffee usually appeals to those who have built up a high tolerance to caffeine (serious caffeine addicts) or those who have a naturally low sensitivity to the caffeine molecule.
Anyone else who consumes these ultra-caffeinated coffees could experience overdose symptoms and even severe reactions if they exceed more than one serving.
Caffeine is a drug and there are serious consequences that result from consuming too much. People have died from caffeine overdose and thousands more have sought help from emergency rooms after overdosing.
We recommend that these products be avoided unless you are 100% certain that your body can tolerate the extreme amountof caffeine that they are delivering.
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Written by Ted Kallmyer, last updated on October 7, 2021
FAQs
What coffee brand is the strongest? ›
Black Label Coffee by Devil Mountain
The world's highest caffeine coffee is Black Label by Devil Mountain. At over 1,500 milligrams of caffeine per serving, this coffee is not for the faint of heart. It is non-GMO, USDA-certified organic, and fair trade.
Black Label Brewed Coffee is believed to have the most caffeine per ounce at 129.6 mg. And when it comes to brand name caffeine, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf's regular coffee packs the most caffeine per ounce at 20.8 mg. That's more than twice the amount of caffeine offered in McDonald's coffee (9.1 mg per fluid ounce).
Is Death Wish Coffee the strongest coffee in the world? ›Death Wish Coffee has taken the cake for the strongest coffee in the world in both caffeine and flavor. This magical blend is a true innovation in the coffee-roasting industry. The roast shade of the bean is not as simple as dark, medium or light.
Why is Death Wish Coffee so strong? ›It's a dark roast.
Using a unique roasting technique of time and temperature variation, Death Wish is slowly roasted to a dark roast. This makes for a low-acidity blend that's double the strength as your average Joe.
If you just want to mainline caffeine, best to go for a straight double espresso from robusta beans. My personal favorite is the espresso machine (as I'm sure many of you love them as well).
What coffee is stronger than death wish? ›Biohazard Ground Coffee, The World's Strongest Coffee 928 mg Caffeine (16 oz)
How strong is Death Wish Coffee? ›Death Wish is billed as the “world's strongest coffee.” And although the company doesn't release caffeine-content figures, we have seen third-party test results in an eye-opening range of 650 to 728 milligrams of caffeine in a 12-ounce (Starbucks “tall”-size) cup.
Is Stronger coffee higher in caffeine? ›Dark roasts, with their bolder, gustier taste are typically seen as carrying a more substantial caffeine punch than light roasts. However, the stronger-tasting brews aren't actually an indicator of their caffeine content. Light roast coffee has approximately the same caffeine content as dark roast coffee per bean.
Is biohazard coffee stronger than death wish? ›Biohazard Coffee comes in at 928mg of caffeine per 12oz cup of coffee, or 77.3mg per ounce of coffee. By comparison, Death Wish Coffee has 944mg of caffeine for a 16oz cup, or 59mg per ounce of coffee. Going off of this information, Biohazard is a bit stronger in terms of caffeine content.
What coffee has the strongest flavor? ›Biohazard Coffee – 928mg
They even make it clear that it's not particularly safe for everyone to drink with the name they chose. Biohazard Coffee says it has it's focused on a bold, rich taste while eliminating any additives or preservatives. They want to give you the strongest coffee in the world.
How strong is black death coffee? ›
The company bills its coffee as the “world's strongest,” and credits the blend of beans and the roasting process it uses for the coffee's caffeine content, which is 59 milligrams per fluid ounce.
Does Death Wish Coffee have more caffeine than other coffee? ›The caffeine content of Death Wish Coffee is around 200% higher than the average cup of coffee. Classified as a specialty roast by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), the manufacturers of Death Wish Coffee recommend a ratio of 2.5 tablespoons of coffee per 6oz of water.
Does Death Wish Coffee have more caffeine than espresso? ›Death Wish Coffee has about the same caffeine per fluid oz as espresso; however, the serving size is much larger, meaning you get about 4.5 times more caffeine from the 12 oz. cup than you would from a 2 oz. espresso.