How Much Caffeine Does Maxwell House Coffee Have? Watch Out!

It’s no secret that a good cup of coffee can put a spring in your step while too much caffeine can cause unpleasant jitters. But just how much caffeine does Maxwell House Coffee have?

Maxwell House lets you choose from light or dark roasts for a level that’s right for you. Caffeine varies depending on beans, roast, and brew. For example, their cold brew contains 250mg of caffeine while filter coffee lands in at 146mg per 8oz. cup.

Maxwell House’s popular coffee packs significant caffeine while maintaining levels that are lower than other comparable brands. That’s because Maxwell House creates their coffee from finer and fruitier 100% Arabica coffee beans with brighter acidity than stronger Robusta beans. Maxwell House coffee still packs a punch of caffeine with every brew that’s equal to a double shot of espresso and beats Coca-Cola caffeine levels hands down.

Discover the different caffeine amounts across Maxwell House’s favorite breakfast blends, instant, and decaf coffee options and how these caffeine levels stack up against espresso shots and popular brands like Starbucks and Coca-Cola.

Maxwell House Coffee Ingredients

Basic Maxwell House coffee contains Arabica beans or a Robusta-Arabica blend if it’s mentioned. This gives the Maxwell House brand moderately high caffeine levels. Some blends and flavors may include sugar, artificial flavors, corn syrup solids, vanilla, hydrogenated coconut oil, non-dairy creamer, Sodium Caseinate derived from milk, Dipotassium Phosphate, Sodium Citrate, Mono-and Diglycerides, and Silicon Dioxide, among other natural and artificial ingredients.

Does Maxwell House Coffee Have a Lot of Caffeine?

Maxwell House coffee contains moderate to high levels of caffeine. This comes out to about 100-160mg of caffeine in a rounded tablespoon of grounds or a 12 fl. oz. cup of coffee.

 How Good is Maxwell House Coffee?

According to many consumers, Maxwell House coffee is a good and affordable blend. In fact, the company has developed a custom coffee bean roast process that gives the brand’s coffee a balanced flavor and strength. With lower acidity than some kinds of roasts, Maxwell House produces a sturdy coffee in a container that lasts a long time.

What is the Recommended Daily Caffeine Intake?

According to the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (USDA), healthy adults should consume no more than 400 milligrams or 4 cups of brewed coffee per day.

How Much Caffeine Does a Cup of Maxwell House Decaf Coffee Have?

Maxwell House’s Decaf Ground Coffee is not 100% caffeine-free (most decafs aren’t for that matter)  has 1-5mg of caffeine per tablespoon of ground coffee

How Much Caffeine Does a Tablespoon of Maxwell House Coffee Contain?

A tablespoon of Maxwell House grind derived from Arabica coffee beans contains about 63mg of caffeine. Since 2007, the company has used 100% Arabica beans instead of Robusta beans, which contain around 111mg of caffeine per tablespoon of ground coffee.

How Much Caffeine Does Maxwell House Instant Coffee Have?

Compared to more caffeinated varieties, the brand’s decaffeinated blends have anywhere from 1-5mg of caffeine in each tablespoon. Most instant coffee types have lower caffeine levels than regular brewed coffee. Compared to other instant coffees, which land in at around 90mg of caffeine in each cup, Maxwell House instant coffee falls on the lower end of the scale.

What’s the Strongest Maxwell House Coffee?

With 24.50mg of caffeine in a fl. oz., Maxwell House’s Max Boost Coffee packs a whopping 196mg of caffeine per 8 oz. cup.

Maxwell House Instant Coffee Caffeine

According to the USDA*, 1 rounded teaspoon of instant coffee (1.8 grams in weight) contains 57 mg of caffeine. No matter how much water, milk, or creamer you add to the coffee – the amount of caffeine will remain the same

Caffeine In Popular Maxwell House Roasts

This table outlines the average amount of caffeine in the most popular Maxwell House Coffee roasts and blends. You’ll see that the table lists a range of caffeine in mg in either 8 oz 0r 12 oz cup (serving sizes).

Note: Why did I use a mixture of 8 oz and 12 oz cups? Only because, for some unknown reason, that’s what I’ve seen on the labels or advertised as the serving size. Yes, I actually stood at the grocery (HEB, by the way) and recorded all the caffeine levels. This stuff wasn’t taken from someplace online. But to get the mg of caffeine per oz, divide the amount of caffeine per ounce, and divide the mg of caffeine by the serving size. So Original Roast would look like this: 128/8=16. This comes to 16 mg per fluid ounce.

This represents an average depending on how many scoops of coffee are commonly added to the brew. The amounts can be more or less if you add more or less coffee.

Go figure?

Table: Popular Maxwell House Coffee Caffeine

Caffeine in Starbucks Coffee

Caffeine levels in Maxwell House coffee all come down to a variety of factors that include bean type, roast, grind, brew type, and brew time. For example, using Maxwell House coffee in a drip machine is going to extract different levels than a Starbucks espresso brew.

Here’s a brief comparison that will give you a good idea how Maxwell House’s brand compares to Starbucks caffeine levels.

Most Maxwell House coffee will contain an average of 14mg of caffeine per fl. oz. or 112mg in an 8 oz. cup. Some options such as the Original Roast or Dark Roast may contain more caffeine than light roast, breakfast blend, or decaf options.

In contrast, Starbucks’ Dark Roast short or 8 oz. cup contains 130mg of caffeine while their popular beverages weigh in at different caffeine levels that include Caffe Latte (75mg), Americano (75mg), Caffe or flavored Mocha (90mg), cappuccino (75mg), Flat White (130mg), solo and doppio espresso (75-150mg), and Caramel Macchiato (75mg). Meanwhile, Starbucks’ Pike Place Roast or Veranda Blend range from 155mg to 180mg in a short size cup.

Caffeine in Cocoa-Cola

This long-standing carbonated soft drink favorite has 3 to 4 times less caffeine than an equivalent size regular cup of coffee. For example, a 12 oz. can of Classic Coke contains only 2.83mg of caffeine per fl. oz. or 34mg of caffeine total. In contrast, a normal cup of instant or filter coffee contains around 142mg of caffeine.  

Caffeine in Espresso Shot

A popular base for many drinks, an espresso shot’s smooth and intense flavor packs 64mg of caffeine per fl. oz. in an 8 oz. cup espresso beverage.

Maxwell House Coffee Caffeine – Final Thoughts

The Maxwell House brand makes affordable coffee that carries a range of caffeine levels that vary from just 1mg up to 160mg per cup. 

Choose a bold blend for the most intense, caffeinated experience or go easy with decaf or an instant coffee variety when you want a lighter coffee experience. Also take a look at how Maxwell House Coffee compares to it’s old rivel: Folger’s in my Folger’s Coffee History post.

Maxwell House Coffee Vintage Commercial

I found this old Maxwell House Coffee commercial from the 50’s. I thought it was pretty cool and has a lot of nostalgia! Check it out.

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Christopher Mize

I am a certified coffee fanatic and your guide to all things coffee. My goal is to bring you the best coffee information and put it at your fingertips. Leave comments below, I am always glad to help and chat. Enjoy!

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