Does extra strong coffee have more caffeine than traditional coffee? – 06/07/2023 – Coffee in the Press

One of the factors most cited by Brazilians as a reason to drink coffee is the disposition generated from caffeine ingestion.

So, thinking of giving an even greater injection of disposition, many people turn to the so-called extra-strong coffee. But does it really have more caffeine than the others?

In short, extra strength, traditional, superior, gourmet and special are coffee classification categories that have nothing to do with the caffeine content.

They are quality classes established by Abic (Brazilian Coffee Industry Association) and by BSCA (Brazilian Specialty Coffee Association). The higher the category, the greater the sensory complexity that the coffee presents.

Extra-strong coffees are actually those with an exaggerated roast, almost charred, which results in a drink with a very strong bitterness and high astringency.

Until last year, Abic used grades on a scale of 0 to 10 to determine which category the coffee should fit into. Extra-strength and traditional coffees scored the lowest. Earlier this year, however, the association decided to change the criteria.

Now, the evaluation no longer takes into account the note, but the set of attributes (sweetness, acidity, bitterness, astringency, roasting and intensity). See below the difference between the coffee quality categories.

To identify the category, just look for the information on the packaging. Usually the label will bear the Abic seal indicating to which class it belongs. If it is a special coffee, it can also have the BSCA seal.

The level of caffeine in a beverage varies according to issues such as the species –canephora coffee, in general, has twice as much caffeine as Arabica– and the extraction method, but it does not depend on the sensory profile.

Thus, extra-strength coffee is just a much more bitter coffee, and not with more caffeine. Soon, maybe you’ll be more willing just because of the high amount of sugar you’ll have to add to the drink to make it more palatable.

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