By Luke Dalton. Updated 10 June 2026.

In 30 seconds. Most canned coffee in the UK carries between about 90mg and 200mg of caffeine per can, and the spread between brands is far wider than the cans suggest. A Costa canned latte is labelled at about 92mg per 250ml, a Jimmy's Original SlimCan at about 128mg, a UK Starbucks Doubleshot Espresso at about 91mg per 200ml, and Contact Coffee Co's no sugar Americano tops the mainstream market at 200mg per 250ml can. For healthy adults, the European Food Safety Authority considers single doses of up to 200mg, and up to 400mg across a day, of no safety concern.

Want your caffeine measured, not guessed? The Contact Coffee Americano carries a published 200mg per can with no sugar, the Latte is the smoother 150mg option, and the Red On Americano is the strongest of the three.

What decides how much caffeine is in a can

Three things set the number on the side of a can. The first is the coffee itself: how much real coffee went in, and which bean it came from. Robusta naturally carries roughly twice the caffeine of arabica, which is why the strongest cans are built on it; the science is covered in our robusta vs arabica guide.

The second is the recipe. A milky latte is mostly milk, often 60 to 75 per cent of the can, so the coffee, and the caffeine, is squeezed into what is left. A black coffee in a can is nearly all coffee, which is why black cans almost always out-caffeinate milk ones. The third is simply the size of the can: a 250ml can at the same strength carries a quarter more caffeine than a 200ml one.

Because those three levers vary so much between brands, the per-can figures range from about 90mg to a full 200mg. The table below puts the published UK figures side by side.

UK canned coffee caffeine compared

Every figure below comes from the brand's own label or published data, with a standard cup of filter coffee included for scale using the Mayo Clinic's caffeine tables. For the full ranked league table of every declared figure in UK retail, see the UK Canned Coffee Caffeine Index.

Two things jump out of that table. First, every big name milky can sits at or just under a mug of filter coffee, so none of them is the strong option people sometimes assume. Second, the Contact Americano is in a different bracket: at 80mg per 100ml it runs more than twice the concentration of a Costa can and more than half as strong again as a Jimmy's, and one can lands exactly on the 200mg single-dose level the safety guidance is built around.

How much caffeine is in Jimmy's Iced Coffee?

Jimmy's is the brand people ask about most, so here are its numbers properly. Jimmy's Iced Coffee is labelled at 51mg of caffeine per 100ml, which works out at about 128mg in the 250ml SlimCan and about 140mg in the 275ml resealable BottleCan. The flavoured versions, Caramel and Mocha among them, are built on the same base and carry the same 51mg per 100ml.

The exception is Jimmy's Strong, which uses a bolder brew with an enhanced caffeine content, though the brand does not publish a headline milligram figure for it. For scale, a standard Jimmy's SlimCan carries just under two thirds of the caffeine of a Contact Americano, with around 12g of sugar where the Americano has none. They are different tools: one is a sweet, milky refresher, the other is measured fuel.

Costa, Starbucks and the rest of the chiller

Costa's ready-to-drink cans are the lightest of the big names per millilitre: the Classic Latte is labelled at 36.9mg per 100ml, about 92mg in a 250ml can, with the Caramel Latte at 37.3mg. That is roughly a mug of filter coffee spread through a sweet, milky drink, which is worth knowing if you are grabbing one before a long drive expecting it to do the job of a strong coffee.

Starbucks is the brand the internet gets most wrong. The figure people quote for the Doubleshot, 120mg, belongs to the larger US can; the UK 200ml can is labelled at 45.4mg per 100ml, about 91mg per can. Grind, the London roaster, sells nitro cans with a smooth, creamy pour, but does not put a headline caffeine figure front and centre, so check the label if the number matters to you.

The pattern across the chiller is consistent: the sweeter and milkier the can, the lighter the caffeine, and very few brands put their numbers where you can find them easily. If you are choosing a can for the caffeine, the published figure is the only thing worth trusting.

The Contact Coffee cans, with the numbers printed

We publish our figures because a coffee built for performance should tell you what it does. The Americano carries 200mg of caffeine per 250ml can, black with no sugar, which makes one can the equivalent of roughly two cups of filter coffee and exactly the EFSA single-dose guide level. The Latte is the smoother option at 150mg per can, still stronger than anything else in the mainstream chiller.

At the top sits the Red On Americano, the canned version of our speciality robusta that was voted one of the world's strongest coffees, brewing at 1,293mg of caffeine per 12 fl oz (355ml) serving in its ground form. The can's own caffeine figure is printed on the label, and it is the strongest of the three. All three cans are 250ml, sold six to a pack, and the full range story is in our canned coffee guide.

Why most cans do not carry a caffeine warning

UK labelling rules require any drink with more than 150mg of caffeine per litre to be labelled "High caffeine content. Not recommended for children or pregnant or breast-feeding women", with the caffeine stated per 100ml. It is the warning you see on every energy drink. Drinks named as coffee or tea are exempt, on the logic that nobody is surprised to find caffeine in a coffee.

The practical effect is odd: an 80mg energy drink must carry a warning while a 200mg canned coffee need not. The honest substitute is a published number, which is why the milligram figures sit on our product pages and on the cans. If a canned coffee will not tell you its number, treat that as information in itself.

Canned coffee vs a normal cup

The benchmark is a standard 237ml cup of filter coffee at about 96mg of caffeine, per the Mayo Clinic's figures. Against that, a Costa can or a UK Starbucks Doubleshot is just under your mug at home, a Jimmy's is a strong mug's worth, and a Contact Americano is two mugs in one can. People are often surprised that iced and canned coffee carries this much: cold coffee is still coffee, and chilling it removes none of the caffeine.

If you want the full picture across filter, instant, espresso and decaf, including why the bean matters more than the roast, our complete guide to how much caffeine is in coffee covers the whole scale, and our rundown of the strongest coffee in the UK ranks the heavyweight end of it.

How many cans a day is sensible

The clearest guidance comes from the European Food Safety Authority's 2015 scientific opinion on caffeine: for healthy adults, single doses of up to 200mg and daily intakes of up to 400mg from all sources do not raise safety concerns. In can terms, that is two Contact Americanos or roughly three Jimmy's Originals across a day, before counting any other coffee or tea. The same opinion sets the level in pregnancy at 200mg a day, so one strong can is the whole allowance.

Timing is the part people get wrong. Caffeine peaks within about an hour and has an average half-life of around five hours, so half of a 4pm can is still working at 9pm. Match the can to the moment: the 200mg Americano before an early start or a session, the 150mg Latte for the middle of the day, and nothing strong within six to eight hours of bed.

Frequently asked questions about caffeine in canned coffee

How much caffeine is in a can of coffee?

Most canned coffee sold in the UK carries between about 90mg and 200mg of caffeine per can, depending on the brand and the recipe. A Costa canned latte is labelled at about 92mg per 250ml, a Jimmy's Original carries about 128mg per 250ml, a UK Starbucks Doubleshot Espresso about 91mg per 200ml, and Contact Coffee Co's Americano carries 200mg per 250ml can. The exact figure is always on the can or the product page.

How much caffeine is in Jimmy's Iced Coffee?

Jimmy's Iced Coffee is labelled at 51mg of caffeine per 100ml, which works out at about 128mg in the 250ml SlimCan and about 140mg in the 275ml BottleCan. The flavoured versions such as Caramel and Mocha carry the same 51mg per 100ml. The Strong version carries an enhanced caffeine content, though Jimmy's does not publish a headline figure for it.

How much caffeine is in a Costa coffee can?

Costa's canned lattes are labelled at 36.9mg of caffeine per 100ml for the Classic Latte and 37.3mg for the Caramel Latte on UK grocery listings, which works out at about 92mg to 93mg in a 250ml can. That is the lightest concentration among the big name cans, just under a typical mug of filter coffee, so a Costa can is a steady lift rather than a serious caffeine hit.

How much caffeine is in a Starbucks Doubleshot?

The UK Starbucks Doubleshot Espresso label declares 45.4mg of caffeine per 100ml, which is about 91mg in the 200ml can. The 120mg figure widely quoted online belongs to the larger US version, which is a different product. Either way the total per can is well below a 200mg Contact Coffee Americano.

Which canned coffee has the most caffeine in the UK?

Among UK brands that publish their figures, Contact Coffee Co's cans top the market: the Americano carries 200mg per 250ml can and the Red On Americano is stronger still, with its figure shown on the label. Most mass-market cans sit between about 90mg and 130mg, so the gap to the strong end of the market is large.

Does iced coffee have caffeine?

Yes. Iced coffee is normal coffee served cold, so it carries the same caffeine as the coffee it was brewed from. A canned iced coffee carries whatever the label says, typically 90mg to 200mg. The only thing that reduces the caffeine in a glass of iced coffee is melting ice diluting the drink, and that changes the strength of the taste more than the total caffeine you consume.

Will a can of coffee keep me awake?

It can, depending on the can and the time of day. Caffeine peaks within about an hour and has an average half-life of around five hours, so half of an afternoon can is still in your system well into the evening. A 200mg can at 4pm is a very different decision from the same can at 7am, so time the strong cans for when you actually want the effect.

Is 200mg of caffeine in one can too much?

Not for most healthy adults. The European Food Safety Authority considers single doses of up to 200mg of caffeine of no safety concern for healthy adults, which is exactly where Contact Coffee Co's Americano sits at 200mg per can. The figure to watch is the daily total of 400mg from all sources, including your other coffees and tea.

Why do some cans carry a high caffeine warning and others do not?

UK labelling rules require any drink with more than 150mg of caffeine per litre to carry the high caffeine content warning, but drinks named as coffee or tea are exempt because the caffeine is expected. That is why an energy drink carries the warning while a stronger canned coffee may not. The honest substitute for the warning is a published milligram figure, which is why Contact Coffee prints its numbers.

How many cans of coffee a day is safe?

For healthy adults, the European Food Safety Authority considers up to 400mg of caffeine a day from all sources to be of no safety concern. That is two 200mg Contact Americanos, or roughly three Jimmy's Originals, assuming you drink nothing else with caffeine in it. In pregnancy the guideline drops to 200mg a day, so one strong can is the day's full allowance.

Pick your number: the Red On Americano for the strongest can in the range, the 200mg Americano for measured fuel, and the 150mg Latte for the smoother middle ground.

Related guides

Start with the full guide to the best canned coffee in the UK for the whole category, then go deeper with how much caffeine is in coffee for every brew method. Our iced americano guide covers the drink the strongest black cans are built on. If you are avoiding dairy, our lactose free iced coffee guide covers the black cans and the oat options. The robusta vs arabica guide explains why the bean decides the strength, the strongest coffee in the UK ranks the heavyweight options, the UK Canned Coffee Caffeine Index ranks every declared can figure in UK retail, and the Red On range shows how the cans fit alongside the ground coffee, brew bags and caffeine pouches. The Black Rifle Coffee UK guide covers the American brand people ask about most and how to buy it here.

References and further reading

Standard caffeine figures for filter coffee: Caffeine content for coffee, tea, soda and more, Mayo Clinic. Safe-intake guidance: Scientific Opinion on the safety of caffeine, European Food Safety Authority (2015). High caffeine labelling rules: Food additives and caffeine labelling, Food Standards Agency. Jimmy's Iced Coffee caffeine content: Jimmy's Iced Coffee, Myprotein partnership page. Starbucks Doubleshot UK label data: Starbucks Doubleshot Espresso 200ml listing, Catering Centre. Costa canned latte label data: Costa Coffee Latte listing, Tesco.