Consumer group Which? testing finds that caffeine levels in popular high-street coffee drinks vary widely between brands and even between similar items. The results indicate that a Costa cappuccino can contain as much caffeine as about four cans of Red Bull, while other drinks in the same category contain substantially less.
The outlets describe these findings as “wild” or “shock” differences, reflecting that the caffeine content does not match consumers’ expectations based on standard serving sizes. Tests covered drinks from several chains, including Costa and Starbucks, and include variations for products sold by major coffee brands such as Caffè Nero. The reporting differs mainly in emphasis: some headlines stress the comparison to energy drinks, while others focus on the broader range across multiple chains. Overall, all accounts attribute the findings to the Which? study and highlight inconsistency in caffeine content across the high-street coffee market.
