Time for another cup of your favorite cappuccino! Have you ever thought about “Does Cappuccino Have Caffeine” in it? Since cappuccino uses espresso beans, this beverage does have caffeine. In one ounce of brewed espresso, which equals one shot, there is about 63 mg of caffeine. 

What Is a Cappuccino? 

Cappuccino is a type of coffee drink that blends a shot of espresso with frothed milk. The hot beverage originated in Austria. Designated as a “kapuziner” beverage, it came from the Latin term “caputium,” which translates in English to mean “of the head.” Austrians would only put a small amount of cream into their cappuccinos, making the drink a darker brown. 

Espresso has a stronger taste than coffee because you can grind espresso beans much finer than regular coffee grounds. Espresso machines force pressurized water through the beans, creating a higher intensity and stronger flavor. The finer espresso bean grinds are why a single shot of espresso has more caffeine than an ounce of coffee. 

Today, modern cappuccinos utilize an espresso machine. The machine adds the espresso to the cup first. Italian and Austrians usually start with one shot of espresso. Americans always prefer a double-shot cappuccino. 

Then, the barista pours in hot coffee milk by placing the cup under a steam wand that blends the milk until the top layer of the brewed coffee has a frothy consistency called microfoam. The best type of milk for microfoam is whole milk because its higher fat content instills a creamier and frothier outcome. 

The ratio of espresso, steamed milk, and milk foam in most coffee shops outside of Italy are usually 1/3 each. While in a local coffee shop in Italy, other than the single espresso shot, the rest of the coffee cup is equally filled with milk and steamed milk foam.

History of Cappuccino Coffee Drinks

Cappuccino preparation became more mainstream when popularity manifested in the 1930s. Italians preferred the drink with a dollop of whipped cream on top and garnished with either cinnamon or cocoa powder. 

The first Italian interpretation of a cappuccino looked similar to a Viennese beverage that was well-known in Venice, Prague, Verona, and other locations at their coffee houses. 

Did you know that when Italians created the term cappuccino, it had nothing to do with coffee itself? 

The word was from Capuchin friars that were prominent during the 16th century when this order of Franciscan-style monks originated. When baristas would mix the coffee with the frothed milk, it looked dark brown, much like the Capuchin robes these monks wore. Plus, the hoods on their iconic dark brown robes were called “cappuccio.” 

Angelo Moriondo, an Italian inventor, patented the original design for the espresso machine in 1884. The machine’s design showed the first example of the pressurized brewing method for making espresso by forcing water pressure into finely-grounded espresso beans to create highly-caffeinated espresso shots. 

Desiderio Pavoni and Luigi Bezzerra, two other Italian inventors, improved Moriando’s original design. Pavoni and Bezzerra’s enhancements allowed brewing single cups of coffee in a quicker time frame. They presented their prototype at the Milan Fair in 1906. 

Measure Caffeine Content

Multiple characteristics of the espresso beans used to make the cappuccino influence the caffeine content. These different characteristics are:

• How the espresso is brewed. 
• How much of the coffee grounds are utilized during brewing. 
• Whether a cappuccino has one or two shots of espresso. 

The pressurized brewing method, otherwise known as the traditional espresso brewing method, is the best-known way of brewing espresso shots. This methodology allows for a more intense flavor because of the finer grounds and pressurized water used to make it. 

Hence, you get about the same energy boost of a regular cup of coffee with much less caffeine by opting for a cappuccino. For those that want a normal-intensity espresso shot, about two teaspoons of espresso grounds with one ounce of water is a great ratio. Make the espresso shot more intense with another half teaspoon. 

The more coffee bean grounds are used in the brewing process, the higher the caffeine content will be because of the increased quantity. Be careful not to make the shot too strong, or it may overpower the taste of the creamy microfoam. 

American cappuccinos will have more caffeine because they almost always have two espresso shots compared to the traditional one shot, hence a higher espresso-to-milk ratio. 

Difference Between Intensity & Caffeine Content 

The intensity and caffeine content are two different elements related to brewing espresso beans. Medium and dark roasts have a bold and more intense flavor than their light roast cousin. 

However, the roast used to make espresso does not influence caffeine content. 

Coffee beans come in three roast types: light, medium, and dark roast. The roast is decided by how much heat is incorporated while grounding the coffee beans. 

Most espresso beans make medium roast coffee grounds for optimal taste. However, each roast has nearly the same amount of caffeine. 

How Much Caffeine Is in a Cup of Cappuccino? 

Since only one shot of espresso is in a cup of cappuccino and made of mostly milk, there is only about 63 mg of caffeine. This amount is true for cappuccino beverages made with one shot of espresso. If your cappuccino has two shots of espresso, caffeine content doubles to 126 mg.

Baristas make drip coffee by grounding coffee beans and steeping the grounds in hot water. The drinker can put milk or cream in the finished coffee to transform it to their preferred taste. Hence, adding milk and cream does not influence caffeine levels, but it will alter the caloric density of the beverage. 

Making cappuccino requires one to two shots of espresso at the bottom of the cup, steamed milk on top, and then frothed milk called microfoam placed on top. Hence, there is not as much caffeine in cappuccino as in traditional coffee. 

A standard cup of cappuccino is not eight ounces like the American measurement. Cappuccinos range from five to six ounces, depending on the espresso shots and the ratio of espresso to steamed milk to microfoam. A ratio of 33% each of espresso, steamed milk, and microfoam is optimal for a balanced cappuccino. 

Caffeine Content – Cappuccino vs Coffee

One ounce of espresso has 63 mg of caffeine versus the average 12 mg to 16 mg of caffeine per ounce of standard drip coffee. A cup of cappuccino uses only one shot of espresso. 

If you drink eight ounces of coffee, that is about 128 mg of caffeine if there are 16 mg of it per ounce. Hence, drinking a cappuccino means taking in about 47% less caffeine than in a cup of standard coffee. 

Even if you drink an eight-ounce cappuccino with two shots of espresso, that is 126 mg of caffeine. Hence, you will still intake 2 mg less of caffeine in your cappuccino than a whole cup of drip coffee. 

Cappuccinos are calorically dense because of the frothed milk. Coffee contains a large percentage of water, which dials down on caloric intake, but not the caffeine intake. 

The Food and Drug Administration states that a person should not consume more than 400 mg of caffeine daily. Hence, it will take about six cappuccinos with one espresso shot to get the maximum recommended caffeine intake. Dial that down by half to three cappuccinos per day if you drink them with two espresso shots.  

Can You Make a Decaf Cappuccino?

Drinking decaf coffee does not mean you are completely cutting out caffeine content. While a barista can create a shot of espresso for you with decaf coffee beans, it will have very little caffeine content compared to the standard amount in regularly brewed espresso. 

According to the National Coffee Association, decaf coffee beans eliminate 97% of the caffeine content. Hence, drinking a decaf cappuccino can give you a minimal spike in energy because of the low levels of caffeine without the crash of drinking traditional coffee beverages.

With one shot of espresso having 63 mg of caffeine, we can say that one shot of decaf espresso measures about 2 mg in caffeine content. The original 1.89 mg calculation got rounded to a whole number after figuring out 3% of 63 mg. 

Before the roasting process, green coffee beans sit in a mixture of water and one or more solvents, such as methylene chloride, which removes the caffeine. Cultivators may also soak the green coffee beans in only water or mix supercritical carbon dioxide inside the water to diffuse the caffeine. 

Finally, Does Cappuccino Have Caffeine 

Cappuccino contains caffeine, but it has much less of it than a standard cup of coffee. Get the burst of energy that you need without the caffeinated crash. Made with frothed milk, cappuccinos have a stronger taste than your regular drip coffee, making it the perfect way to start your day.