If you were to stop someone on the street and ask them for the world’s strongest coffee, then I think most people will give you the same answers.
Death Wish Coffee.
But is Death Wish Coffee really the strongest coffee in the world? Or are there other high caffeine coffees that put it to shame?
That’s what I was wondering, so I set out to find the answer to this question.
What Makes A Coffee “Strong”
In looking for the strongest coffee in the world, the focus is on the caffeine level – not the roast level. In fact, roast level tells us nothing about how strong a coffee is.
It’s all about the caffeine.
And caffeine content varies from one coffee bean to the next. So, you can’t just assume a certain roast is high in caffeine.
Caffeine Levels By Coffee Bean Type
As you may know the two main types of coffee beans are Arabica and Robusta. And generally speaking, Robusta has more caffeine.
- Robusta beans have an average of 2.1% caffeine
- Arabica beans have an average of 1.2% caffeine
Have you ever noticed that Robusta coffee has kind of a bitter taste? That’s the higher caffeine amount that you’re tasting.
What’s The Recommended Daily Limit Of Caffeine?
Before we dig into the list of the strongest coffees in the world, I thought it might be interesting to see what health authorities recommend as the maximum amount of caffeine you can have during a day.
How much caffeine is the maximum you can consume? And how much is too much?
Well, the FDA in the US recommends that adults do not exceed 400mg of caffeine in a day.
With that in mind, you should use caution when sipping any of the coffees listed below…because the amount of caffeine in them just might kill you!
The 5 Highest Caffeine Coffees In The World
While you might think that Death Wish Coffee is the strongest coffee in the world – after all, it is their tagline – they’re actually not the strongest.
Keep reading to see where in this list Death Wish Coffee lands.
1. Devil Mountain Coffee Co. – Black Label Coffee
Devil Mountain Coffee Co. promotes their “Black Label” dark roast ground coffee as: Strongest Coffee in the World With Highest Caffeine, Lab Tested, USDA Certified Organic
And they are not lying. This coffee is hardcore stuff right here.
Caffeine per 12 fluid ounces brewed: 1555 mg
My favorite customer review of this coffee on the Devil Mountain Coffee Co website says it all:
Had me shaking in the corner like a crack head. If you are a trucker, throw the meth out the window, grab a brewing pot, and a bag of this stuff. You’ll make it to your destination in no time. If you are not a fan of sleep, buy this coffee. You will not be disappointed.
Yeah, that will make your heart race alright!
2. Very Strong Coffee – Original Coffee
Sure, the name isn’t very imaginative (for the brew or the brand), but they are telling you exactly what you get – some very strong coffee.
Made from 100% Robusta beans that are “roasted for longer than usual,” this coffee is not as strong as Devil Mountain Coffee Co.’s Black Label, but it certainly feels like it will put hair on your chest.
Caffeine per 12 fluid ounces brewed: 1350 mg
My favorite customer review of this coffee from the Very Strong Coffee website:
Imagine coffee made from the ground down bone and gristle of big Bluto from Popeye.
The tagline of this coffee is: Twice the caffeine, twice the taste. Only you can be the judge of that, but do be careful consuming this high caffeine coffee.
3. High Voltage Coffee
This Australian coffee brand only offers one coffee for you to buy. And it’s so good that they don’t even name it.
Though they don’t disclose the type of coffee beans you’re drinking, they do pride themselves on using 100% natural high-quality coffee beans. The beans are ethically and sustainably sourced from rainforest alliance farmers, which are roasted in Australia.
And they claim what you end up with in your cup is dark roasted, smooth, undeniably strong and never bitter with an aftertaste that keeps you going!
Caffeine per 12 fluid ounces brewed: 1150 mg
My favorite customer view of this coffee on the High Voltage Coffee website:
This is seriously good life changing coffee. I was worried with the high caffeine it would be bitter but my god it’s smooth as a baby’s bottom and you really know you’re having a coffee. It’s that good, sugar would ruin it!!!
I love the tagline they have of the coffee bags: Coffee so strong it will shock you!
4. Black Insomnia Coffee
Made from a blend of Arabica and Robusta beans, Black Insomnia Coffee also claims to be the world’s strongest coffee. Obviously, that’s not true.
But they are stronger than Death Wish Coffee!
What’s notable about this high caffeine coffee is that it has a nice nutty, sweet flavor that’s surprisingly smooth.
Caffeine per 12 fluid ounces brewed: 1105 mg
My favorite review of this coffee is on Amazon:
I almost had a heart attack and well almost. Is it bad that I love this coffee I didn’t have a heart attack but my heart was racing and got me to do god like miracles. I’m gonna be moonlighting as a super hero on my off time thanks to this coffee I can now save the world and potential victims of crime.
I love that their website says: It’s impossible not to kick-ass with that much caffeine in your system.
5. Cannonball Coffee C0. – Maximum Charge Super Strong Coffee
This coffee is made from Robusta beans that are lightly roasted to deliver maximum caffeine.
Cannonball Coffee Co promotes Maximum Charge coffee as the strongest coffee in the UK, but that’s not exactly true. Very Strong Coffee, mentioned at #2, has a higher caffeine content and is also based out of the UK.
Caffeine per 12 fluid ounces brewed: 1100 mg
So, while they’re not the strongest coffee in the UK, they are still one of the strongest coffees in the world.
What About Death Wish Coffee? How Strong Is It?
As you may have noticed in our top five strongest coffees in the world above, Death Wish Coffee is noticeably absent.
That’s because the coffee brand know as the world’s strongest doesn’t even make the top five in the world. But it likely would make the top ten.
So, what is the caffeine content of Death Wish Coffee?
It measures in at just 728 mg of caffeine per 12 fluid ounces.
Seems like a small amount compared to the rest of the coffees on this list, eh?
Other High Caffeine Coffee Brands
If you’re interested in other brands of coffee that have a high amount of caffeine, then we’ve got a few of those for you to check out.
- Biohazard coffee
- Sons of Amazon coffee
- The Killer Coffee Co. coffee
- Gunpowder Coffee Company coffee
- Fire Department Coffee
- Banned Coffee
- Shock Coffee
- Bones Coffee
- Boca Java’s Atomic coffee
- Bomb Coffee
- Perk Up Coffee
- The Red Goat Coffee
There may also be other brands that I’ve just not seen anywhere yet.
Can High Levels Of Caffeine In Coffee Really Kill You?
Just like most good things, too much of anything can kill you. And that applies to the caffeine in your coffee.
The good news is that overdosing on caffeine is something that is very rare. Granted, that’s because most people aren’t drinking highly caffeinated coffees.
Researchers think that it takes around 10 grams of caffeine to kill a person. (source)
And it takes 1,000 milligrams to reach one gram. That means you’d need to consume 6.5 cups (12 fl oz each) of Devil Mountain Coffee to overdose on caffeine from it.
But your average cup of coffee only has between 100mg – 200mg of caffeine, so you could have around 50 cups of that in a day before reaching caffeine overdose levels.
images: Deposit Photos