With the average person in the UK spending more than £2,000 a year in coffee shops and 80 per cent of people saying they visit at least once a week, it’s no surprise cafés take up a large share of the nation’s high streets.
But with the amount of caffeine shoppers get per cup differing drastically from store to store, what coffee drinkers get from a morning pick-me-up can vary hugely.
Research from VoucherCloud shows a Mocha from Greggs has 233mg of caffeine in a cup, while the equivalent from Caffè Nero has just 85mg.
Factoring in the varying prices you see from shop to shop, where has the most caffeine per pound and where has the least? FEMAIL investigates…
Graphic shows the best place to buy caffeine. The black shows how much caffeine is in the shops’ Americano, while the lighter brown colour shows the caffeine per pound in a Latte. The best value is the Greggs Americano, at 140.63mg per pound, followed by McDonald’s
Greggs serves the best value Americano, where customers get 140.63mg of caffeine per pound spent – the highest of any coffee surveyed
AMERICANO
The humble Americano is a favourite among coffee lovers.
McDonalds Americano is sold at 124.46mg of caffeine per pound
Made from watered down espresso, and served with or without milk, it’s one of the strongest coffees you can buy over the counter.
But the drink has the biggest disparity of all hot beverages in the amount of caffeine you get for your buck.
Family favourite Greggs serves the best value Americano, where customers get 140.63mg of caffeine per pound – the highest of any coffee surveyed.
McDonalds isn’t far behind with 124.46mg per pound.
In last place was Caffè Nero, whose mild drink offered almost four times less coffee than Greggs at just 32.65mg per pound.
If price is your only concern, the golden arches are out in front, with their cups costing just £1.39, while Greggs wins for sheer caffeine content at 225mg and costs £1.60.
LATTE
Caffè Nero’s latte and cappuccino each give you just 29.09mg caffeine per pound making them the worst value drinks on offer.
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On average, the Latte is the worst value for money for those looking for high caffeine content at a small price.
The only category where Greggs isn’t the best value is the sophisticated, milky Latte.
At 90.53mg per pound, McDonald’s’ McCafé beats Greggs – though they aren’t far behind at 86.32mg per pound.
McCafé is the cheapest overall at £1.69 – with Greggs the only other brand to come out at less than £2.
Popular with commuters, Pret’s Latte ranks third in terms of caffeine content.
Meanwhile Caffè Nero’s Latte and Cappuccino each give you just 29.09mg caffeine per pound – making them the worst value drinks on offer.
| Overall rank | Americano rank | Latte rank | Cappuccino rank | Mocha rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Greggs | 1st | 2nd | 1st | 1st | |
| 2. McDonald’s | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | 7th | |
| 3. Pret | 4th | 3rd | 4th | 2nd | |
| 4. Costa | 3rd | 6th | 3rd | 3rd | |
| 5. Coffee #1 | 5th | 5th | 4th | 4th | |
| 6. Starbucks | 6th | 5th | 6th | 5th | |
| 7. Nero | 7th | 7th | 7th | 6th |
CAPPUCCINO
Costa has the most caffeine overall, at 200mg per cup, but at £2.55 it’s not the cheapest.
Greggs and McCafé give coffee lovers the most caffeine per pound at 103.68mg and 103.50mg per pound respectively.
Meanwhile, Starbucks offers 61.54mg per pound, while Coffee #1’s offering comes in at 63.08mg per pound.
Costa has the most caffeine overall, at 200mg per cup – but at £2.55 it’s not the cheapest
MOCHA
For those who like their coffee sweet and chocolatey, Mocha is a popular choice.
Gregg’s Mocha has the most caffeine of the coffees tested, and is ranked the best value at 122.63mg per pound.
It’s also the cheapest overall, and the only chocolate-coffee mix that’s less than £2.
In second place is Pret’s offering, which comes in at 73.33mg per pound – whilst Nero offers bad value yet again at sixth.
Costa’s Mocha ranked third, followed by Coffee #1 and Starbucks – while McDonald’s sat at the bottom of the table in seventh.
Source: Food Recipes and News
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