Figuring Out Which Starbucks Drinks are the Strongest

This list was challenging to try and organize because you could easily drink an espresso or a tall latte and have the exact same amount of caffeine in them.

However, it’s a lot easier to drink several shots of espresso than it is to try and drink several lattes in one sitting, so we organized this list by the amount of pure caffeine you can get in the drink, no matter how large it is. We did this over getting complicated and trying to find out the caffeine by volume.

The strongest hot drink you can get when you go to Starbucks is a Venti Blonde Roast Filter beverage with the most caffeine at 475-milligrams. If you want to order a cold drink, the strongest one available is a Trenta Cold Brew with right around 360-milligrams of caffeine.

Also, if your Starbucks doesn’t offer the Trenta cups, then you can get 340-milligrams of caffeine if you order a Venti Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Shaken Espresso.

Just for reference, you get 75-milligrams of caffeine in espresso and 225-milligrams of caffeine in a 5-Hour Energy shot. You can also make virtually any drink stronger at Starbucks by adding an extra espresso shot into it.

The Strongest Starbucks Drinks You Can Order – Ranked

You should also know that the blonde roast comes with more caffeine in it per drink, so if you want to get a coffee with an espresso base, you can ask for a blonde roast to maximize how much of a punch it packs. As of today, the following are the strongest drinks you can order at your local Starbucks, ranked by potency.

Drink One: Hot Venti Blonde Roast Filter Coffee – 475-Milligrams of Caffeine

This may surprise you to be the strongest drink on the menu because it has a much lighter taste to it, and you’d think that espresso drinks would be much stronger.

Espresso drinks are more intense when you think of pure volume, and we suppose that this could change how you digest it, but Blonde Roast leads the board for the highest amount of caffeine.

If you’re someone who doesn’t prefer black coffee and you really hoped that a Frappuccino ranked at the top of the list, you can ask the barista to add vanilla and leave some room for the milk.

Vanilla coffee works very well when you use a blonde roast for the base, and it is one of the healthier beverage options on the menu because it has no fat or sugar, as long as you get it without any additives.

Drink Two: Hot Venti Pike Place Roast Filter Coffee – 410-Milligrams of Caffeine

If you’re looking for an original drink from Starbucks, this is the base drink that you can order in cafes around the world, and this beverage has been featured on Starbucks’ menu since 2008 when master roasters and blenders compiled it.

One of the best things about this coffee chain is that they’ve managed to ensure their coffee tastes the exact same at each cafe because this is very difficult when coffee varies so much.

People claim that Starbucks overroasts their coffee to help flatten out the flavor, so you get a more consistent taste no matter which coffee beans they use in their blends.

However, we think that this is a disservice to the brand as a whole and what they accomplished. Also, their drip coffee is delicious and ready to go when you need it, and you get 410-milligrams of caffeine per cup with a Venti, and this is enough to keep you going for hours.

Drink Three: Cold Trenta Starbucks Cold Brew Coffee – 360-Milligrams of Caffeine

This is what most people think to be the strongest drink at Starbucks because the chain’s cold brew is usually a lot stronger than their other coffee, and you can get it in a Trenta cup that is half as big as the Venti. So, you’d think that if you have half the liquid in the drink, you will get half as much caffeine.

However, a lot of people forget to account for the ice in the drink that takes up a decent amount of room.

You still get a lot of caffeine at 360-milligrams per drink, and a cold drink can wake you up much quicker than a hot drink, so we think this is a better choice if you’re really tired.

The coffee uses 20-hour cold water steep before it gets to you, and this gives you a smooth and strong drink for being on the longer end of the cold brewing process.

Drink Four: Cold Venti Iced Brown Sugar Oak Milk Shaken Espresso – 340-Milligrams of Caffeine

When it comes to a caffeine kick, it’s hard to beat the fourth-strongest drink on Starbucks’ menu. You’ll get four shots of Blonde espresso when you order it, and it gives you an extra punch because it’s stronger than a regular espresso shot.

The barista will shake the espresso with oat milk, six pumps of brown sugar syrup, ice, and top it with a sprinkle of cinnamon for a small spice on the aftertaste.

Not only is this a strong drink that tastes great, but it’s also vegan-friendly. You’ll get a very nice, light drink that is the perfect balance between the oat milk and the Blonde Roast with a lot of sweetness from the pumps of brown sugar syrup.

Drink Five: Cold Trenta Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew – 320-Milligrams of Caffeine

If 30 fluid ounces sounds like a strong drink, you can get an excellent alternative that really packs in the caffeine when you order a Cold Trenta Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew.

You’ll get slightly less caffeine at 320-milligrams, but this is because there had to be room left in the cup for the sweet cream and vanilla syrup.

These two additives make this drink much more flavorful and less bitter when you drink it, especially if you’re someone who doesn’t necessarily like black coffee.

You get a big hit of sweetness without it overpowering you when you drink it, and you can even downsize to a Venti with 275-milligrams of caffeine if the Trenta is too large for you to drink in one sitting.

Drink Six: Cold Venti Iced Caffe Americano – 320-Milligrams of Caffeine

The final addition to the strongest drinks you can order at Starbucks list is one you can have this drink cold or hot.

It comes packed with four shots of espresso, and it’s just a way to drink espresso that the barista will top up with cold or hot water, depending on how you want to drink it.

You can think of it as being black coffee extra dark, and you can easily make it stronger still by asking your barista to add another espresso shot in when they make it.

You can also ask them to use a blonde roast when they make it to get up to 10% more caffeine over the already large 320-milligrams it offers.

Finally, if black coffee isn’t to your tastes, you can ask the barista to add vanilla or caramel and ask them to leave room for a little sweet cream or milk to finish it off.

Bottom Line

These six drinks deliver a huge boost of caffeine, especially if you manage to drink them in one sitting.

You can try one or try them all and find your new favorite to help them wake you up in the morning and get you out the door and ready to start your day.