With the rise in popularity of super-charged coffee drinks like Death Wish Coffee, consumers are wondering if these ultra-caffeinated beverages are safe to drink every day. This article explores whether super coffees with extremely high caffeine content are too much stimulation for the average coffee drinker.
What is Super Coffee?
Super coffee refers to coffee drinks that contain significantly higher amounts of caffeine compared to a typical cup of coffee. While a regular 8 oz cup of coffee has about 95 mg of caffeine, super coffee can have over 400 mg of caffeine in a single serving.
Some of the most popular super coffee brands include:
- Death Wish Coffee – Estimated 472 mg of caffeine per 12 oz serving
- Biohazard Coffee – 928 mg of caffeine per 12 oz serving
- Black Insomnia Coffee – 702 mg of caffeine per 12 oz serving
These extra-strength coffee drinks achieve their ultra-high caffeine content through using a higher ratio of ground beans to water, robusta beans which naturally contain more caffeine, and additional caffeine added during the roasting process.
The selling point of super coffee is the promised extreme energy boost that will help you power through your day and maximize productivity. But is it safe?
How Much Caffeine is Too Much?
The majority of health experts agree that 400 mg of caffeine per day is the recommended safe limit for healthy adults. Drinking more than 4 cups of super coffee per day could potentially put you over this limit.
According to the Mayo Clinic, up to 400 mg of caffeine (about 4 cups of home-brewed coffee) is not likely to cause negative effects in healthy adults. However, effects of caffeine are highly individualized based on factors like genetics, age, and sensitivity.
Potential side effects of excessive caffeine intake include:
- Anxiety, restlessness, and nervousness
- Insomnia
- Headaches
- Rapid heart rate
- Muscle tremors
- Nausea and vomiting
Consuming very high doses of caffeine at one time could potentially be fatal. The estimated lethal dose of caffeine for an adult is around 10 grams, which equals drinking about 75-100 cups of coffee at one time.
Recommended Caffeine Limits
While up to 400 mg daily is considered safe for most healthy adults, certain groups are advised to limit caffeine intake to lower levels:
| Group | Recommended Limit |
|---|---|
| Children | 100 mg or less per day |
| Teenagers | 100-200 mg per day |
| Pregnant women | 200 mg or less per day |
| Breastfeeding mothers | 300 mg or less per day |
| Those sensitive to caffeine | 200 mg or less per day |
Super coffees with 300-700 mg per serving could easily cause someone sensitive to exceed their limit with a single cup.
Calculating Your Caffeine Intake
To determine if your caffeine consumption from super coffee is safe, you’ll need to calculate your total daily intake from all sources.
Besides coffee, caffeine is also found in:
- Tea
- Soda
- Energy drinks
- Chocolate
- Some medications
To find out the caffeine content of specific drinks and foods, check the nutritional labels or look it up online. Here are some average amounts:
| Beverage/Food | Caffeine (mg) |
|---|---|
| 8 oz brewed coffee | 95 |
| 8 oz Red Bull | 80 |
| 8 oz Coca-Cola | 34 |
| 8 oz brewed black tea | 47 |
| 1 oz dark chocolate | 20 |
| 8 oz green tea | 28 |
Once you know the caffeine content of the foods and drinks you consume daily, add them up to get your total mg per day.
This will help you determine if adding super coffee puts you over the recommended limit. If so, you may want to cut back on other caffeinated items when drinking high-octane coffee.
Pros of Super Coffee
While super coffee is not recommended for everyone, fans of these ultra-strong brews point to some potential mental and physical performance benefits:
- Increased alertness and focus – The extremely high caffeine content can give some people an intense surge in energy, concentration, and wakefulness compared to regular coffee.
- Boosted metabolism – Caffeine is known to raise resting metabolic rate for several hours after consumption, which could aid fat burning and weight loss to a small degree.
- Improved athletic performance – Research shows that caffeine can reduce perceived exertion during exercise and improve sprint time, endurance, and strength in some athletes.
- Protecting brain function – Studies demonstrate that caffeine may reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease through boosting production of certain neurotransmitters in the brain.
Those chasing the most intense productivity and focus possible may benefit from super coffee’s sky-high caffeine content. But they should be aware of potential health risks if they go overboard.
Cons of Super Coffee
There are also some drawbacks associated with regularly drinking specialty coffees with extremely elevated caffeine:
- Sleep disruption – It may be difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep due to the stimulant effects.
- Physiological dependence – Daily consumption can lead to withdrawal symptoms like headaches and fatigue when you stop drinking it.
- Stimulant overload – Side effects like jitters, anxiety, headache, nausea, and rapid heartbeat can occur.
- Unknown long-term effects – Regularly consuming more than 400mg of caffeine daily may have unstudied long-term health impacts.
- Bathroom issues – Caffeine is a diuretic, meaning it increases urine production and frequency of urination.
- Exacerbating health conditions – It can worsen issues like high blood pressure, heart arrhythmia, ulcers, and GERD for some people.
Pregnant women, people with anxiety disorders, and those sensitive to caffeine face heightened risks. The FDA requires labels warning about caffeine content on high-caffeine drinks, although not all super coffee brands currently provide this information.
Developing a Caffeine Tolerance
With regular daily use, your body can develop a tolerance to caffeine over time. This means the same amount has less of an effect on you physically and mentally.
Some signs of caffeine tolerance include:
- Needing more coffee to get the same energy increase
- Experiencing withdrawal symptoms if you don’t drink coffee
- Coffee no longer keeping you awake or focused like it used to
- Drinking coffee to avoid headaches or fatigue rather than for enjoyment
To “reset” your caffeine tolerance, it is recommended to cut back to 200 mg or less per day for a period of time. Then slowly reintroduce caffeine back into your diet.
This reduces your dependence so caffeine works optimally when you need it for energy, focus, and performance.
The Bottom Line
Super coffee offers a highly concentrated surge of caffeine that enhances alertness, focus, and energy output for some users. However, more isn’t necessarily better when it comes to caffeine.
These specialty brews can easily provide over 400 mg of caffeine per serving, exceeding the recommended daily limit. Drinking multiple cups per day presents health risks for certain individuals.
Pregnant women, teenagers, and people with anxiety or heart conditions should use caution or avoid super coffees. Others should calculate their total daily caffeine intake to ensure they stay under 400 mg.
Moderation and self-awareness are key when indulging in the ultra-strong coffee trend. Pay attention to how your mind and body respond. And consider cutting back if you experience any negative symptoms.
While super coffee may seem tempting for the extreme energy payoff, stick to safe caffeine limits to keep your consumption from becoming excessive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is super coffee bad for you?
Super coffee isn’t inherently bad, but drinking more than one serving per day could lead to health risks due to excessive caffeine intake of over 400mg. Certain groups like pregnant women and people with anxiety or heart conditions are advised to avoid super coffees.
How much super coffee is safe to drink daily?
Health experts recommend limiting caffeine intake to 400mg per day or less. Many super coffee brands contain 300-700mg per serving. To stay within the safe guidelines, limit yourself to one serving of super coffee per day at maximum.
Does super coffee increase blood pressure?
High amounts of caffeine found in super coffee can temporarily raise blood pressure in some individuals. Those with hypertension or heart issues should use caution with caffeinated drinks containing more than 200mg per serving.
Is super coffee addictive?
Regular daily consumption of super coffee can lead to dependence and withdrawal symptoms due to its extremely high caffeine content. Cutting back intake slowly can help prevent adverse effects from caffeine withdrawal.
How much caffeine is in Death Wish coffee?
Death Wish coffee contains approximately 472mg of caffeine per 12oz serving, over 4 times more than a typical cup of coffee. Drinking more than one serving per day could be unsafe for some due to excess caffeine intake.