Does cacao have caffeine? Yes, but only a little: a 20 g daily cup of 100% cacao has about 16 to 32 mg, compared with about 95 mg in a typical 8 oz cup of brewed coffee. That is a sixth to a third of the caffeine in an 8 oz coffee. The low figure is USDA's; published lab data for baking chocolate run about twice as high, because cacao varies from bean to bean.
Most of the stimulant in cacao is not caffeine at all. It is theobromine, a milder relative, and cacao has many times more of it. Below are the numbers for a 10 g and 20 g daily cup and a 40 g ceremonial cup, how cacao powder, nibs, cocoa and cacao butter compare, and what it all means for coffee drinkers, evening cups and anyone sensitive to stimulants.
Does cacao have caffeine? The numbers, cup by cup
Cacao beans naturally contain both caffeine and theobromine, so every form of cacao has some. Here is how a cup of 100% cacao compares with cocoa powder, coffee and tea.
| Serving | Caffeine | Theobromine |
|---|---|---|
| 100% cacao, 10 g daily cup (about 1 tablespoon of pieces) | 8 to 16 mg | 130 mg |
| 100% cacao, 20 g daily cup (about 2 tablespoons of pieces) | 16 to 32 mg | 260 mg |
| 100% cacao, full ceremonial cup (about 40 g) | 32 to 63 mg | 520 mg |
| Unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons (10.8 g) | 25 mg | 220 mg |
| Brewed coffee, 8 oz | 95 mg | 0 mg |
| Brewed black tea, 8 oz | 47 mg | 5 mg |
| Brewed green tea, 8 oz | 28 mg | 0 mg |
Caffeine for 100% cacao is a range: the low end is USDA's figure, the high end published lab data (see how we got these numbers, below). Everything else is calculated from USDA FoodData Central values per 100 g for unsweetened baking chocolate, unsweetened cocoa powder, brewed coffee, brewed black tea and brewed green tea. These are reference values, not lab results for any one product, ours included.
How we got these numbers
The closest USDA match for 100% cacao is unsweetened baking chocolate. US food standards define it as finely ground cacao nibs with 50 to 60% cacao fat (21 CFR Part 163), the same kind of product as 100% cacao paste: the bean, shelled and ground, with its butter. The standard also allows a few optional ingredients, such as salt, spices or milkfat, so we call it the closest match rather than the same thing.
USDA lists it at 80 mg of caffeine and about 1,300 mg of theobromine per 100 g. A review of published lab data lists baking chocolate at 1,580 mg of caffeine per kilogram, or 158 mg per 100 g, about twice USDA's figure (Franco et al., 2013). So each gram of 100% cacao has about 0.8 to 1.58 mg of caffeine and, by USDA figures, about 13 mg of theobromine. Multiply by the grams in your cup to get the numbers in the table.
For the drinks, USDA lists brewed coffee at 40 mg of caffeine per 100 g, and an 8 oz cup weighs 237 g, so 237 × 0.40 = about 95 mg. The same math gives about 47 mg for brewed black tea (20 mg per 100 g) and about 28 mg for brewed green tea (12 mg per 100 g).
Cacao's main stimulant: theobromine, not caffeine
Theobromine is a methylxanthine, a chemical cousin of caffeine, and cocoa contains more of it than caffeine (Martínez-Pinilla et al., 2015). How much more depends on the data: about 16 times as much theobromine as caffeine in USDA's figures, closer to 6 to 10 times in other lab data (Franco et al., 2013; Baggott et al., 2013).
Three differences may help explain why cacao's lift is often described as gentler and longer than coffee's:
- It binds more weakly. Theobromine acts on the same A1 and A2A adenosine receptors as caffeine, but with two to three times lower affinity, and it gets into the brain less readily (Baggott et al., 2013).
- It arrives later. Caffeine peaks in the blood about 30 to 40 minutes after you drink it. Theobromine takes 2 to 3 hours.
- It stays longer. Caffeine's half-life is about 2.5 to 5 hours. Theobromine's is estimated at 7 to 12 hours, so its curve is slow and long rather than sharp.
Many people describe a cup of cacao as a steady, calm lift rather than a jolt. Research on how cacao itself feels, as a food, is still developing. For more on the compound, see what theobromine is and how it works.
Cacao powder caffeine: more per gram, similar per spoon
Gram for gram, cacao powder has more caffeine than 100% cacao, and the main reason is fat. The paste used for ceremonial cacao is the whole bean, shelled and ground with its butter, and about half of it is fat (USDA lists 52 g of fat per 100 g of unsweetened baking chocolate). Cacao powder and cocoa powder are what is left after most of that butter is pressed out (USDA lists 14 g of fat per 100 g of unsweetened cocoa powder), so the powder is more concentrated by weight.
USDA lists unsweetened cocoa powder at 230 mg of caffeine and 2,060 mg of theobromine per 100 g, against 80 mg and 1,300 mg in its baking chocolate. That is nearly three times the caffeine. Most of that gap is the missing fat; the rest is natural variation between samples (USDA's cocoa caffeine figure comes from a single analysis). Products sold as raw cacao powder are made the same basic way, by pressing most of the butter out of ground cacao and milling what is left, so expect numbers in the same range, though every product varies.
Spoon for spoon, the gap closes, because powder is light. A tablespoon of cocoa powder weighs 5.4 g, about half as much as a tablespoon of our cacao pieces (about 10 g). So a tablespoon of cocoa powder has about 12 mg of caffeine, and a tablespoon of 100% cacao pieces about 8 to 16 mg: roughly the same.
What the powder gives up is the cacao butter, the part that makes a ceremonial cup thick and creamy. For the full comparison beyond caffeine, see ceremonial cacao vs cacao powder.
Caffeine in cacao vs coffee
On caffeine alone, the gap is wide. Even a full 40 g ceremonial cup, at about 32 to 63 mg, has a third to two thirds of the caffeine in an 8 oz cup of brewed coffee. Coffee itself varies a lot: the FDA lists a 12 oz cup of regular brewed coffee at 113 to 247 mg (FDA).
The other difference is timing: theobromine arrives later and stays longer (see the three differences above), so do not expect cacao to hit like coffee. If you are thinking of switching, our cacao vs coffee guide has a simple week-by-week plan.
What the caffeine means for an evening cup
An evening cup carries the same caffeine and theobromine as a morning one (see the table above), and because theobromine clears so slowly, much of it is still in your system at bedtime. If you are wondering can you drink cacao at night, our timing guide counts back from your bedtime to a cutoff that fits.
Caffeine sensitivity and safety
Theobromine is a mild stimulant and a cup also has a little caffeine, so people sensitive to caffeine or other stimulants may feel it. If you are pregnant or nursing, take medication or manage a health condition, check with your healthcare provider first. Cacao and chocolate are toxic to dogs, so keep your cup out of reach.
Common questions about cacao and caffeine
How much caffeine is in ceremonial cacao?
A little. Ceremonial cacao like ours is 100% cacao paste, so a 10 to 20 g daily cup has about 8 to 32 mg of caffeine and a full 40 g ceremonial cup about 32 to 63 mg. The range runs from USDA's figure for unsweetened baking chocolate, its closest match for 100% cacao, to published lab data. Its main stimulant, by amount, is theobromine.
Do cacao beans have caffeine?
Yes. Raw or roasted, cacao beans naturally contain both caffeine and theobromine, so cacao is not caffeine-free. Shelled and ground into 100% cacao, they hold about 0.8 to 1.6 mg of caffeine per gram, based on USDA and published lab figures for unsweetened baking chocolate, which US standards define as finely ground cacao nibs.
Do cacao nibs have caffeine?
Yes. Cacao nibs are the shelled, cracked pieces of the bean, and 100% cacao paste is simply ground nibs (21 CFR 163.111), so gram for gram nibs are in the same range as 100% cacao: about 8 to 16 mg of caffeine and, by USDA figures, about 130 mg of theobromine in 10 g.
Does cocoa have caffeine?
Yes. Cocoa is made from the same bean as cacao, so it has caffeine and theobromine too. With most of the butter pressed out, cocoa powder carries more of both per gram than 100% cacao: USDA lists unsweetened cocoa powder at 230 mg of caffeine and 2,060 mg of theobromine per 100 g.
How much caffeine is in cacao powder?
About 12 mg per tablespoon (5.4 g), going by USDA's figure for unsweetened cocoa powder. Cacao powder is made the same basic way, by pressing most of the butter out of ground cacao, so expect a similar amount, though products vary. Spoon for spoon, that is close to a tablespoon of 100% cacao pieces.
Does cacao butter have caffeine?
A little caffeine and very little theobromine. In a review that compiles published lab data (Franco et al., 2013), cacao butter, also called cocoa butter, has about 0.4 mg of caffeine and 0.14 mg of theobromine per gram, against about 1.6 mg and 10 mg per gram for baking chocolate. Most of cacao's theobromine stays with the cocoa solids, not the butter.
Does cacao have more caffeine than tea?
Less than black tea, about the same as green tea. An 8 oz cup of brewed black tea has about 47 mg of caffeine and brewed green tea about 28 mg (USDA figures), while a 20 g daily cup of 100% cacao has about 16 to 32 mg. A full 40 g ceremonial cup, at about 32 to 63 mg, is closer to black tea.
Does cacao have more caffeine than decaf coffee?
Usually, yes. The FDA says decaf coffee typically has 2 to 15 mg of caffeine in an 8 oz cup, while a 10 to 20 g daily cup of 100% cacao has about 8 to 32 mg.
What is the difference between theobromine and caffeine?
They are chemical cousins, both methylxanthines, and they act on the same adenosine receptors. Caffeine binds them more strongly and acts faster: it peaks about 30 to 40 minutes after you drink it and has a half-life of 2.5 to 5 hours. Theobromine peaks after 2 to 3 hours and has an estimated half-life of 7 to 12 hours, which may help explain why many people describe cacao as slower and steadier.
How Alma Cacao fits in
Alma Cacao is ceremonial cacao: 100% whole cacao paste, shaved into small pieces, with the cacao butter left in and nothing added. That makes the 100% cacao rows in the table above the closest reference for our cup (reference values, not a lab result for our cacao). A daily cup is 10 to 20 g, 1 to 2 tablespoons of pieces whisked into 6 to 8 oz of water or milk at about 180°F, and a full ceremonial cup is about 40 g (40 to 42 g). The pieces melt in about a minute, with nothing to chop or grate.
Our cacao is single-origin, from native communities of the Peruvian Amazon. It is tested for heavy metals (lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury) by an ISO 17025 accredited lab and made in a GMP certified facility. The co-op we source from gives 2% back to the producer communities, and we donate another 2% of every sale to For the Love of Mateo.
If you want a morning cup with a fraction of coffee's caffeine, start with the ½ lb Starter of Alma Cacao, which makes about 20 daily cups, and see how a slower cup fits your day.
