Ever find yourself downing a whole pot of coffee?
And then downing a second pot of coffee?
If that sounds like you, well, we have a lot in common.
It may be time to switch to something with a little more jolt. Not everyone can spend all morning making pot after pot of coffee.
There’s the whole thing where you have to put on pants and go out into the world. No one said life would be easy.
We gathered a list of five strongest coffee brands so you can focus on waking up and getting out the door. Whether you’re a high-performance athlete or a late-shift hustler, you’ll find the perfect cup of coffee below.
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The Best High Caffeine Coffee: Our Picks
1. Megaton Coffee
Megaton is the go-to coffee for high-performance athletes. Their website is filled with recommendations and endorsements from climbers, Jiu-Jitsu champions, and ultramarathon runners.
It makes sense. On the day of a big performance, can you really afford to drink three or four cups of coffee? If you’ve ever sprinted to a taco truck after a few beers, you know that no one can afford to have extra weight around in high-pressure situations.
Megaton doesn’t use any artificial or synthetic caffeine boosters in their coffee. Because it’s made for athletes they keep it simple and natural.
How do they do it? Well, here’s your horticulture lesson for the day.
Arabica vs. Robusta
There are two major species of coffee plants: Arabica and Robusta.
Most coffee we drink is made from Arabica coffee. Arabica has been prized for decades because of its clean flavor.
However, according to Caffeine Informer, Robusta can have up to 83% more caffeine than its Arabica counterpart.
Megaton coffee uses a blend of Arabica and Robusta to boost its caffeine levels without adding anything artificial. But even though Robusta usually has a bitter taste, Megaton has a little secret that keeps their coffee tasting great while still packing heat in the caffeine department.
Bad Robusta vs. Good Robusta
Megaton sent us a sample to try and we took it to the TAM lab (my kitchen) for some heavy analysis.
We picked out the Robusta beans from the Megaton coffee and compared them to a handful of Robusta beans given to us from a local roastery. Can you guess which one has a better flavor in the finished cup of coffee?
As you can probably tell, Megaton selects better beans from the beginning. Our second “local roastery” sample is filled with immature and under-roasted beans. These end up tasting like dirty hay in the finished cup, which isn’t exactly the kind of flavor you’re looking for unless you’re a horse.
But it’s not all about flavor. Megaton has built a community of athletes around their brand, and they show their commitment by sharing training tips, recipes, and motivational stories through their site.
As the curious fellows we are, we had to see for ourselves if Megaton really gives the athletic edge they claim. We put it to a
While hardly scientific, our
On Monday we did the challenge with our regular morning routine. 11 minutes and 15 seconds. Not bad.
On Friday, we did the same challenge, but this time with a cup of Megaton in our system. 10 minutes and 37 seconds.
It may not seem like much, but that five per cent boost is a critical edge for those who put everything they have into each day.
As for freshness, we were impressed with Megaton. They roast their coffee in small batches, which allows Megaton to have better control over the roast and to ship out freshly roasted coffee within days of receiving an order. Some coffees in the supermarket sit around for months before you open the bag. Not the case with Megaton.
They ship their beans in a one-way vented bag which creates an oxygen-free environment, keeping the beans fresh for longer.
Whether you want a boost in your daily workout or you’re on the lookout for a competitive edge, take a look at Megaton today. If you weren’t already an ultramarathon runner before, you might become one after a few cups.
2. Deathwish Coffee Company
Founded in 2012, Deathwish Coffee may not have been the first to enter the high-caffeine coffee game, but they put it on the map.
With 59mg/oz of caffeine, a cup of Deathwish coffee might feel more like a date with a defibrillator for the caffeine-sensitive. According to Consumer Reports, an average serving of Deathwish has over 700mg of caffeine in it. That’s the same as three and a half 5-Hour Energy drinks.
So unless you have an actual deathwish, be careful with this coffee. They feature a skull and crossbones as their logo for a reason.
A member of the TAM team used to be a teacher and would occasionally find Deathwish coffee in the teacher’s lounge. Here’s what he had to say about it.
“I always wanted to bring passion and energy into the classroom because I remember some of my teachers being super boring. Because of that, I was usually amped up going into class, but on the days where I wasn’t feeling it, I’d drink our emergency ration of Deathwish. That did the trick. I’d consciously have to remember to blink. It was awesome.”
Deathwish roasts their coffee darker than any other entries on this list. If you love the intense smoky and roasty flavors of dark coffee, you’ll enjoy Deathwish.
Many sites are excited to dispel the myth that dark roasts actually contain less caffeine than light roasts. It’s true—darker roasts drive off more caffeine, but it won’t make any noticeable difference in your cup of coffee. When you’re up above 700mg of caffeine per cup, you won’t notice the missing one or two milligrams.
Deathwish also offers unsweetened and lightly sweetened cold-brew cans if you’re in a rush. They claim that the cold-brew will help you harness your superpowers, and while we did accidentally shoot laser-beams out of our eyes while writing this article, we can’t confirm whether it was the Deathwish coffee or something else.
![DEATH WISH COFFEE Canned Organic Iced Cold Brew, Slightly Sweetened Black [8 fl oz | 12 pack | 300mg of Caffeine] The World's Strongest, Dairy Free, Low Carb, Keto Friendly Energy Drink](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/512piZ17Q9L.jpg "The 5 Strongest Coffee Brands That Will Skyrocket Your Daily Performance 7")
Last update on 2022-01-07 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
If you want to stick with the most established caffeine-slingers around, Deathwish is your choice. Yeah, you might worry your mother by drinking out of a bag covered with skulls and crossbones, but the extra caffeine is enough to get you through anything (except that pesky brick wall in your way).
Pick up a bag of Deathwish and check out the brand that started the high-caffeine trend.
Get Deathwish on Amazon now:
![DEATH WISH COFFEE Ground Coffee Dark Roast [16 oz.] The World's Strongest Coffee - Organic, Fair Trade, Strong Coffee Grounds from Arabica, Robusta (1-Pack)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41dmnvKkxES.jpg "The 5 Strongest Coffee Brands That Will Skyrocket Your Daily Performance 8")
Last update on 2022-01-06 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
3. Shock Coffee
New York is the city that never sleeps. It shouldn’t be a surprise that Shock has based its operations in New York since 2004.
To give you an idea of what Shock Coffee is up to, here’s their motto—sleep is overrated.
While we think sleep has been pretty decently rated, we get where they’re coming from.
Sometimes sleep just isn’t an option. That’s why Shock has become a favorite amongst US soldiers deployed overseas. Served at over 300 military bases worldwide, it’s become the best-known way to stay awake through an overnight post.
Shock offers its coffee in K-cups, too. There aren’t many high-octane coffees available in single-use cups, so if you’re a Keurig owner, Shock is worth a try.
Last update on 2022-01-06 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
We haven’t had the chance to try out Shock for ourselves, but we were impressed with the reviews.
Some said they felt like their eyeballs were being held open with toothpicks—others said they’d been awake for 30 hours. Those were the 5-star reviews. Shock Coffee is no joke.
Reviewers say that the coffee packs a kick but doesn’t come off bitter or sharp tasting. While Deathwish is more suited for dark-roast lovers, Shock is a better choice for those who don’t want so much smokiness in their morning cup.
Shock offers trial size portions of either 75g ground coffee or three-count k-cups. They offer a 100% money-back guarantee “if you don’t fall in love instantly.” That offer has turned out well for Shock—much better than my same offer at bars and clubs.
Shock should be your top-choice cup of coffee if you own a Keurig, fly a jet, or drive a tank. If you do all three, what are you waiting for?
Get Shock on Amazon now:
Last update on 2022-01-06 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
4. Black Rifle Coffee Company
This veteran-owned coffee company from Salt Lake City has exploded in recent years. Despite only starting five years ago, their strong commitment to the US armed forces and a gun-toting lifestyle has helped them become one of the most popular brands in the states.
Their CAF blend (caffeinated as f—) is made from 100% Colombian beans. It’s the only entry in this list that doesn’t use robusta beans and has the lowest amount of caffeine.
Last update on 2022-01-06 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
That being said, a cup of CAF still has double the amount of caffeine as a standard cup of coffee.
While we haven’t tried Black Rifle, over 300 Amazon customer reviews have overwhelmingly positive things to say. For many, it’s more about Black Rifle’s mission than anything else.
Black Rifle has promised to employ 10,000 US veterans and regularly sends coffee to active-duty military members.
All Black Rifle needs to do is add a ketchup stain running down the front and they’ve figured out the simplest way to describe the USA to anyone who might be unfamiliar.
CAF is mellow compared to the other offerings on this list. It’s a good option if you’re looking to dip your toes into highly caffeinated coffees. Consider it entry-level for the caffeine-curious.
Take a look and see what one of the fastest growing coffee companies in the US is all about.
Get Black Rifle on Amazon now:
Last update on 2022-01-06 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
5. Devil Mountain Coffee
When it comes to caffeine, Black Label from Devil Mountain is the strongest coffee on this list. It may be the strongest drink, period.
Last update on 2022-01-06 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
This stuff has 129mg caffeine per ounce. To put that in perspective—drinking one 8oz cup of Black Label will give you more caffeine than six Monster Energy drinks.
There’s no typo there.
Devil Mountain has an array of blends to choose from, all of them packing a big caffeine punch. On their website, the blends are tiered at different power levels, ranging from three to six.
But their Black Label blend is off-the-charts intense.
Devil Mountain has been building on their small following, gaining new disciples every day. We haven’t given their blends a try, but the reviews show they’re doing it right.
Most reviews compare it to Deathwish Coffee, with many saying that it’s the only coffee that has enough gusto to get them going in the morning.
Black Label isn’t meant to be taken lightly, as a small cup far exceeds the Mayo Clinic’s recommendation of a safe caffeine dosage. But for those who work late, wake up too early, or need to crush it at a chess championship, Black Label is the business.
Think you can handle a cup of the strongest coffee in the world? Give Black Label from Devil Mountain a try.
Get Devil Mountain on Amazon now:
Last update on 2022-01-06 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Feeling the Jitters?
Did you overdo it with the caffeine already? At TAM, we totally get it.
The best way of getting rid of the caffeine jitters is with a glass of water and a banana. Try it next time you’ve had one too many espressos.
The Final Shot
Is a standard cup of coffee not cutting it for you anymore? It may be time to step into the world of high-caffeine coffees.
Be careful not to pick up any coffees that have artificial caffeine additives. We hand-selected each coffee on this list because they only used the natural caffeine found in coffee.
As you can tell with brands like Megaton and Devil Mountain, all-natural versions pack all the punch you need to get through a long day.
Don’t let under-caffeination slow you down. Grab a bag of high-powered beans and get going.
