Which drink has more caffeine:
A 44oz Diet Coke (Not the caffeine free variety, of course) OR
A 12oz French Vanilla or Double Moca Capaccino. (The kind you get at a gas station)
I can drink diet coke all day long and never get a caffeine buzz. But it seems that one capaccino will make flip out hard. Consumption time is not the issue, since I’ll drink either of them in less than five minutes or so.
A diet Coke has 31 mg of caffeine/8 oz. Assuming your 44 oz drink has no ice in it, you’re looking at about 170 mg of caffeine. According to this page, a French Vanilla cappucino has 45-50 mg of caffeine in 8 oz. That’d put yours at around 70-75 mg. The coke has about 2.5 times as much caffeine, assuming it’s the same sort of French Vanilla cappucino.
I’ve also noticed, however, that espresso, even though it’s got far less caffeine in it per serving (not per oz) than coffee, seems to hit me harder. Maybe there’s something else going on, some sort of catalyzing chemical or something.
Daniel
Source: http://www.nsda.org/WhatsIn/caffeinecontent.html
You seem to have answered your own question. Since you did not supply more details about the capaccino, no definitive answer is possible. This web site offers the caffeine content of various foods (including coffee variations) and OTC drugs.
Note the cites I dug up: unless his cappucino is about twice as strong as the one I listed, he’s likely getting more caffeine through his diet coke.
However, I note again that this assumes the 44 oz coke is all coke and no ice; if it’s ice, I have no idea.
On a side note, I’ll get my cappucino at a gas station the same day I get my gasoline at a coffeeshop. That stuff’s nasty.
Daniel
Coffee is a complicated brew. It contains a lot of chemicals, the strength and proportions of which can vary a lot, depending on how the coffee was prepared, how fresh it is, what beans were used to make it, etc. Some people claim that even decaffeinated coffee can be addictive.
I don’t know the answer to your question, but it’s possible that there’s more than just caffeine content involved in the answer. Maybe the way your body processes 12oz of liquid vs. 44oz. of liquid is important. Or that the time of day that you have these beverages is a factor.
Duckster, it’s the normal kind that comes out of the little noisy machine. Found in gas stations and cafeterias n such. It’s good, and most importantly, cheap.
Left Hand of Dorkness, I rarely waste space with ice. So it’s most likely 44oz of Diet Coke, plus however much I can down while in front of the fountain before filling it back up again.
Lagged2Death, I don’t know what all goes into brewing or making these capaccinos, but they come out of the machine, so I don’t believe there are too many variables.
BTW, why is the machine so damn noisy? Is it grinding beans or something?