Flat white vs latte: caffeine compared
Flat white has 125 mg of caffeine per 5.4 oz cup. Latte has 62 mg per 8 oz cup.
Per serving flat white is ahead: 125 mg against 62 mg, twice as much. Per 100 ml flat white is ahead: 78 mg against 26 mg, 3 times as much.
| Flat white | Latte | |
|---|---|---|
| Serving | 5.4 oz cup (160 ml) | 8 oz cup (240 ml) |
| Caffeine per serving | 125 mg | 62 mg |
| Caffeine per 100 ml | 78 mg | 26 mg |
| Caffeine per fl oz | 23.1 mg | 7.7 mg |
| In the same 12 oz (355 ml) | 277 mg | 92 mg |
| Share of the 400 mg daily limit | 31% | 16% |
| Peak level, 45 minutes in | 114 mg | 57 mg |
| Time to fall below 40 mg | 9 and a half hours | 4 hours |
| Latest for an 11 pm bedtime | 1:26 pm | 7:12 pm |
| Servings to reach 400 mg | 3.2 | 6.5 |
What the numbers mean
A flat white is smaller than a latte and about twice as strong. It is built on a double shot with less milk, where a standard latte is a single shot stretched to fill the cup.
This is the comparison that catches people out, because the smaller cup reads as the lighter choice. If you are switching to cut down, go the other way: a single-shot latte is the milder drink.
The full page for each
Common questions
Which has more caffeine, flat white or latte?
Flat white. One 5.4 oz cup holds 125 mg, against 62 mg in one 8 oz cup of latte: twice as much.
Which is the better choice late in the day?
Latte. For an 11 pm bedtime one serving can be had as late as 7:12 pm, against 1:26 pm for flat white.
How many servings of latte equal one flat white?
About 2. One 5.4 oz cup of flat white holds 125 mg and one 8 oz cup of latte holds 62 mg.
How many can I have in a day?
Going by the 400 mg daily limit for healthy adults: about 3 servings of flat white or 6 of latte, if that is the only caffeine you have. Anything else with caffeine in it counts toward the same limit.
More comparisons
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Where these numbers come from
Every figure is calculated with the model the Cira app uses: caffeine peaks 45 minutes after you take it and halves every 5.7 hours, a typical value for healthy adults. The 40 mg sleep line is a working threshold of the model, and the 400 mg daily limit is the figure used by the European Food Safety Authority and the US FDA. These are averages. Smoking, pregnancy, the contraceptive pill and some medicines change how fast you clear caffeine. How the numbers are worked out.
