To my husband’s dismay, I like my coffee loaded. When I say loaded, I mean chocolate, caramel, milk and a splash of whole cream. Russell cringes when he makes my morning cold brew coffee and he, being the sport that he is, doesn’t complain. I often thought to myself, “does cold brew coffee have more caffeine”?

White Coffee in My Cold Brew
I’ve recently started experimenting with white coffee in my cold brew. I use 50/50 of Majestic Medium Roast (¼ cup-ish) and White Lightning Roast (¼ cup-ish); both with a medium grind. It’s so simple.
- Just put the grounds in a quart size Mason jar
- Add water (preferably filtered and cold)
- Shake well
- And refrigerate
Then in the morning, “Voila”. Cold Brew, and iced. Yes please!
Adding a Nutty Flavor Naturally

This is the recipe that works for me; you may have to experiment on the portion sizes to come up with the measurements that work for you. My Mason quart jar of cold brew will usually last me for 4 or 5 days.
What I discovered with adding white coffee to my cold brew is that it added a slight nutty taste, almost a smooth peanut butter flavor. Not only does it add delicious flavoring, but with the extra caffeine in the white coffee, it gives me an additional pick me up.
So, when answering my own question, does cold brew coffee have more caffeine, the short answer is; “Yes”. The truth is, the darker the roast, the less the caffeine; the lighter the roast the more the caffeine. I’m not sure you’re aware that white coffee has almost double the amount of caffeine than dark roast. This is because dark roasted beans have had the oils, caffeine, bioflavonoid, antioxidants and flavor roasted out of the beans.
Cold Brew from Home

That’s why bitter and burnt industrial dark roasted coffee tastes so bitter. Just about everyone has his or her favorite coffee shop or drive thru. But here’s a secret; no one brews better cup of coffee than you can right at home.
Cold brew works for me, because usually I’m a bit foggy and need the immediate jolt of caffeine. Ice added to my cold brew allows me to take a couple of quick gulps to get the blood flowing. Hot coffee, on the other hand, is too hot for gulping, thus the ice.
If you’re still wondering does cold brew coffee have more caffeine, the best way to really kick-up your cold brew is to add white coffee.
Does Cold Brew Have More Caffeine

The trick is finding the best whole bean white coffee. What you’re looking for is:
- Freshly roasted (within the last week)
- Highest quality coffee (Arabica)
- Whole Bean
- Super Smooth Beans (Costa Rican)
If you search the internet for “whole bean white coffee”, you’ll find Lake City Coffee. That’d be us.
Don’t get cold brew coffee and iced coffee confused. Iced coffee is made hot (usually brewed around 200 degrees Fahrenheit) and then quickly cooled down using ice. If you like super smooth cold brew coffee, you’d be hard pressed to find anything better than Lake City Coffee.
This sounds great. I like the thought of a slightly nutty, peanut butter flavor in my cold brew. I’ll be ordering some white lightning! Thanks for the tip.
Lauren,
I think you’ll love the additional flavor, I’ve been adding the White Lightning to my cold brew for several months now. The white coffee beans are extremely hard to be sure to not over-tax your grinder. Enjoy!
Blessings,
Alisha
Chocolate, caramel, milk, and cream? I feel betrayed and stabbed in the back. What sacrilege and evil is this? The wife of a world class coffee roaster defiling my precious coffee. How will I ever forgive you? Maybe in time, love can cover all sins. 🙂 I love you and forgive you, in spite of your coffee choices.