Daily Brew Limits: How Much Coffee Is Actually Safe to Drink?

Coffee lovers, take note! Before you reach for another brew, it’s worth checking your caffeine intake.

Can’t get through a day or even an hour without a fresh cup of coffee? You’re not alone.

The UK consumes approximately 98 million cups of coffee daily. Estimates suggest that each person drinks about 2.9kg of coffee yearly.

Although the most common amount of coffee consumed in a day is between 1 and 4 cups, 6% of the UK population consumes at least 6 cups of coffee a day.

Whether you think your coffee consumption is getting a bit out of hand, or you’re simply curious about what amount is safe to drink, read on to find out more.

How many cups of coffee is too much?

The reality is, there is no right answer because everybody is different. One person’s caffeine tolerance levels could be completely different from another.

But as a general rule of thumb, up to 400 milligrams of caffeine per day is considered safe to drink for most adults. This is roughly the equivalent of 4 cups of brewed coffee.

So if you’re in the 6% of the population who drinks up to 6 cups, you may want to re-assess your caffeine intake and make the switch to herbal teas or hot chocolate.

But what happens when we drink coffee, and what effect does it have on us?

In general, when we drink coffee, we feel more alert, our reaction times are quicker, and our concentration is enhanced. These short term effects tend to last half an hour to 2 hours, which is why it’s common to keep reaching for more coffee, especially during the work day.

High levels of caffeine intake may not have a noticeable impact on you, but long term it can lead to increased blood pressure. Some people will always be more sensitive to caffeine than others, and this can disturb sleep if you consume coffee in the late afternoon.

But it’s not all bad.

The health benefits of drinking coffee

Too much of anything can have a negative impact, but with coffee, there are actually many health benefits when enjoyed in moderation.

Caffeine contains certain compounds that are anti-inflammatory and contain antioxidant properties. Some studies have shown that drinking between 3-4 cups daily can lower your risk of cardiovascular mortality, certain cancers, and reduce the risk of some liver conditions.

Drinking just one cup of coffee a day may reduce the risk of developing cirrhosis by 20%.

Everyone is different when it comes to safe caffeine consumption, but as long as you know your limits and can spot the signs that you are possibly drinking too much, that’s what is important.

But if you are looking to cut back or switch out at least some of your coffee consumption in a day, there’s always decaf.

Does decaf coffee have caffeine?

Although most decaf blends do contain a small amount of caffeine, it’s significantly less than regular coffee. Most decaffeination processes remove most of the caffeine, but trace amounts, typically anywhere between 2-5mg per cup, can remain.

Nonetheless, swapping out one of your regular coffees a day with decaf coffee is an easy option for those looking to cut down on caffeine. You can enjoy the same great taste and ritual of drinking coffee, but with less caffeine.

There are now lots of options when it comes to decaf coffee, but we would recommend checking out Nescafe. We wrote about their natural decaffeination process here, where they use water to flush out the caffeine, with no added chemicals.

Nescafé Decaf coffee has the same rich, bold flavours, just without the added caffeine. So if you want to cut down, decaf coffee is a great choice.