It's official: We live in a nation of coffee lovers. According to the , coffee consumption was higher in the spring of 2024 than it's been in over 20 years, having increased by a whopping 37% since 2004. Maybe we're more stressed, maybe we're more tired, or maybe we're just more easily swayed by the ever-increasing number of flavors and syrups on offer (for context, pumpkin spice lattes were only in their infancy back in 2004).
Whatever the reason, we're visiting our go-to coffee shops more than ever — and they're doing everything they can to keep us wrapped around their caffeinated finger. In the java haze, sometimes it's hard to see exactly how our favorite stores keep us hooked. Fortunately, while we're pretty dedicated to our daily cup (okay, let's be real, cups) of joe, we're also committed to transparency about what goes on behind the scenes.
Here are some of the shadiest secrets plaguing major coffee chains. Some coffee shops serve more caffeine than others Two coffees aren't always built equal. While drinks from different coffee shops may look similar in size, they're not always made to the same strength.
In fact, some outlets produce notably stronger coffees, which means that . The most frustrating thing is that there's no real consistency. For example, a 20-fluid-ounce Americano — AKA a venti at Starbucks or a large hot coffee at Dunkin', if you want to picture it more clearly — contains approximately (depending on the specific drink) 300 milligrams at Starbuc.