The Drink Brand That Has 3x More Caffeine Than Your Average Cup Of Coffee
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If you're researching drinks with more caffeine than a cup of coffee (like we did when we found eight of them), the name "Death Wish Coffee" is highly likely to come up. The edgy name and branding, which is heavy on broody black and leering skulls, lets you know from the jump that this isn't your normal coffee company. For those who see coffee more as a caffeine transmission vessel than a relaxing morning bevvie, this aggressively hyped product might be just for you.
According to VeryWell Health, eight ounces of brewed coffee contains around 90 to 95 milligrams of caffeine, or around 11.5 milligrams per ounce. While all Death Wish Coffee alleges superior strength, it's hard to outdo its "Power Surge" beans. This specific product, as per Death Wish Coffee's own copy, yields about 210 milligrams of coffee in a six-ounce cup, or 35 milligrams per ounce. A bit of math tells us that's three times as much as what's in a regular cup of joe.
Some say that sipping coffee thoughtfully like wine allows you to best appreciate its nuances, but the big selling point of Power Surge coffee is its unrivaled ability to amp up its drinker. One secret to Power Surge's hype — and to the Death Wish Coffee schtick overall — is the use of robusta beans. Arabica beans are more flavorful and popular for coffee worldwide, but robusta beans pack twice the caffeine. To us, this begs a few questions. Is the coffee any good? Moreover, is it healthy to drink treble-powered coffee?
You can caffeine-load with Death Wish Coffee ... but should you?
On Amazon, which offers the Power Surge coffee beans in both a ground and whole-bean variety, the product enjoys overall positive ratings of around 4.3 out of 5 stars. A YouTube reviewer who took the time to evaluate the taste, mouthfeel, and brew of Death Wish Coffee (although not specifically Power Surge) gave it middling feedback. He did note that it felt like he'd consumed "three shots of espresso" after drinking it, which some might take as an endorsement of the coffee's famed potency.
Over on Reddit, the question "Does anyone actually enjoy Death Wish coffee?" garnered a mixed bag of responses, ranging from complaints about an acrid scent/taste to complete love. One balanced response: "It may be [a] marketing gimmick, but it IS strong coffee." (Note: adding balanced ingredients to your mug might help you enjoy your coffee more and mask the bitter taste associated with excessive caffeine).
With all that said, is it a good idea to drink Death Wish Coffee's Power Surge brew from a health perspective? All specific inquiries about your individual tolerance and sensitivity should be fielded by a medical professional, but, speaking generally for healthy adults, a maximum of one cup of Power Surge a day should be fine. The Mayo Clinic recommends no more than 400 milligrams of caffeine a day, and one cup of Power Surge puts you at more than half of that. Plus, the 210 milligrams figure applies to just six ounces. Ingesting too much caffeine can make you jittery, anxious, and restless, so moderation is key.