What's strong coffee?

The term Strong Coffee has 2 very different meanings. The first can be attributed to taste. Does it stand up well to milk and does it provide that powerful hit in an espresso, with the caramel, spice kick. In this sense the coffee is usually a darker roasted coffee which typically has more "roast flavours". Think of it like flame grilled on the BBQ with the burnt edges. Not necessarily a bad thing? That's for you to decide. 

Secondly strong coffee can refer to the strength of caffeine within your cup. Just because a coffee is roasted longer or darker, doesn't mean it has more or less caffeine. You can certainly have a very highly caffeinated light roast coffee. 

So with this in mind, decide what you really want, when looking for 'strong coffee'. In our gymBrew blend, we combine high caffeine quality coffee beans with a medium dark roast. This gives a lovely smooth tasting brew with the kick of caffeine for an extra buzz. 

The Arabica & Robusta Divide:

You may have heard of Arabica and Robusta coffee. Robusta naturally has roughly twice the caffeine than Arabica coffee beans. Robusta is typically regarded as the cheap poor quality bean, which was probably true in the past but you can get some very good Robusta coffees on the market these days, however these can be few and far between. It's also worth noting Robusta coffees can be attributed to cheap blends because their high caffeine content helps prevent pests and disease. This  allows them to grow more abundantly hence the lower price. 

Bitterness is also much more apparent in Robusta coffees as the higher caffeine translates to a bitter taste in the mouth. Bitterness is also more commonplace in darker roast coffees. Think lighter roast, higher acidity. Darker roast, potential for bitterness can creep in. This will ultimately depend on the skill of the roast master, and ideally he or she should look to create a balanced pleasant cup. 

Coffee Strength & Strong Coffee when Brewing:

Strength of coffee, can also be manipulated when brewing. If you simply add more coffee to your brew you will get a stronger taste and high caffeine content. However if you just add heaps of ground coffee to your v60 you are likely to get an overwhelming coffee taste that really doesn't provide the same tasty brew. Likewise if you pour 3 espresso shots in your Latte, it will certainly provide a kick but at the expense of that silky smooth coffee that it can be. 

If you are looking for a strong coffee, that's strong tasting and with higher caffeine content but also tastes delicious, please check out our gymBrew coffee today!

Below are some typical popular high caffeine drinks for caffeine content reference:

Red Bull - 77mg per can

Standard Single Espresso - 63mg

Cup of tea - 26mg

Monster Energy - 86mg per can

The terms 'UK's strongest coffee and World's strongest coffee are thrown around a lot in the industry. Truth be told, it really depends on the brewing and whether the coffee can be independently verified or lab tested to prove what is ultimately the strongest or highest caffeine coffee. You really need to compare apples with apples or in this case coffee with coffee. A specific volume of water (mg) for a specific weight of coffee (g) and brewed in exactly the same way.