When news of Starbucks’ decadent-sounding Valentine’s Day drinks broke yesterday, naturally a whole bunch of questions started swirling around about them. The biggie? It’s exactly what you think: Is there caffeine in the Starbucks Molten Chocolate Latte? How about the Molten Chocolate Frappuccino? Or the Molten Hot Chocolate? Will these tasty treats function the same way my regular midday pick-me-up does? Never underestimate the worth of the coffee break.
In an answer that hopefully surprises no one, yes, all three drinks have caffeine in them. Bustle went right to the source for details, and according to a Starbucks spokesperson, the Molten Chocolate Latte contains the most caffeine of the bunch at about 100mg of the stuff. The Molten Chocolate Frappuccino, meanwhile, is next in line, with about 80mg of caffeine; the Molten Hot Chocolate comes in last, with about 25mg. The exact amount of caffeine, of course, will vary depending on the size of your beverage — a Venti Molten Chocolate Latte will contain more than a Tall, and so on and so forth.
Worth noting: It’s doubtful that you’ll be able to get completely caffeine-free versions of the drinks. Besides the fact that even decaf coffee still has some caffeine in it, all three of the Valentine's Day beverages have the same key ingredients in their makeup: Chocolate and mocha sauce, both of which are sources of caffeine. Like coffee, chocolate is naturally caffeinated; one ounce of dark chocolate contains about 28.4 grams of it. And as for mocha? Given that these days, “mocha” refers to anything flavored with a mix of chocolate and coffee (although, hey, fun fact: Originally the word meant a specific type of coffee bean), that means that Starbucks’ mocha sauce also involves a mix of chocolate and coffee. And when you combine two caffeinated substances? Well, you do the math.
OK, so maybe mocha sauce won't make your hair do that... but you get what I mean.
But hey, the good news is that you can at least cut down on the caffeine content in your beverage, even if you go for the latte: Starbucks drinks are fully customizable, which means you can sub in decaf espresso for the high-test stuff if you like. According to the Mayo Clinic, regular restaurant-style espresso has between 47 and 75mg of caffeine per one ounce, while decaf restaurant-style espresso has only a maximum of 15mg; so, if you’re trying to limit your caffeine intake, but also don’t want to miss these snazzy, limited-edition Valentine’s Day treats, then go right ahead. Knock yourself out, metaphorically speaking. You deserve it.
Images: Starbucks; Giphy
