A 10.5-oz Cold Brew Stubby lists 257 mg of caffeine, while nitro cans list 252–289 mg, based on the label.
Cold brew can taste mellow, then land like a punch. That’s why the caffeine question comes up so often. You want the flavor and the smooth sip, not a surprise buzz that follows you into bedtime.
The catch is simple: “Stumptown cold brew” isn’t one drink. It’s a lineup. The classic Stubby bottle, nitro cans, oatmilk versions, and smaller cans can all carry different caffeine totals.
Below you’ll get the current label numbers, plus an easy way to turn “mg per bottle” into a plan you can live with.
What Counts As Stumptown Cold Brew In Stores
Most people mean one of these refrigerated ready-to-drink items:
- Cold Brew Stubby (10.5 oz bottle)
- Nitro Cold Brew (10.3 oz can, different blends)
- Cold Brew With Oatly (11 oz can, flavored and unflavored)
- Smaller cans like Delight and Decaf (7.5 oz)
Package size alone won’t tell you the caffeine. Two containers can look close in volume and still land far apart in milligrams.
Where The Caffeine Number Comes From
For ready-to-drink coffee, the clearest number is the one tied to the exact product name. Stumptown publishes a list of caffeine amounts for its cold brew products. Stumptown’s cold brew caffeine list puts milligrams next to each bottle or can.
Retailers sometimes display caffeine too, yet those pages can drift behind packaging updates. When you see a mismatch, treat Stumptown’s posted list and the container label as the deciding sources.
Stumptown Cold Brew Caffeine Levels By Can And Bottle
These are the caffeine amounts Stumptown posts for common cold brew items. The numbers are per bottle or can, so they reflect what you drink if you finish the container.
Table 1: Caffeine By Product
| Product | Package Size | Caffeine (mg) |
|---|---|---|
| Cold Brew Stubby | 10.5 oz | 257 |
| Original Nitro | 10.3 oz | 252 |
| Hair Bender Nitro | 10.3 oz | 289 |
| Cold Brew With Oatly | 11 oz | 130 |
| Cold Brew With Chocolate Oatly | 11 oz | 130 |
| Cold Brew With Horchata Oatly | 11 oz | 130 |
| Cold Brew Delight | 7.5 oz | 155 |
| Cold Brew Decaf | 7.5 oz | 6 |
How Much Caffeine Does Stumptown Cold Brew Have?
If you want one clean answer, it depends on the item. The classic 10.5-oz Stubby lists 257 mg of caffeine. The nitro cans list 252 mg for Original Nitro and 289 mg for Hair Bender Nitro. Oatmilk cold brew cans list 130 mg. The small 7.5-oz Delight can lists 155 mg, while the 7.5-oz Decaf can lists 6 mg. Those figures come from Stumptown’s published caffeine list.
Why The Caffeine Changes Across The Lineup
Cold brew sounds like one method, yet caffeine in the finished drink depends on choices the roaster makes: the blend, the brew strength, and what gets mixed in after brewing.
Blend And Recipe Differences
Two nitro cans can look alike and still be built from different blends. When the blend changes, caffeine can change. That’s the cleanest explanation for why Original Nitro and Hair Bender Nitro sit at different milligram totals on Stumptown’s list.
Dilution And Concentrate Math
Some cold brews start as a concentrate and get diluted to a ready-to-drink strength. Stumptown notes that its cold brew concentrate, when diluted 1:1 and poured as a 10.5-oz serving, lands at the same 257 mg value listed for the Stubby. That’s useful if you buy concentrate and mix it at home: your dilution ratio controls your final caffeine per glass.
Milk And Flavor Add-Ins
When cold brew is blended with oatmilk, you’re not drinking a full can of pure coffee. The coffee portion drops, so the caffeine drops too. That’s why the 11-oz oatmilk cans list 130 mg instead of 250+ mg.
Turn Milligrams Into A Plan That Fits Your Day
Milligrams are simple on a label. Real life is not. You might drink half a can on the commute, finish it at lunch, then grab another coffee because you forgot what you already had. A fast way to stay in control is to think in “fractions of a can.”
Half-Can Math That’s Easy To Remember
- Half a Stubby: about 129 mg
- Half an Original Nitro: about 126 mg
- Half a Hair Bender Nitro: about 145 mg
- Half an Oatmilk cold brew: 65 mg
If you’re caffeine-sensitive, the half-can move is a cheat code. You get the taste, you keep the dose lower, and you can decide later if you want the rest.
A Simple Daily Ceiling Reference
Many adults use 400 mg per day as a rough ceiling reference. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cites 400 mg per day as an amount not generally linked with negative effects for most healthy adults. FDA caffeine guidance for adults also notes that individual sensitivity varies.
One Stubby is already around two-thirds of that 400 mg reference. Two Stubbies can push well past it. That doesn’t mean two is “unsafe” for every person, yet it’s a clear signal that these are high-caffeine drinks.
How Late Is Too Late For A High-Caffeine Cold Brew
The hard part about cold brew isn’t the first hour after you drink it. It’s the fifth hour. Caffeine can hang around and still interfere with sleep, even when you feel awake in a normal way.
Use This Table To Compare Options At A Glance
This table frames each product against the 400 mg adult reference from FDA. It’s a fast way to see which can is a “big” dose and which one is lighter.
Table 2: What One Can Means Against A 400 mg Day
| Item | Caffeine (mg) | Share Of A 400 mg Day |
|---|---|---|
| Cold Brew Stubby (10.5 oz) | 257 | 64% |
| Original Nitro (10.3 oz) | 252 | 63% |
| Hair Bender Nitro (10.3 oz) | 289 | 72% |
| Cold Brew With Oatly (11 oz) | 130 | 33% |
| Cold Brew Delight (7.5 oz) | 155 | 39% |
| Cold Brew Decaf (7.5 oz) | 6 | 2% |
The European Food Safety Authority also cites daily intakes up to 400 mg as not raising safety concerns for healthy adults, with separate guidance for pregnancy and nursing. EFSA’s caffeine safety overview lays out those thresholds in plain terms.
Lower Your Caffeine Without Giving Up Cold Brew
If you love the taste but want less caffeine, you’ve got options that don’t feel like a punishment.
Split The Drink
Pour half into a glass, cap the rest, and return it to the fridge. This works best with the Stubby bottle. With nitro, the texture is part of the experience, so it’s better to pour and finish it soon after opening.
Stretch It
Add ice and a splash of milk or oatmilk to slow down the sip rate and soften the punch. You’re not deleting caffeine, yet you’re spreading it across more liquid and more time.
Keep Yourself From Getting Surprised
- Read the “mg caffeine” line near the nutrition panel when it’s available.
- Track your stack across the day: coffee, tea, soda, pre-workout, chocolate.
- Notice the pattern between caffeine and sleep. If sleep gets messy, pull the dose back or move it earlier.
At The Cooler Door
Here’s the core takeaway when you’re choosing a can:
- Hair Bender Nitro (289 mg): highest listed caffeine in the common nitro cans.
- Stubby (257 mg) and Original Nitro (252 mg): high-caffeine choices that can cover most of a day’s coffee for many people.
- Oatmilk cold brew (130 mg): a lighter option with a longer, gentler sip.
- Decaf (6 mg): coffee flavor with a tiny caffeine dose.
If you know which product you’re holding, the caffeine numbers stop being mysterious. You can pick the right strength for the moment and keep your day on track.
References & Sources
- Stumptown Coffee Roasters.“How much caffeine do your Cold Brew products have?”Brand list of caffeine amounts per bottle or can for key ready-to-drink cold brew items.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).“Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine is Too Much?”Explains a 400 mg per day reference level for most healthy adults.
- European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).“Caffeine.”Safety overview citing daily intake levels for healthy adults and separate guidance for pregnancy and nursing.