Here’s how to choose the right coffee that will wake you up the most

Typically, I don’t discriminate when it comes to coffee. Give me any form of caffeine in the morning short of an IV drip.

But have you ever wondered which types of java will actually perk you up the most? Well, it turns out there is a decent amount of discrepancy depending on your go-to Starbucks order.

Espresso shots are the best way to go if you’re looking for quick, maximum caffeinating. According to The Inertia, they contain 45-75 milligrams of caffeine per ounce, compared to drip coffee, which has just 20 milligrams per ounce. However, when you consider how many ounces of coffee you actually consume at one time — and let’s be honest it’s never just ONE ounce — it clocks in at much more.

For example a latte with two shots of espresso can creep to upwards of 150 milligrams, and a standard 12-ounce drip coffee reaches 240 milligrams. Particularly tired? If you spring for a 20-ounce coffee it puts you at 400.

What about light and dark roast? This has long been a source of confusion among coffee drinkers, as most people anticipate that dark roast has more caffeine as a result of its full-bodied, robust flavor and deep hue. Turns out, lighter roasts tend to have more caffeine by the scoop, which is partly a result of the roasting process. As the beans roast, they lose water and expand, so when they’re lightly roasted they retain more caffeine.

However, this differs depending on strain of beans, as well as the method in which beans are ground, The Inertia notes.

“The finer you grind a bean, the more surface area there is to extract said caffeine,” The Inertia writes. “Plus water temps that are between 195 and 205 seemingly force out the most caffeine from grinds.”

The water temperature explains why iced coffee tends to have less caffeine in it than drip. So while a cold brew coffee may be refreshing, it might not wake you up as much as a drip coffee or hot espresso drink.

Want to fully maximize your caffeine intake? According to Tech Insider, you should have a double espresso made with Robusta beans. 70 percent of the world’s coffee comes from Arabica beans, but Robusta beans have twice the caffeine.

I don’t know about you, but I’m switching to Robusta.