Coffee, tea and botanicals,
measured the same way.

What people ask before they trust a number

Short answers to the questions that decide whether the rest of this site is any use to you — including the ones where the honest answer is that the evidence is thinner than the marketing.

How much caffeine is in espresso compared with matcha or cold brew?

In this catalogue a single-origin espresso carries 64 mg per 1 oz (30 ml shot), ceremonial matcha 70 mg per 2g powder in 2.5 oz water, and nitro cold brew 205 mg per 12 oz glass. Those are doses, not strengths: the servings differ by more than tenfold. By concentration the order reverses — espresso is 213.3 mg per 100 ml against cold brew's 57.7 mg per 100 ml. Which figure matters depends on whether you are asking what you will drink or how strong the liquid is.

Does the L-theanine in matcha cancel out the caffeine?

No. L-theanine does not slow how fast caffeine is absorbed and does not reduce how much reaches the bloodstream — the pharmacokinetics are unchanged. What some trials report is a difference in the subjective experience: taken together, L-theanine and caffeine have been associated with improved attention and less perceived jitteriness than caffeine alone. That is an effect on how the dose feels, not on the dose itself.

What does CupCura actually measure, and what is editorial judgement?

Caffeine figures are typical values for a stated serving, drawn from published beverage-composition data, and each entry says on the page where its number came from. The five flavour axes — sweetness, acidity, bitterness, body and aroma — are editorial judgements calibrated so entries sit in sensible relation to one another within this catalogue. They are comparative positions, not laboratory analyses, and the site says so on every drink page rather than in a footnote.

Is "low acidity" here a pH measurement?

No, and the distinction matters if you are avoiding coffee for reflux. The acidity rating on these pages is a tasting classification — how bright or sharp the cup reads — not a pH reading, a titratable acidity figure, or a prediction of how your stomach will respond. Those four things are genuinely different measurements, and a coffee that tastes low in acidity is not necessarily lower in pH.

How many drinks does CupCura cover?

346 beverages: 127 coffees, 163 teas and 56 herbal and botanical infusions, of which 49 are caffeine-free. Each carries the same fields — caffeine, five flavour axes, acidity, origin, brewing parameters and safety notes — which is what makes them comparable rather than merely readable. Alongside them sit 115 guide pages on origins, equipment, brewing method and health context, and 119 long-form articles.

Which drink should I have if I want to sleep tonight?

Caffeine has a half-life of roughly five to six hours in most adults, so a cup at 4pm still has about half its caffeine working at 10pm — and the half-life varies substantially between people. If you want a drink late, the reliable answer is one of the 49 caffeine-free botanicals in the catalogue rather than a decaf, which is reduced but not free of caffeine. The Brew Finder asks about timing directly and filters on it.

Does CupCura get paid for its recommendations?

Some equipment links earn an affiliate commission and the site carries advertising; both are disclosed. No manufacturer, roaster or retailer can buy a position, and no equipment ranking is sold. Where a product has not been tested first-hand, the page says so rather than implying a review that did not happen.