Does Dark Chocolate Have Caffeine?

Dark chocolate does contain mild amounts of caffeine. In a 3.5 ounce (100 gram) bar of 70-80% dark chocolate, there is about 70 milligrams of caffeine.

So for our 24 gram chocolate bars, you’ll be getting about 17.5 milligrams of caffeine. Compare that to an 8-oz cup of coffee, which contains about 95 milligrams of caffeine.

Dark chocolate doesn’t have enough caffeine to make you bounce off the walls, or get jittery, but it has just enough to give you a little mental edge, and just a bit more focus.

Cacao also contains theobromine. Theobromine is a stimulant, but acts quite different to caffeine. Theobromine’s effects are much more gentle, and have a longer lasting effect. Theobromine is about 10 times weaker than caffeine. The stimulative effects of theobromine have been said to be more similar to that of a good nights’ sleep. Cacao is usually about 1-2% theobromine by weight. So for our 24 gram, 70% cacao chocolate bars, you would be getting around 168 milligrams to 336 milligrams of theobromine.