Watch CBS News

Should Super-Caffeinated 'Death Wish Coffee' Give Starbucks The Jitters?

Death Wish Coffee's "death cups" (SOURCE: deathwishcoffee.com)
Death Wish Coffee's "death cups" (SOURCE: deathwishcoffee.com)

STUDIO CITY (CBSLA) — As if Starbucks didn't already have enough problems, a new caffeine slinger coming to stores near you might give the coffee chain a competitive jolt.

The Orange County Register reports Death Wish Coffee will be available at 1,627 Walmart stores across the country starting June 9.

As the name and skull-and-crossbones logo suggest, this cup of Joe is not for the faint of heart, literally.

The Round Lake, New York-based company markets itself as "the world's strongest coffee," claiming to have 200 percent more coffee than a typical cup. The beans are organic and free-trade, according to the company.

The Register compared the following beverages for caffeine content:

  • 8-ounce cup of regular coffee: 128 mg
  • Monster energy drink: 86 mg
  • 20-ounce Starbucks venti: 475 mg
  • Death Wish Coffee: 59 mg per ounce!

That math works out to 472 mg per 8-ounce cup. If you go for the Starbucks size, that's nearly 1,200 milligrams of caffeine!

The Mayo Clinic says drinking up to 400 milligrams of caffeine per day— three to four cups — is safe for adults. Anything beyond that can cause migraines, nervousness, fast heartbeat and insomnia, obviously. In severe cases, ingesting too much caffeine can cause heart arrhythmia, according to the Mayo Clinic.

The company also sells Keurig-compatible "death cups" on its site.

Death Wish reached a large audience when a commercial of theirs ran during Super Bowl 50 in 2016, which can be viewed above.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.