Does home brewed coffee have more caffiene than coffee shop coffee?

Question

I buy one or two large coffees, triple-triples....(I know bad), every morning before work at Tim Horton's or Coffee Time (It's like Dunkin' Donuts for you Americans). Anyway I feel fine from their coffee, no jitters, just awake and the coffee tastes fine. When I make coffee at home however and even if it is weak coffee and have one small cup I get the jitters! I am shaky, my eyes are darting across the room, I feel dizzy, and it is hard to concentrate. The serving I have at home are also smaller than the large cup I have at the shop before work.

I have used Folgers, Maxwell House, and a few store-label brands like President's Choice, Equality, and Compliments with the same horrible result. My coffee maker also has its own filter, I wash the pot and filter after use and I clean it with vinegar and water once a month. If that makes any difference.

Answer 1

A typical home brewed cup of coffee will have LESS caffeine usually because most home drip brewers do not get the water hot enough to extract as much caffeine as properly operated commercial systems.

The symptoms you are having is more likely caffeine deprivation.

Answer 2

I work in a coffee shop, so I know that our coffee should have slightly MORE caffeine than that brewed at home. This is because commercial machines, i.e. really expensive machines, keep the water at a constant 198 degrees, the "perfect" temperature for brewing coffee and extracting the most caffeine and flavor from the grounds. Most home coffee machines get up to around 170 degrees.