How much caffeine is in Swiss Miss hot cocoa?

How Swiss Miss hot cocoa compares

• At the middle of its range (2 mg), one 1 packet of Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix has as much caffeine as less than a sixth of a cup of brewed coffee, which has 94.8 mg per 8 fl oz cup.
• Of the 10 other chocolate foods and drinks in our chocolate chart, 7 have more caffeine per serving, 1 has less, and 2 can have more or less, because their amounts overlap with this one's.

How long does Swiss Miss hot cocoa stay in your system?

Our model halves caffeine every 5 hours for average metabolism, and every 3 or 8 hours for fast or slow metabolism. From one 1 packet of Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix of Swiss Miss hot cocoa (2 mg, the middle of the 1–3 mg range), about 1 mg is still in your body 5 hours later and about 0.5 mg after 10 hours. If you clear caffeine slowly (an 8-hour half-life), about 0.8 mg is left after 10 hours.

Estimated caffeine left at 11:00 PM from one 1 packet of Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix (2 mg, the middle of the 1–3 mg range), using a half-life of 5 hours for average metabolism and 3 to 8 hours for the range. How we calculate

How many fit in a day?

Reference amounts are for caffeine from all sources combined. Counted at the upper end of the stated amount, one serving at a time:

• Up to 400 mg a day for most healthy adults (FDA, EFSA): about 133 servings.
• Up to 200 mg at one time for healthy adults (EFSA): about 66 servings in one go.
• Up to 200 mg a day in pregnancy (EFSA, NHS): about 66 servings.

These are reference amounts for groups of people, not a personal limit. Some people feel jittery or sleep worse on much less. See the cutoff calculator for timing.

Good to know

USDA lists hot cocoa made from a dry mix with water at 2 mg per 100 g, about 5 mg for a 248 g packet made up (248 g × 0.02 = 4.96 mg).

Swiss Miss hot cocoa vs other cocoa drink drinks

• Hot chocolate: Swiss Miss hot cocoa has less caffeine than hot chocolate per typical serving. Swiss Miss hot cocoa: 1–3 mg per 1 packet of Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix; Hot chocolate: 7.4 mg per 1 cup, made with milk (248 g).
• Chocolate milk: Swiss Miss hot cocoa can have more or less caffeine than chocolate milk per typical serving, because the amounts overlap. Swiss Miss hot cocoa: 1–3 mg per 1 packet of Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix; Chocolate milk: 2.5 mg per 1 cup (248 g).
• Unsweetened cocoa powder: Swiss Miss hot cocoa has less caffeine than unsweetened cocoa powder per typical serving. Swiss Miss hot cocoa: 1–3 mg per 1 packet of Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix; Unsweetened cocoa powder: 12.4 mg per 1 tbsp (5.4 g).
• Milo: Swiss Miss hot cocoa can have more or less caffeine than Milo per typical serving, because the amounts overlap. Swiss Miss hot cocoa: 1–3 mg per 1 packet of Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix; Milo: 2.2–4.8 mg per 20 g serve of powder.

Common questions