Matches the hot version, except at Venti
The Caramel Macchiato, vanilla and steamed milk marked with espresso and caramel drizzle, carries the same caffeine iced or hot at the smaller sizes: 75 mg in a Tall, 150 mg in a Grande. The Venti is where the two versions part ways. The hot Venti holds to two shots like the Grande, 150 mg. The iced Venti is a larger 24 oz cup and gets a third shot, 225 mg, the same pattern Starbucks uses across its iced espresso drinks.
Compared to other iced drinks
A Grande iced Caramel Macchiato’s 150 mg matches a Grande Iced Caffè Latte exactly, since both use two shots. It is a little below a Grande Cold Brew (205 mg), which is steeped rather than pulled as espresso.
Ordering by size, not by name alone
Because the hot and iced Venti diverge, it’s worth specifying “iced” or “hot” clearly when caffeine matters, rather than assuming the two are interchangeable at every size. At Tall and Grande, the distinction doesn’t matter for caffeine purposes; at Venti, it’s the difference between 150 mg and 225 mg.
Where it fits in a day
A Grande, 150 mg, sits under the 200 mg single dose EFSA assessed as safe for healthy adults; the 225 mg Venti is over it. Two Grandes, 300 mg, leave 100 mg of the 400 mg daily figure the FDA cites for healthy adults. In pregnancy, where ACOG uses a 200 mg daily ceiling, even a Tall uses over a third of the day’s allowance.