A coffee that has the ability to cause heart palpitations and exceed the daily caffeine limit is now available in the United States.
"If you want to stand out, you need to be the 'est' -- the biggest, smartest, strongest, or cheapest," said Black Insomnia founder Sean Kristafor in an interview with CNN. "So when we wanted to compete in coffee, as a caffeine product, we had to be the strongest, but obviously, we don't exceed the world guidelines."
Kristafor founded the company after retiring from a corporate career, and created Black Insomnia last June. The coffee was first sold locally in cafes in Cape Town, South Africa.
The online business sold three tons more than the other local shops in August, and retails at $19 a pound.
Black Insomnia contains 58.5 mg if caffeine per fl. oz, which is twice the amount of Starbucks' dark roast. According to Kristafor, one cup (12 ounces) could contain up to 702 mg of caffeine, which is higher than the recommended amount of 400 mg of caffeine a day.
"We are very aware of the limits and there are clear warnings on the labels," Kristafor said. "On Caffeine Informer, they say that if you drink more than 20 cups of Black Insomnia, you win the Darwin Awards ... an award for people who pass away for doing stupid things."
