Categories: Lifestyle

Coffee vs. Energy Drinks – What To Choose?

Had a long weekend or just struggling on a Monday morning? Everyone needs that little extra push to get you through a long hard day at work. Many people opt for a morning coffee, some people go for an energy drink at lunch. Both do the job, but which is better at giving you that extra boost?

How Much Caffeine Is In A Cup Of Coffee?

Looking at the big brands like Monster and Starbucks, the difference in the amount of caffeine is huge! The average cup of Starbucks coffee has 22.5mg of caffeine per fl oz., whilst the average can of Monster only has 10mg of caffeine per fl oz. The difference is pretty big.

However, some people may not always go for a Starbucks or Monster every day, as they can be very expensive, or just prefer to brew their own coffee at home with their coffee machine from Gear Hungry. When you make your own coffee, it can have less or more caffeine in than your average Starbucks coffee, depending on the bean and way you make it.

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Is It Just The Caffeine That Gives Me Energy?

Energy drinks have a lot of ingredients compared to a simple coffee. Often brands add amino acids, vitamins, and sometimes even herbs! Sugar also gives you a boost, depending on how you have your coffee, you may have up to two sugars in your coffee or some sweetener.

A can of Monster, on the other hand, has 54 grams of sugar, which works out to about fourteen teaspoons of sugar!

The two drinks are also consumed very differently. Coffee is rarely drunk quickly, and tends to be sipped which means that the caffeine is consumed much slower. Whilst an energy drink is usually drunk in a rush or drunk very quickly, which means the caffeine is consumed at a faster rate, giving you a bigger boost.

Is It Bad For Me To Have That Much Caffeine?

The recommended amount of caffeine to have a day is 400mg, which is about four cups of coffee, 10 cans of fizzy drink, or two cans of energy drink. So, for most people caffeine is pretty safe as it would be difficult to go over the recommended amount on a regular day.

However, energy drinks are looked down upon by the media as the sweet flavor appeals to children and teens. There has, in fact, been many cases of hospitalization due to caffeine overdose from drinking too many energy drinks.

Whilst coffee doesn’t get such a bad reputation, seen as it has been drunk for over 100 years. However, there have been a few similar instances of overdosing on caffeine from drinking coffee excessively.

In the UK, many supermarkets only allow ages sixteen and up to buy energy drinks due to the number of instances of hospitalization.

Well, Which Is Better?

Coffee and energy drinks are very different drinks, so the answer to that really depends if you’re a fan of your fresh Kimbo Coffee in the morning or a fruity energy drink with your lunch.

If you are interested in even more coffee-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels then we have a lot to choose from.