Caffeinated Drinks: The Top 10 Beverages For Your Energy Hit

Written By: Karen Johanson

Caffeine is often considered as crucial as breath itself by professionals who work long or unusual hours, and research has shown that it can help prevent some types of disease. Most adults can consume up to 400 milligrams of the substance daily without health problems. Excessively large amounts can be problematic for adults with a number of health conditions, including anxiety, insomnia, and high blood pressure. It’s also advised that those who are pregnant or breastfeeding reduce their caffeine intake.

At Zest Tea, our highly caffeinated beverages in the Energy Collection all contain high amounts of caffeine below 400mg, carefully balanced with L-Theanine for plenty of calm and clarity.

Zest Tea used data from the Mayo Foundation to compile a list of 10 types of drinks and their varying amounts of caffeine. Each point lists a type of coffee, tea, soda, or energy drink and includes the caffeine contained within the drink in milligrams and the standard size of the drink in ounces and milliliters. Decaf espresso coffee (1 ounce), citrus soda (8 ounces), and root beer soda (8 ounces) were not included on the list, as these drinks usually contain 0 milligrams of caffeine in a standard-sized drink. If you want to avoid caffeine, you may want to reconsider them.

Please note that the Mayo Foundation did not include specific drink brands, and the actual amount of caffeine in each drink can vary based on the size of the drink too. Most brands do not state the caffeine levels on the nutrition label.

Options range from espresso, where perfecting the flavor is a science, to energy shots, that are quick and easy and all about boosting the nervous system, often with little concern for the flavor when consumed. Several frequently found brewed beverages are also on the list.

Caffeine isn’t the only way that these beverages impact wellness. Energy tea drinks have healthy ingredients like B vitamins and the amino acid taurine. If you’re looking for a bit less of a boost, green tea has less caffeine, polyphenols known to manage inflammation and beat cancer, plus antioxidants that have a positive impact on aging.

Learn more about how caffeine plays a role in your wellness in the 10 beverages below: the information might change your opinion on certain drinks.

#1. Zest Energy Tea

Caffeine content: 135 to 150 mg
Standard serving size of drink: 8 oz (237 ml)

Our energy teas are a major source of caffeine. We have both green tea and black tea blends, with non-GMO and natural flavors. To increase the caffeine of standard tea, we add further tea extract. This allows us to boost the caffeine and still deliver a tasty, natural and healthy cup of tea.

150 mg sounds like a lot of caffeine, but it's not quite the same as caffeine from a cup of coffee. While drinking that much caffeine from coffee would usually result in jitters, shakes, and the inevitable headaches when you suddenly crash, tea doesn't work that way.

Caffeine's effects are smoother on your central nervous system, with a slower onset and calm state of mind. This is thanks to the amino acid L-Theanine, which is found naturally in tea and a few select other foods.

That's why our customers love the energy hit from our most popular beverages! Discover all hot energy tea.

zest blood orange mango sparkling tea with yoga

Hot Energy Tea or Cold Energy Drinks?

If you prefer iced tea to hot tea, then we have some sparkling energy teas for you. Sticking to our formula of plant-powered energy, we turned our favorite hot teas into iced sparkling teas. They're ready-to-go and several are even sugar-free. So, if you're looking to try energy drinks without buckets of sugar (and the resulting weight gain) we highly recommend you give them a try.

Just like our hot tea range, you can expect high amounts of caffeine. There's approximately 120 to 150 mg of caffeine per can. Explore the 6 sparkling tea flavors.

#2. Brewed Coffee

Caffeine content: 96 mg
Standard serving size of drink: 8 oz (237 ml)

Omnipresent everywhere from truck stops to upscale bistros, brewed coffee averages 96 milligrams in an 8-ounce serving, making it an effective resource for anyone who’s living a nonstop lifestyle. Note that the way you brew your beverage could have an impact on your health: a 2020 observational Norwegian study found filtered coffee to be healthier than unfiltered coffee, or coffee brewed using methods such as a French press.

#3. Espresso Coffee

Caffeine content: 64 mg
Standard serving size of drink: 1 oz (30 ml)

Espresso has been around since 1884 in Italy, and about a century later, shops devoted to a myriad of espresso drinks started showing up on practically every corner in some locations worldwide. The drink offered a less-caffeinated option for coffee fans, many of whom were more focused on flavor.

instant coffee

#4. Instant Coffee

Caffeine content: 62 mg
Standard serving size of drink: 8 oz (237 ml)

Designed for convenience, instant coffee packs almost as much of a punch as a shot of espresso, but without the need for a fancy machine. Grab a cup to get many of the same health benefits as regular coffee, such as increased brain function and a boosted metabolism.

If you want to reduce the manic edge to the energy and prevent the crash when it wears off, try tea instead.

#5. Brewed Black Tea (Standard)

Caffeine content: 47 mg
Standard serving size of drink: 8 oz (237 ml)

Need to stay up to meet that urgent deadline? Pull out the kettle and brew up some black tea: the amount of caffeine is almost double that of green tea, and there are benefits for your heart, gut, and overall health. Add a splash of whole milk to taste.

#6. Energy Drink

Caffeine content: 29 mg
Standard serving size of drink: 8 oz (237 ml)

Even if you’re not an action sports superhero, you’ll probably be flying a lot higher after consuming energy drinks than if you’d chosen water, especially since many contain other stimulants, including ginseng, guarana, or sugar. Avoid mixing energy drinks with alcohol as the combination can lead people to overindulge in alcohol to a dangerous point.

If you're looking for healthy energy drinks that are made with tea, contain 150 mg of caffeine per can, and are free of all those nasties, check out Zest Tea below.

#7. Brewed Green Tea (Standard)

Caffeine content: 28 mg
Standard serving size of drink: 8 oz (237 ml)

Many health professionals encourage patients to drink green tea because it doesn’t agitate the nervous system as much as black tea and possesses other health benefits. But the caffeine content is only 1 milligram less than the typical energy drink, and caffeine levels vary widely between different brands.

Matcha is one exception, which contains up to 70 mg of caffeine, and there's also Zest's high caffeine green tea.

#8. Cola Soda

Caffeine content: 22 mg
Standard serving size of drink: 8 oz (237 ml)

Because cola sodas are often sweetened, you might be a bit more animated after you've consumed one than you would be after a bottled tea, even though the caffeine levels are similar. Shop for alternatives that have healthier sweeteners to bypass the downsides of sugar and corn syrup. You don't need a medical education to know that too much of the sweet stuff isn't good for you.

#9. Ready-To-Drink, Bottled Tea

Caffeine content: 19 mg
Standard serving size of drink: 8 oz (237 ml)

Based on caffeine levels alone, bottled tea is significantly less energizing than tea brewed at home. But it’s a good choice if you’re on the go and need something more stimulating than water. Choose a non-sweetened variety to maximize positive health impacts. The most common ingredient in bottled iced tea, besides tea, is a sweetener.

decaf coffee

#10. Brewed Coffee (Decaf) and Instant Coffee (Decaf)

Caffeine content: 2 mg
Standard serving size of drink: 8 oz (237 ml)

Decaf isn’t really decaffeinated. But at 2 milligrams per 8-ounce cup, it’s 4% as likely to boost your energy as brewed black tea and 2% as likely to be the culprit when you’re lying in bed staring at the darkness in the middle of the night. This type of coffee shares a number of the benefits of its caffeinated colleague, but without the risks to the cardiovascular system, or negative interactions with some prescription drugs.

Of course, the flavor might not be comparable depending on the decaffeination method.

FAQs

What are the most high caffeine drinks?

Energy drinks and coffee are usually thought of as containing the highest amount of caffeine, however we have created a range of teas that provide more caffeine than all of them. One serving of Zest Energy tea contains up to 150 mg of caffeine per serving.

What drinks have caffeine besides coffee?

If you want to reduce your coffee consumption, other beverages including tea and some soft drinks are a good alternative to a cup of coffee. Tea also provides nutrition and amino acids that are not present in coffee beans.

What is the best caffeine drink?

We are a little biased, but we believe drinking our energy tea is the best way to get your daily caffeine consumption up. Yerba mate, a tea from South America, as well as matcha and coffee also contain more caffeine than standard tea.

What are examples of caffeinated drinks?

Tea and coffee are the most well-known caffeinated beverages. Other soft drink beverages that contain caffeine include energy shots and even hot chocolate. Just like coffee beans, cocoa beans contain small amounts of caffeine.

How much caffeine is in soft drinks?

Compared to tea and coffee, soft drinks have medium to low levels of caffeine. How much caffeine exactly varies from drink to drink. We found that cola soda has around 22 mg per 8 oz serving.

What is a healthy caffeine intake?

If you want to know how much caffeine is safe to consume , the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends consuming no more than 400 mg per day (or 200 mg for pregnant women). More than that is considered too much caffeine and is unhealthy. How much is healthy for your body also depends on your tolerance for caffeine.

SOURCES

Back to blog