energy shot | Caffeine and You

Orange-Spiced Tea with Organic Lime-Maté Boost

March 4, 2013 By Kate Heyhoe

Orange-Spiced Tea with Organic Lime-Maté Boost

Makes 1 serving; about 120 mg caffeine

by Kate Heyhoe

If you prefer tea to coffee and savory to sweet, this is the bumped-up brew for you. One cup packs more than twice the caffeine of regular black tea, with a balanced citrusy taste that’s neither bitter nor sweet. The sophisticated flavor is one that’s good to sip on, and the brew surpasses coffee when it comes to the morning jolt.

The Guayaki Yerba Mate Organic Energy Shot is a bit pricey at over $3 for 2-ounces, but you can use part of a bottle and refrigerate the rest for up to 5 days. It’s handy for customizing your buzz level: 1 tablespoon contains 35 mg of caffeine. (One 2-ounce bottle = 4 tablespoons, or 12 teaspoons). I like the flavor, and it doesn’t have that faux-sweetener aftertaste found in other energy shots.

In this recipe, orange-spiced black tea (like Constant Comment) meets half a bottle of Guayaki’s lime-tangerine flavored mate energy shot, which injects 70 mg of caffeine to the tea. Assuming an 8-ounce cup of brewed black tea contains 50 mg of caffeine, then this bumped up brew boasts a minimum of 120 mg of caffeine – more than in a cup of coffee.

Recipe:

1 (8-ounce) cup brewed orange spice black tea [about 50 mg caffeine]
1 fluid ounce (about 2 tablespoons) Guayaki Yerba Maté Organic Energy Shot, Lime Tangerine flavor [70 mg caffeine]

Stir the maté shot into the hot tea. Enjoy it plain or add sweetener as desired.

Note: The caffeine content of tea depends on many factors, including how long it’s brewed and the type of tea leaves. This book uses 50 mg of caffeine as an average for black tea, but one 8-ounce cup can range from about 15 to 75 mg.

EXCERPT from Caffeine Basics:

Product Profile: Guayaki Yerba Maté Organic Energy Shot, Lime Tangerine

A 2-fluid ounce bottle sells for around $3
140 mg caffeine
35 calories
USDA organic; fair trade certified, vegetarian, kosher
Main ingredients: organic yerba mate, goji berry, acerola cherry, and ginger (with purified water, citric acid, organic lime and tangerine extracts)
Sweetener: organic evaporated cane juice
Contains: 1670% of Vitamin B-12 RDA, 100% of Vitamin C RDA; antioxidants
NO: GMO’s, High Fructose Corn Sweeteners, Preservatives, Artificial flavors or Colors.
Also comes in Lemon and Chocolate-Raspberry flavors.

Canada Caps Energy Shots at 200mg

February 9, 2013 By Kate Heyhoe

The Canadian Government has placed caffeine limits on so-called “energy shots” as part of an overhaul of its clasification system for the sub-category. Micro-sized caffeine drinks are now allowed a maximum of 200mg of caffeine per shot, after the change came into effect on Tuesday (5 February), Health Canada said. Manufacturers must also clearly label the amount of caffeine and other active ingredients in each product.

More details

Guarana Profile

January 2, 2013 By Kate Heyhoe

Scan the label on an energy drink or energy shot, and you’ll likely see guarana: an ingredient twice as caffeinated as coffee, and a natural product of the Amazon. For centuries, natives there have used it medicinally, to suppress appetite, and for extending physical endurance.

What is guarana? The substance hails from the seeds of the guaraná plant, hence the name. Guaranine is the term for the caffeinated element in guarana, which is chemically identical to caffeine in coffee, tea and chocolate.

Where does guarana come from? Native to the Amazon basin, guaraná vines bear clumps of grape-size, Christmas-red berries and can climb as tall as 35 to 40 feet. When the three-sided guaraná fruits ripen, the capsule splits to reveal a black seed poking out of a white aril – they look like arm-length clusters of Muppet eyes. (Native legends say that the first guaraná plant sprouted from the eye of an infant god.) Native tribes have harvested guarana for centuries. The seeds are dried, ground, and brewed into tea or processed into an extract. Brazil is the leading supplier of guarana extract and powder, which are added to foods and beverages as a caffeine-boost.

How much caffeine does guarana yield? Guarana seeds are twice as caffeinated as coffee beans, about 4% caffeine by weight (coffee has 1-2% caffeine). But it’s difficult to know how much guarana a product contains. Like coffee and tea, guarana is naturally caffeinated, so U.S. regulations do not require the amount of guarana to be listed. If caffeine is listed separately, it typically does not include the extra caffeine that comes from guarana or guaranine.

What else does guarana contain? Guarana also contains the caffeine-related stimulants theobromine and theophylline. Some studies show guarana yields antioxidant effects. It’s classified as GRAS, generally recognized as safe, by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

For more about guarana, check out:

Children of Guarana: Tribe, Legend, Plant

Guarana Soda: Brazil’s National Buzz

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Caffeine Basics: Table of Contents

Profile: Energy Drinks and Shots

January 3, 2013 By Kate Heyhoe

We tend to think that more is better, but that’s not the case with caffeine.

Caffeine is a biphasic drug; low to moderate doses are considered safe, while high doses can create adverse effects. Energy drinks range from moderate to extremely high levels of caffeine.

What are energy drinks? The term “energy drink” is a beverage-marketing category. The FDA classifies energy drinks (and energy shots) as “dietary supplements.” They contain caffeine and other ingredients intended to boost physical and/or mental energy.

What’s the difference between energy drinks, energy shots, and sports drinks? All three are designed to boost or restore energy. Energy drinks are like carbonated soft drinks, but more caffeinated. Energy shots typically come highly concentrated in 2-ounce bottles, and are not carbonated. Sports drinks contain ingredients to rehydrate, like electrolytes and nutrients lost in exercise, and contain no caffeine.

How much caffeine do energy drinks and shots contain? There is no standardized amount of caffeine for these products, and no limit. Energy drinks go from 80 mg of caffeine, which is comparable to coffee, up to 500 mg. They come in containers ranging from 8 to 20 fluid ounces. Formulas matter, too: Rockstar, for instance, makes more than a dozen varieties, with caffeine ranging from 120 to 240 mg per can. Energy shots span 100 to 500 mg of caffeine – as much caffeine as one to five cups of coffee, but swallowed in two gulps.

How much sugar do energy drinks and energy shots contain? Most energy drinks are sweeter than 12-ounces of Coca-Cola Classic (with 39 grams of sugar), and also come artificially sweetened. Energy shots are artificially sweetened, though some contain up to 7 grams of sugar.

What else do energy drinks and shots contain? All contain caffeine; some add guarana and yerba mate for their caffeine content. Other ingredients, like taurine and B vitamins, are shown in the next section. Their impact in energy drinks is questionable; quantities are usually small, and research on energy drinks has been sparse.

Are energy drinks and shots safe? The biggest danger comes from overconsumption of caffeine, and mixing with alcohol. Many, but not all, of the added ingredients are recognized as safe by the FDA.

Caffeine Basics: Table of Contents

Energy Drinks: The Whole Story

January 3, 2013 By Kate Heyhoe

Are energy drinks as safe as a cup of coffee? It depends. Consider this…

Both statements are true:

Energy drinks contain only as much caffeine as coffee
Energy drinks pose risks because of their high caffeine content

Okay, so what gives? These sound like conflicting statements, but the devil’s in the details.

The energy drink industry likes to promote the first statement, which is partially true: ounce for ounce, some energy drinks really are as mild as coffee; but others are many times more caffeinated. So it depends on the brand of energy drink. And in most cases, the label does not indicate the amount of caffeine a drink contains.

The second statement, that large doses of caffeine create health risks, is also correct – and how these highly-caffeinated energy drinks are promoted and consumed makes them drastically different from coffee or tea.

Bottom line:

If you want to consume caffeine safely, then you need to know how much caffeine you’re consuming – whether it’s in the form of an energy drink, energy shot, coffee, tea, or other substance.

Low to moderate doses of caffeine are considered safe for most people, and can enhance mental and physical performance. (An average cup of coffee contains about 100 mg. of caffeine.)
High doses of caffeine over-stimulate the body, and can trigger sleeplessness, tachycardia, nervousness, impaired decision making, and other reactions. Large amounts of caffeine are riskiest when ingested in a short amount of time, and consumed by people who are more sensitive to caffeine’s effects – which includes pregnant women, children, teens, and people with certain health conditions or genetic sensitivity.