So many of us love coffee. It wakes us up, makes mornings bearable, and is comforting. According to the International Food Information Council, a whopping 93% of Americans consume caffeine, with 75% of Americans consuming it every day. Most often, coffee is the preferred delivery method of caffeine, that stimulating substance that helps shake off a morning haze or power a herculean workout—caffeine can aid in athletic performance via a few different mechanisms, including lowering perceived effort. No wonder there is a coffee shop on nearly every city corner.
While millions of Americans sip the brew every day, it’s not the only steamy beverage to deliver a dose of caffeine. Yes, you don’t have to drink an Americano or espresso to get a boost of energy. There are a few other caffeinated beverages out there that can help buzz you through the day and don’t carry with them the nutritional baggage of those tall cans of energy drinks.
Here are the healthy brews you may want to consider if you need a pick-me-up that can break through coffee’s caffeine monopoly.
Matcha
What is it: Matcha is a green tea powder made from shade-grown tea leaves that are ground into a fine powder. Covering the tea leaves for several days before harvest boosts the plants’ chlorophyll levels, which turns the leaves a vibrant shade of green. It’s traditionally enjoyed as a whisked hot tea, but the powder can also be added to drinks like lattes and smoothies. Because of the laborious process required to produce matcha, the tea can be pricey.
Caffeine Content: A drink of matcha made with 1 teaspoon of the powder will have anywhere from 35 to 90 milligrams of caffeine, so, on average, half the amount in a typical cup of coffee.
Why it’s a Good Alternative: Although matcha typically contains more caffeine than regular green tea, it’s not likely to make you jittery because of the calming balance that the amino acid L-theanine provides. Some people find the tea tends to both calm and stimulate at the same time. Think of it as a gentle buzz. Since you are consuming the whole tea leaf in concentrated amounts, matcha provides a payload of antioxidants that coffee and other teas can’t rival. These antioxidants may help with everything from improving heart health, strengthening the immune system and even reducing exercise-induced muscle soreness.
Flavor Notes: Better-quality matcha will have naturally sweet, vegetal tasting notes. It should taste fresh, not stale.
Be Aware: You should be skeptical of coffee shop matcha beverages as well as store-bought bottled matcha drinks and packaged latte mixes, as these can be loaded with sugar and contain very little actual matcha.
One to try: Jade Leaf Ceremonial Matcha
Yerba Mate
What is it: Yerba mate (pronounced MAH-tay) is a herbal tea made from the dried leaves and twigs of the evergreen Ilex paraguariensis plant, which is native to South America. There are only a handful of plants in the world that naturally produce caffeine, and yerba mate is one of them. Traditionally in Argentina, where it is a national obsession, it is consumed from a container called a gourd (calabash) and sipped with a metal straw (bombilla) that has a filter at its lower end to strain out the leaf fragments. But there is nothing wrong with simply drinking out of a mug.
Caffeine Content: The caffeine content of yerba mate will be impacted by a few factors, including brewing time and the quantity of leaves used. As an estimate, a cup of the beverage contains about 40 milligrams of caffeine, but it can go higher. In comparison, brewed coffee ranges from 60 to 180 milligrams in a 6-ounce serving. Some canned mate drinks are beefed up with extra caffeine, so definitely not a before-bed drink.
Why it’s a Good Alternative: In addition to caffeine, mate also brews up two other stimulants – theophylline and theobromine – which may work synergistically with caffeine to help you shake off morning brain fog or pound out a few more sets at the gym. When mate leaves are brewed they release several types of antioxidants, including chlorogenic acids and polyphenols, giving it a drink with potentially high antioxidant capacity.
In one 40-day investigation, participants who drank a little over a cup (330 ml) of yerba mate each day lowered their LDL cholesterol levels by about 8% and apolipoprotein B by 6% and raised HDL cholesterol by 4.4% – three blood lipid parameters that may lower the risk for heart disease. Since the drink contains fewer acids than coffee, some people find getting their caffeine from this beverage to be easier on their stomachs.
Flavor Notes: Yerba mate is often described as earthy, vegetal, herbaceous, and bittersweet in flavor. Some people find it too bitter to their liking. Yerba mate tea bags are also available, but you’ll get the freshest flavor (and more of a caffeine boost) with loose leaf. It can be enjoyed hot, with or without a sweetener like honey, or iced with a squeeze of lemon.
Be Aware: The drying process of mate where smoke is used can produce polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), known to be possible carcinogens that are also found in tobacco smoke and grilled meat. Levels of PAH vary considerably among brands. To limit exposure, choose brands that air-dry mate leaves instead of using smoke.
Ones to Try: Yerba Madre Traditional Air-Dried Yerba Mate
Uncle Matt’s Organic Yerba Mate Energy Tea
Mushroom Coffee
What is it: Placing mushrooms in drinks is certainly on trend. Essentially, mushroom coffee is a mixture of powdered mushroom extracts and ground coffee that, together, are dissolved in hot water. It can be in instant form or in a form that you would brew like regular coffee, such as French press or pour over. The various guises of the fruiting fungi added to coffee grounds are known as medicinal mushrooms (not psychedelic shrooms) that you won’t typically find in the supermarket. These include dried and ground cordyceps, turkey tail, Lion’s mane, and reishi.
Caffeine Content: This varies considerably based on the amount of coffee included in the product as well as the type of beans used and the processing method of the coffee beans (i.e. dark or medium roast). Obviously, the mushrooms won’t provide any caffeine to the drink. The caffeine content is often not listed on the products’ packages, making it a real challenge to know how much of the stimulant you are getting. A good estimate is that a cup of mushroom coffee will supply 50 to 80 milligrams of caffeine. That is still enough of the stimulant to keep you tossing and turning at night if you sip a cup too late in the day.
Why it’s a Good Alternative: It can be a good option for people who still want a cozy brew but with lower amounts of caffeine than what is in a stronger cup of pure coffee. Some say they feel a lightness that’s similar to a caffeine buzz, but without the crash. Focus without the jitters, if you will. It’s believed that various medicinal mushrooms can support human health in various ways, including improving immunity and nervous system functioning, lowering inflammation, increasing energy, and reducing anxiety. The compounds extracted from medicinal mushrooms are known as adaptogens, which may improve the body’s response to stress.
Flavor Notes: The flavor profile of mushroom coffee isn’t much different from that of regular coffee. For the most part, medicinal mushrooms have a soil-flavored blandness that is easily masked by the strong flavor of coffee. Some use terms like “nutty”, “earthy”, or “notes of chocolate”. You may notice that the mushrooms can reduce black coffee’s acidity.
Be Aware: This can be an example of where the sales pitch outpaces the science by a wide margin. There is a dearth of research on medicinal mushrooms that includes living, breathing humans. And none of the medicinal mushroom research has been conducted on mushroom coffee. This is to say that there isn’t much evidence-backed research on the stuff. It is unclear whether there are combined positive (or perhaps negative) health effects of mixing mushrooms and coffee beans. We also have no way of knowing if the amount of mushrooms added to coffee is enough to have a medicinal effect. Plus, mushroom coffee is pricey, costing about twice as much per serving as straight-up coffee.
One to Try: Four Sigmatic Focus Ground Coffee (Dark)
Guayusa
What is it: While similar to yerba mate, Guayusa hails from a different plant. Guayusa, pronounced gwhy-YOU-sa, is made from the leaves of a holly tree (Ilex guayus) native to the Amazon, where it has been enjoyed as an herbal drink by Indigenous communities for centuries. You may come across energy drinks that use guayusa extract as a stimulatory ingredient.
Caffeine content: Guayusa naturally contains some caffeine, although less than brewed coffee. The caffeine content in this beverage is estimated to be 60 to 70 milligrams per eight-ounce serving, but more analysis is needed to get a clearer picture of caffeine content. As a comparison, one eight-ounce serving of black tea has about 40 mg, and coffee has up to 160 mg. How much guayusa you steep in hot water and for how long will impact caffeine levels. A can of Alive Energy, which is made with guayusa extract, contains 150 milligrams of caffeine.
Why it’s a good alternative: Many describe guayusa’s stimulating effects as being more gentle and less jittery than the caffeine from coffee. Perhaps the presence of the calming compound L-theanine helps counteract some of the effects of caffeine. Guayusa offers compounds like chlorogenic acid that have antioxidant activity, which can help fend off cell damage in our bodies, which, in turn, may aid in healthy aging and disease prevention. Who knows, these antioxidants may also assist in recovery from hard workouts.
Be aware: You’ll have to work harder to get your hands on guayusa as it’s not widely available in stores or even on Amazon. Due to its content of stimulants, including caffeine and theobromine, it has the same potential side effects as other caffeinated products, including disrupted sleep patterns if consumed too late in the day.
Flavor notes: Guayusa has a smoother, more subtle taste than its brethren yerba mate. Since it lacks the tannins you find in black and green teas, it lacks the bitter flavor. That makes it nearly impossible to overbrew. You may come across guayusa both in loose leaf and bagged form, with the former offering the best flavor and perhaps the most caffeine and antioxidants. Try steeping 1 tablespoon of leaves in 6 ounces of hot water. You can also use guayusa to make an iced tea, which is great with a generous squeeze of lemon.
One to try: Palm Beach Herbals Guayusa
