Comparisons
Caffeine pouches vs energy drinks
The energy drink category is enormous and the caffeine dose in it is smaller than most people assume. Most of what you are buying is water, sugar and packaging.
- By
- ZOMBIE editorial
- Published
- Last reviewed
- Reading time
- 5 min read
The like-for-like numbers
Standard figures rather than any specific brand:
| Energy drink, 250ml | ZOMBIE pouch, 100mg | |
|---|---|---|
| Caffeine | About 80mg | 100mg |
| Sugar | Commonly 25–30g | None |
| Volume to carry | 250ml, chilled | A pouch |
| Waste | A can | A pouch |
| Shelf life once open | Minutes | Not applicable |
| Discreet in a meeting | No | Yes |
The sugar is the actual difference
Twenty-five grams of sugar is roughly six teaspoons, and it is the reason energy drinks produce the spike-and-crash pattern people associate with them. That curve is largely a blood sugar curve rather than a caffeine curve.
Sugar-free versions of the same drinks remove that, and at that point the comparison narrows to caffeine content, cost and whether you want to carry a can.
Cost per dose
An energy drink at £1.60 for 80mg is about £2.00 per 100mg of caffeine. A 100mg pouch is about 35p. The gap is large because you are not paying to ship water.
This is the least interesting argument to us and usually the most persuasive one to customers, so it belongs in the article.
Where energy drinks are better
They are cold, wet and available in every shop in the country at midnight. If you are dehydrated, a pouch does nothing for that and a drink does.
They also carry a taste and a ritual that some people genuinely enjoy. The same caveat applies as with coffee: we are not claiming to replace something you like, only something you were using to stay awake.
Sources
- EFSA Scientific Opinion on the safety of caffeine (2015)
- Food Standards Agency — Food supplements containing caffeine
This guide is general information about caffeine, not medical advice. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, under 18, taking medication or living with a heart or anxiety condition, speak to a pharmacist or GP before using concentrated caffeine products.