Finals season is officially upon us. Every college student knows that on the other side lies a brief reprieve from the constant grind of academia. But we also know that we have to successfully navigate the woes of back-to-back-to-back project deadlines and exams in every class to get there.
Working hard to complete the final assignments of the semester inevitably leads to late nights. A large percentage of college students fall back on caffeine to keep them energized throughout the day, and if you have a Starbucks or coffee shop on campus like we do, you can see this phenomenon in real time.
Coffee is a common source of caffeine for college students, but not every person enjoys the taste. As someone who strongly dislikes coffee and someone who desperately tries to make it through finals season with all their sanity, I have searched high and low for caffeine sources that I won’t regret consuming. If you’re looking for alternatives to coffee for caffeine, here are some of my favorites.
Guayakí Yerba Mate High Energy Cans
Yerba mate is a holly plant originally used by pre-Columbian Indigenous peoples in South America’s Río de la Plata region to make infused beverages. Traditionally, it is steeped and served in a gourd with a sieve-like straw called a bombilla. In the United States, you can find ready-to-drink mate by Guayakí on grocery store shelves.
The brand has a few varieties of drinks to choose from, but the High Energy Cans provide the most caffeine, with 150mg per serving (for reference, the average cup of coffee has around 95mg per serving). Each can contains brewed yerba mate and fruit juice to give you an uplifting and great-tasting boost. The “Orange Exuberance” and “Tropical Uprising” flavors are my preferred morning brews.
While tea is commonly recommended as an alternative to coffee, there are many people who dislike it, as well. That’s where Sparkling Ice comes in. This popular sparkling water brand recently expanded into the energy drink scene, offering a variety of fruity flavors and a caffeine boost sourced from green tea and coffee bean extracts. Each serving has about 70mg of caffeine.
Starbucks’ newest ready-to-drink beverage line was released in early 2022 and recently made its first appearance in the UTampa campus bookstore! These drinks are the first energy drinks released by the coffee giant and come in three bright and tropical flavors: mango guava, pineapple passionfruit, and raspberry lime. Each can has 160mg of caffeine per serving from coffee cherry and green coffee bean extracts.
Perhaps you’re trying to avoid energy drinks altogether but still find yourself needing a pick-me-up to make it through that 6 p.m. class. Luckily, Neuro has you covered.
Neuro offers caffeinated mints and chewing gum in both cinnamon and peppermint flavors. Each piece contains around 40mg of caffeine, which is about the same amount as an average cup of black tea. The gum and mints are also formulated with L-theanine, which is said to ease stress and increase focus.
Although the best solution to maintaining energy levels during busy times is to get as much rest as possible, finals season sometimes demands more of our time and energy than we want. If you’re going to consume caffeine, do so responsibly. To every student: best of luck with finals!