Guarana, espresso and insomnia: tales of an energy fiend Part-2

In my previous article, I began to weigh in on the debate of natural caffeine products (such as coffee beans and Guarana) versus their synthetic counterparts, the point being to come to some kind of final verdict as to whether one is truly "better" (depending on what you seek in an energy product, this term may vary quite drastically) in regards to providing an energy boost when needed.

While I have long considered myself a coffee connoisseur, partaking of every blend from French Roast to Turkish brewed, as I previously stated, there comes a point in every coffee drinker's existence that the buzz provided by the brew simply seems insufficient. That being said, I embarked on a "taste testing" through the world of energy drinks. Many energy drinks contain Guarana, but for the most part the dose is quite small.

An average energy drink contains about 80-110mg of caffeine (synthetic) compared to roughly 10-20mg of Guarana. On top of this, the large bulk of products have extremely high sugar content, mostly in the form of high fructose based corn syrup. While a few I have tried did provide a slight "kick" upon consumption, there wasn't one that made me stop and really take notice. Then again, I am a very heavy coffee drinker (10-16 cups a day easy) so the boost some would feel is probably too minute for someone with my already wired nervous system to notice. So after a dozen or so energy drinks I had tried, there wasn't one yet that had given me more of a boost than my standard cup of coffee.

But the great thing about convenience stores - in this particular case, 7-11 - is the variety they offer. Enter Fusion Coffee.

Fusion coffee, while it is actually named just that at 7-11, is apparently a growing business. The basic idea is that by taking a regular brew of coffee and adding natural "pick me ups" such as Ginseng and Guarana, the buzz will be greater due to the higher levels of caffeine. While an average cup of coffee gives you it's lift within roughly 30 minutes of consumption, other natural caffeine extracts such as Guarana and Yerba Mate kick in anywhere from 1-3 hours later, and don't taper off as quickly.

By blending the two, the high you get from the coffee is supposedly immediate and sustained. After trying the 7-11 fusion blend, as well as a couple of energy drinks that went this route (Rockstar Roasted and Java Monster) I still wasn't convinced. But happening upon a product called "Kick Ass" coffee sold me.

In the end, we all have a different sensitivity to caffeine and extracts such as Guarana. The only sure fire way to find the right boost for you is by trial and error. Be sure to have some Rolaids handy and you should be just fine.

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