You have a huge paper due at 9 a.m. tomorrow and you haven’t even read the book you’re supposed to be writing about. So, you have to pull an all-nighter—but what’s keeping you awake? As college students, we all recognize the importance of a jolt of caffeine to wake us up in the morning or to keep us going all night. But what if you don’t like the taste of coffee? Here’s a list of some great, caffeine-filled substitutes to keep you going.
Tea
Tea is the healthiest way to get a shot of caffeine, as well as a lot of other added health benefits! Chai tea has the most caffeine, followed closely after by black tea and then green tea. Herbal tea actually has no caffeine (which is why it’s really helpful if you’re trying to fall asleep!). If you’re an Honest Tea fan, the Honey Green and Lemon teas have the most amount of caffeine, followed by Raspberry.
French Vanilla
Have you ever seen the machines that have hot chocolate, chai, and French vanilla? Try the French vanilla—it doesn’t taste like coffee, but it has a good amount of caffeine, and it’s nice and warm for the upcoming winter season.
Soda and Powerade
Sodas may not be the healthiest, but a needed jolt every once in a while isn’t too bad. Diet sodas tend to have more caffeine, in general, than non-diet ones to make up for the lost taste found in the natural sugar—so in BC Dining, Diet Coke may be your best soda option. After that, Dr. Pepper and Powerade are also in the running for highest amounts of caffeine, then followed by Coke and Coke Zero. Also, Sprite won’t help, because it actually has no caffeine.
Hot Chocolate (or anything chocolate)
Chocolate actually has caffeine in it—another excuse to eat chocolate! Hot chocolate has a good amount of caffeine in it to keep you awake, and it too will keep you warm with the New England winter approaching.
Dark Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans
Similarly, dark chocolate covered espresso beans are a great option for caffeine! Although they have the coffee flavor, the chocolate masks it and these beans make for a really easy snack for a jolt anytime! You can find these at Trader Joe’s mostly, but the cheapest ones you’ll find are actually on Amazon.
Mocha
If you’re feeling like splurging, head to the Chocolate Bar (or sometimes Mac has it) for a mocha (or sugar free mocha). If you still can’t stand the very slight coffee taste in the mocha (it tastes more like chocolate, but there’s still some coffee), add a flavor shot like hazelnut or vanilla!
Coffee That Tastes Like Ice Cream
I’ve never been a huge coffee fan, but I’ve discovered the wonders of Coffee-Mate. Fill a cup of iced or hot coffee 1/2 or 3/4 of the way full and then fill the rest with milk and Coffee-Mate (the Coffee-Mate is located near the utensils on the right side, if you’re leaving the food section of Lower). It’ll taste more like a latte than coffee and you can flavor it as much as you want.
5-Hour ENERGY
Energy drinks are generally not advisable, but 5-hour ENERGY claims to be the healthiest and most effective energy shot out there—since it is almost entirely caffeine. You can find these in the Hillside bookstore in Maloney!
Check out this website to figure out your favorite drink’s caffeine content:
http://www.energyfiend.com/the-caffeine-database
Sources:
http://osmonutrition.com/caffeine-demystifying-black-gold/
http://quittea.com/about-quit-tea/faqs/
http://www.etsy.com/market/diet_coke?ref=market
http://www.traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article.asp?article_id=1035