You’re tired and in desperate need of a pick-me-up to get you through the day, in front of you appears a cup of coffee and an energy drink, which do you choose? Both energy drinks and coffee hold the same purpose, to administer caffeine which will improve productivity and brain function. But, when looking at them separately there is clearly a better option, coffee.

Some would say that they don’t drink coffee because it just doesn’t have the same effect as an energy drink. But that’s not true, technically speaking. In a study done by Coffee Affection, they tested multiple energy drinks and compared them to a cup of coffee. When looking at one of the leading energy drinks, “Redbull, an 8.46-ounce can hold 80 mg of caffeine whereas an 8-ounce cup of coffee holds between 70-140 mg of caffeine. “This has been proven to be true for multiple different drinks, drinking a cup of coffee actually has a stronger effect than an energy drink.

Coffee is also more cost-effective. A single packet of coffee can make up to multiple pots and depending on what you get you can make a variety of drinks with a myriad of flavors. Energy drinks are made in single servings, meaning that once you finish that can of Celsius, that’s it. One can of Celsius is about $2, you would need one for every day of the week so that’s about $14 a week for an energy drink.

Not to mention, most of them don’t even taste good. Due to all the additives and extra chemicals that they sneak into those cans, they can be bitter and spicy. Then they use flavoring to cover the taste and most of the time they’re overly sweet and tart an example would be all the cherry, orange and raspberry flavored drinks. Coffee tastes better and all coffee whether at home or in a shop can be customized, plus if you’re making it at home you actually know what’s going into your drink.

Not only is coffee more affordable, but it’s actually healthier. Coffee actually comes from a plant and if you really want to get into it black coffee has 1 calorie per 8-ounce cup. Of course when you add things like milk, sugars, creamers and syrups we start to lean into the unhealthy side of things.

Nevertheless, when compared to energy drinks they have a lot less sugar and mystery ingredients.  Energy drinks that are advertised as ‘sugar-free’ can most times have artificial sweeteners which are ‘generally safe’ but who wants to ingest something that is somewhat safe? Artificial sweeteners are also addictive and while they can satisfy your craving for a moment, they often intensify future sugar cravings. This means that you may get the energy you need from these drinks but once it wears off, you’ll ‘crash’ and be left feeling worse.

You can certainly find an energy drink that is safe for you and healthy, but when it comes down to it coffee is the better choice.