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Coca-Cola Energy Drink: A Comparative Review – How Does It Stack Up?

Coca-Cola Energy Drink: A Comparative Review – How Does It Stack Up?

Over the course of its 120-year history, Coca-Cola has established itself as an iconic brand. There was a time when a cup of joe was all that was needed to get through the day. However, I for one am looking for something new.

With the current craze for energy drinks, Coca-Cola has come up with a new product to try to get a piece of the action by creating its own version.  To put it another way, the beverage contained more caffeine than a standard can of Coke.

Simply said, the primary premise of Coke Energy is to use typical energy drink components in order to boost the already-popular Coca-potency or at the very least, it’s meant to make them a little buzzed after a few.

Do you want to know my thoughts? Then continue to read on.

Coca-Cola Energy

Coca-Cola has launched the very first energy drink under the Coca-Cola brand.

The all-new energy drink from Coca-Cola features caffeine from natural sources and lots of other ingredients, plus the familiar Coca-Cola taste.

Coca-Cola Energy was initially only available in Europe, having first launched in Hungary and Spain in April 2019.

In June 2019, the Coca-Cola energy drink was launched in Australia.

In October 2019 it was announced that the Coca-Cola energy drink would launch in the US in January 2020.

The launch in the United States includes two new flavours, exclusive to the US:

  • Coca-Cola energy drink Cherry flavour, and
  • Coca-Cola energy drink Zero Sugar Cherry flavour
To get a better grasp of this drink, check out this review.

Isn’t the classic Coca-Cola already caffeinated?

Yes, regular Coca-Cola has 34mg of caffeine per 12 fl. oz can. However, the Coca-Cola energy drink contains much more, with 80mg of caffeine per 8.4 fl. oz can. 

The classic Coke does contain caffeine, but not nearly as much as the energy drink version.

Additionally, the Coca-Cola energy drink contains several other ingredients that you won’t find in a regular can of Coke.

What Flavours does Coca-Cola Energy have?

Coca-Cola energy only comes in the cola flavour that we are all familiar with, but in two different versions – regular and sugar-free.

The launch of Coca-Cola energy in the US also included rolling out two variations of Cherry flavour.

When it comes to flavours, Coca-Cola Energy currently doesn’t have much to choose from, unlike many other energy drink brands.

However, keep in mind that this is a new energy drink, and most likely, The Coca-Cola Company is just testing the market before launching new flavours later on.

Coca-Cola Energy Ingredients

For a brief, here’s a quick rundown of what typically goes inside a can of Coca-Cola Energy.

Nutritional ValueCoca-Cola
Energy105 calories
Protein0g
Carbohydrates26g
Sugar26g
Caffeine80mg
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)4mg
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B12
Coca-Cola Energy Nutrition Summary

It also contains a small amount of:

  • Guarana Extract
  • Citric Acid
  • Phosphoric Acid
  • Natural Aroma
  • Sodium Benzoate
  • Potassium Sorbate
  • Carbonated Water

Interestingly, unlike most energy drinks, Coca-Cola Energy doesn’t contain any taurine.

This makes me wonder how effective Coca-Cola energy actually is in giving me an energy boost, since it only contains caffeine and sugar, but lacks taurine and a lot of the B vitamins that other energy drinks have.

If you’re interested to read more about the ingredients in energy drinks and what they do, you can check out my other article.

If you want to try energy drinks that contain taurine, check out my recommendations in this article.

Coca-Cola Energy Drink Review – How does it compare?

On the surface, Coca-Cola’s energy drink is a fairly standard energy drink.

The main differences are that Coca-Cola Energy doesn’t contain taurine and that it has far fewer B-group vitamins than most energy drinks.

Coca-Cola Energy vs Red Bull

Caffeine

Coca-Cola Energy contains 80mg of caffeine per 8.4 fl. oz which is the same as Red Bull.

Coca-Cola energy contains the same amount of caffeine as a regular can of Red Bull. However, I felt that the energy boost that I got from Coca-Cola energy wasn’t as much as I usually feel after drinking a can of Red Bull.

Sugar

Coca-Cola Energy contains 26g of sugar per 8.4 fl. oz, while Red Bull contains 27g of sugar per 8.4 fl. oz.

Coca-Cola Energy contains almost the same amount of sugar as Red Bull. If you look at it, Coca-Cola Energy is very similar to Red Bull on several measures.

They both have the same amount of caffeine and almost the same sugar content too. It seems like Coca-Cola Energy is trying to imitate certain aspects that are obviously working well for Red Bull and compete directly with them in the energy drink category.

However, one significant difference between the two brands is taste. They each taste very different.

Price

Coca-Cola Energy costs about $1.30 per 8.4 fl. oz can, whereas an 8.4 fl. oz can of Red Bull costs about $2.

However, the $1.30 price tag was in Hungary, Europe. It was also during the initial launch of the product, so who knows what the price will actually be once it’s available in the rest of the world.

If the price remains the same at $1.30 per drink, the Coca-Cola energy drink will be a better value than Red Bull.

However, my guess is that the two drinks will eventually have very similar prices.

Coca-Cola Energy vs Monster

A can of Monster original flavor.
Monster Energy!

Caffeine

Coca-Cola Energy contains 80mg of caffeine per 8.4 fl. oz, whereas Monster Energy contains 160mg of caffeine per 16 fl. oz.

It’s true that Monster Energy contains more caffeine than Coca-Cola Energy in absolute terms, but when compared per fluid ounce the two drinks actually contain almost the same amount of caffeine.

Depending on your tolerance, you might decide that more caffeine is not necessarily better. Try both and see which one works best for you.

Sugar

Coca-Cola Energy contains 26g of sugar per 8.4 fl. oz, whereas Monster Energy contains 54g of sugar per 16 fl. oz.

Again, Monster has almost double the amount of sugar as the Coca-Cola energy drink, but that’s because the can is almost twice the size. Per fluid ounce, they have a very similar amount of sugar.

Personally, both these drinks contain too much sugar for my liking.

However, if I were to choose between these two, I would go for Coca-Cola Energy simply because it’s a smaller can, with less sugar in total.

Price

Coca-Cola Energy costs about $1.30 per 8.4 fl. oz, whereas Monster Energy costs about $3.20 per 16 fl.oz.

$3.20 for an energy drink is quite expensive.

Monster Energy is almost double the size, double the caffeine and double the sugar compared to Coca-Cola Energy, but it’s around 3 times the price.

If you buy two cans of Coca-Cola Energy, it is pretty much the same amount of liquid as a Monster but only costs you $2.60, which is much cheaper.

When it comes to price, Coca-Cola Energy is a better value for money.

Again, that’s assuming that Coca-Cola Energy costs $1.30, which may not be true in the future in all parts of the world.

Coca-Cola Energy vs Bang Energy

Coca-Cola Energy contains 80mg of caffeine per 8.4 fl. oz, whereas Bang contains almost four times the amount of caffeine with 300mg per 16 fl. oz.

When it comes to the caffeine content, Bang Energy absolutely pummels Coca-Cola energy – 300mg of caffeine versus 80mg.

Personally, I prefer my energy drinks to contain somewhere between 50mg and 100mg of caffeine per serve. I think Bang way overdoes it on the caffeine content.

Drinking two cans of Coca-Cola Energy would be a similar amount of liquid to drinking a single can of Bang, but would contain around half the total caffeine that you would get from a single can of Bang.

If you’re looking for an intense energy boost, Bang might be perfect for you. But, if you’re looking for a more sensible amount of caffeine that still allows you to think clearly, I would recommend that you choose the Coca-Cola energy drink instead.

Sugar

Coca-Cola Energy contains 26g of sugar per 8.4 fl. oz, while Bang energy drink is sugar-free.

Based on this, I would be far more likely to choose a can of Bang because I try to minimize my sugar intake as much as possible.

Before you go thinking that Bang is much healthier than Coca-Cola Energy, keep in mind that Bang also contains artificial sweeteners.

Also, don’t forget that Coca-Cola Energy has its own sugar-free version too.

If you’re interested to find out more about Bang and if it’s actually good for you, check out my other article.

And if you’re scouting for sugar-free energy drinks, check my article here.

Price

Coca-Cola Energy costs about $1.30 per can, whereas Bang Energy costs around $2.20 per can.

This really comes down to your preferences, because they are both relatively affordable. Bang is almost twice the price, but it’s also around twice the size.

I don’t have any problem with either of their prices, other than the fact that both of them are more expensive than my favorite energy drink.

If you want to avoid sugar, go for Bang or grab the sugar-free Coca-Cola energy drink. If you want a sensible amount of caffeine, go for Coca-Cola Energy.

Coca-Cola Energy vs Mountain Dew Kickstart

Caffeine

Coca-Cola Energy contains 80mg of caffeine per 8.4 fl. oz, whereas Mountain Dew Kickstart contains 92mg of caffeine per 16 fl. oz.

Both of these drinks contain significantly less caffeine than the recommended maximum dosage of 400mg per day.

Neither drink is very high on the list of the world’s strongest energy drinks.

If you compare both drinks in terms of caffeine per fluid ounce, Coca-Cola Energy has higher caffeine content.

To me, both of these energy drinks provide a similar energy boost and they both contain a reasonable amount of caffeine.

I suggest you try both and see which you prefer.

Sugar

Coca-Cola Energy contains 26g of sugar, whereas Mountain Dew Kickstart has 20g of sugar.

20g of sugar for 16 fl. oz in a Mountain Dew Kickstart isn’t a lot compared to many other energy drinks.

Mountain Dew Kickstart seems much better if you’re keeping an eye on your sugar intake.

Price

Coca-Cola Energy costs about $1.30 per 8.4 fl. oz, whereas Mountain Dew Kickstart costs about $1.30 per 16 fl. oz.

Both Coca-Cola Energy and Mountain Dew Kickstart cost about the same.

However, if you were to compare the size of these energy drinks, Mountain Dew Kickstart seems like a better value for money because the can is almost twice the size.

Coca-Cola energy drink review scorecard

Overall, I give the Coca-Cola energy drink a 6.5/10. 

It’s a perfectly fine energy drink, but it didn’t blow me away in any way either.

Things that are keeping me from giving it a higher mark:

  • underwhelming energy boost
  • too much sugar (although there is a sugar-free option)
  • it lacks the B group vitamins that most energy drinks contain
  • it lacks taurine

It’s also very early in the story of the Coca-Cola energy drink. There may well be some changes in the future and the big unknown over the medium term is the price.

If the price remains around $1.30 per can, I will be likely to recommend it.

If the price increases to something similar to Red Bull (which I think it will), I will recommend people consider some other options before buying.

Coca-Cola Energy vs REIZE

REIZE Energy Drink is very convenient.

Caffeine

Coca-Cola Energy contains 80mg of caffeine per 8.4 fl. oz, whereas REIZE contains 50mg per 8.4 fl. oz

With 50mg of caffeine, REIZE contains less caffeine than the Coca-Cola energy drink.

However, in my opinion, I get a better energy boost from REIZE.

REIZE contains many other ingredients to go along with caffeine. Taurine, ginseng and B vitamins all work together, alongside the caffeine, to deliver the perfect energy boost, with no sugar crash.

Higher caffeine content doesn’t necessarily equal a stronger energy boost. I’ve certainly been disappointed by that assumption before.

Sugar

Coca-Cola Energy contains 26g of sugar, whereas REIZE is completely sugar-free.

When it comes to choosing which energy drink is best for you, it’s always better to go for the ones with less sugar in my opinion.

Energy drinks that contain lots of sugar can cause some serious health issues if you consume them in excess.

Also, the energy-boosting effects that energy drinks give you will eventually wear off. After a few hours, you may experience a sugar crash which is probably going to leave you more fatigued than you were beforehand.

In this regard, I think REIZE is better than Coca-Cola Energy.

However, remember that Coca-Cola Energy does have a sugar-free option too.

Price

Coca-Cola Energy cost about $1.30 per 8.4 fl. oz, whereas REIZE only costs around $1 per drink (8.4 fl. oz) including shipping to your door.

At $1 per drink, REIZE might just be the most affordable energy drink on the market.

REIZE is definitely more affordable than Coca-Cola Energy.

Try REIZE Energy Drink!

REIZE
REIZE. Try it now!

Unlike your traditional ready-to-drink energy drinks, such as Coca-Cola Energy, REIZE comes in powdered form. You can mix the powder with water or almost any beverage of your choice and… Voila!

Instant energy whenever you need it.

REIZE is a lot more versatile than a lot of the other well-known energy drink brands.

The best part?

With REIZE, you have the flexibility to choose monthly deliveries or one-time purchases to cater to your energy needs.

REIZE ships right to your door for around $1 per drink, making it VERY affordable.

If you’ve never tried REIZE before, what are you waiting for?

Try REIZE today.

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