In brief, Guru Energy contains 100mg of caffeine, 80 calories, 21g of sugar, B vitamins, and other energy-boosting properties.
Guru Energy is made for those who need an energy boost but are a bit more health-conscious.
The company is very focused on delivering an ‘organic energy boost’, which is why most of its ingredients are sourced from natural ingredients like green tea leaf extract, panax ginseng root extract, and echinacea flower.
The high caffeine and sugar content is something that gives a solid energy boost that can hold its own with other energy drinks like Monster or Red Bull.
Let’s find out more about caffeine and other ingredients of Guru Energy!
Guru Energy Drink Ingredients
Guru Energy contains:
- 80 calories
- 21g carbohydrates (sugars)
- 100mg of naturally occurring caffeine (much less than some of the stronger energy drinks out there)
- 0g total fat
- 0mg sodium
- 0g protein
Traces of the following ingredients are used as well:
- Sparkling Water
- Organic Cane Syrup
- Organic White Grape Juice Concentrate
- Citric Acid
- Apple Acid
- Natural Flavours
- Organic Green Tea Leaf Extract
- Organic Echinacea Flower Extract
- Organic Panax Ginseng Root Extract
One thing that you might have noticed is the addition of ‘organic’ to most of the ingredients on the list, as well as a couple of things that you might not be familiar with, like echinacea flower extract.
We’ll get down to dissecting them a bit later on, but these ingredients certainly are not usual for most energy drinks, which does make them stand out.
First things first- what does organic really mean?
Organic means relating or being derived from living matter, and the farming methods used do not involve chemicals like pesticides or other such artificial chemicals.
Putting ‘organic’ in front of nearly every ingredient might be a bit over the top for Guru, but they really seem to be trying to hammer it home, especially in conjunction with the huge ‘Non-GMO’ emblazoned on the rim of the can.
Guru Energy Drink Caffeine
There is 100mg of caffeine in a can of Guru Energy drink.
This caffeine is derived from the organic green tea leaf extract as well as the ‘naturally occurring caffeine’, which is derived from guarana seed extract, a powerful stimulant.
100mg of caffeine is only about a quarter of the maximum daily recommended intake, which isn’t a huge amount- more or less the same as a cup of coffee.
Still, as with coffee or any other caffeinated product, energy drinks should be consumed in moderation.
What is organic green tea leaf extract?
Green tea leaf extract is a concentrated form of green tea, which is supposed to preserve all the benefits of an average cup of green tea.
The benefits that come with it are that green tea is really high in antioxidants. These antioxidants are the substances that reduce cell damage, and thus aging of cells.
Green tea has also been known to promote heart health and reduce blood pressure.
When considering all these factors together, green tea seems really beneficial for overall health, which is a positive for the Guru Energy drink.
However, there is no sign of how much green tea extract Guru actually contains.
Like anything else, it requires a certain amount to really work, and since there’s no trace of any kind of measurements on the back of the can, it’s doubtful if there will be enough of it to actually make a difference to your health.
What is organic echinacea flower extract?
Echinacea flowers are a North American type of flowering plant, which is part of the sunflower family.
This flower is known for being an immune system booster and as a herbal prevention of the common cold.
It also has a pretty wide variety of other uses, like functioning as a laxative, helping soothe chronic pain, and helping on the road to recovery from infections.
But how does this help Guru Energy? This does help supplement its image as a health drink, but it doesn’t really tell us how much echinacea flower extract is in this drink, thus making it dubious as to whether there’s enough to truly make an impact on the immune system.
What is organic panax ginseng root extract?
Most people will have heard of the ginseng root, a traditional herb in Chinese medicine, and a staple in some energy drinks.
Panax ginseng root grows mostly in the eastern hemisphere of the world, in Korea and China.
Ginseng root comes with a myriad of benefits, such as being a good source of antioxidants like green tea, helping heal damaged cells, and in recovery, and it can be used in the prevention of cancer as well, as in boosting the immune system.
All great stuff that can help with Guru’s image, except for one small problem- how much is actually in a single can of Guru energy drink?
It’s not listed as a significant ingredient, so how do we know that it’s truly an active ingredient in Guru’s general makeup?
Are organic energy drinks good for you?
Organic energy drinks are not necessarily good for you.
Taking the example of Guru, it’s still incredibly high in sugar, at 21g, when the daily recommended amount of sugar is no more than 25g for women and 38g for men.
21g is nearly all of the sugar you should be consuming in a single day, and that’s also keeping in mind that we get a lot of sugar in our diets already, from complex carbohydrates broken down into simple sugars.
In addition to that, people might be allergic to some of the organic ingredients that are in the drink, especially if they haven’t tried them before, or they aren’t a staple in their diets, like ginseng.
And yes, although it seems great that there are a lot of immune system-boosting ingredients present in organic energy drinks, these ingredients aren’t present in large enough amounts to exactly determine if a difference is made within an individual.
As a whole, organic energy drinks are also more expensive, and they often contain too much caffeine for people to drink on a daily basis.
Guru Energy Drink vs. Monster
Caffeine
Guru contains 100mg of ‘naturally occurring caffeine while Monster has 179mg of caffeine.
Monster clearly has a lot more caffeine in it than Guru, but it is also double the size. Drinking two Guru energy drinks would give you 200mg of caffeine while drinking half a can of Monster only gives you 90g of caffeine.
Overdosing caffeine is a serious issue, as there are many side effects associated with it, such as dehydration, irritation, headaches, and shakiness.
The main difference is also that Guru has ‘naturally occurring caffeine’- as opposed to the caffeine in the Monster drinks, and Monster also has added the ingredient taurine in order to supplement their caffeine.
Sugar
Guru has 21g of sugar while Monster stands at 52g of sugar per can.
Neither of these drinks uses artificial sweeteners, and both are clear about how much sugar is in these drinks.
For a single serving of Monster, there is about 26g of sugar, more or less the same as an 8.4 fl. oz can of Guru. This makes them pretty much equal in sugar content, but where do each derive their sugar from?
Monster gets it from glucose, which is a natural sugar that has been broken down into simple sugars. In contrast, Guru uses cane syrup and white grape concentrate, which are more complex sugars, but have more or less the same effect.
Guru definitely wins this contest, seeing as Monster’s huge amount of sugar is pretty inexcusable in my opinion.
Price
It is $37.95 for a 12-can pack of Monster Import on Amazon, which means that it’s around $3.20 for a can, excluding shipping. Guru is slightly cheaper, at around $2 for a can.
$3.20 per can for Monster is not bad considering the energy boost you get from it and the massive size of the can.
In contrast, Guru is a lot smaller, but because you’re paying for the natural and organic ingredients, be prepared to fork out a little more.
If you’re thinking of bulk buying, Guru comes in packs of 24, as opposed to Monster’s 12-can packs.
Guru vs. Red Bull
Caffeine
Guru contains 100mg of naturally occurring caffeine while Red Bull has 80mg of caffeine.
Red Bull has a little less caffeine in it, but this is supplemented by both the presence of sugar and taurine.
Guru’s main two energy suppliers come from caffeine, sugar, and ginseng, which are used in a unique combination to the drink.
I would think that Red Bull and Guru are comparable in terms of energy boosts, but Red Bull does have a couple of energy-boosting ingredients that aren’t included in Guru, like taurine.
Sugar
Guru has 21g of sugar while Red Bull contains 26g of sugar.
Again, both are more or less the same. Red Bull contains about 5g more sugar than Guru and gets its sugar from the simple sugars sucrose and glucose.
Guru uses complex sugars like cane syrup and white grape concentrate, which it relies on for its flavor as well.
Price
Guru costs around $56 for a pack of 12 cans, which is around $4 for a single can. Similarly, Red Bull only costs $1.99 per can.
Guru and Red Bull are both affordable choices. However, most of you might prefer Red Bull as it’s a lot cheaper.
Guru vs. REIZE
Caffeine
Guru contains 100mg of ‘naturally occurring caffeine’, and REIZE is loaded with just 50mg of caffeine.
Rather than focusing on getting all its energy from caffeine, REIZE supplements its caffeine with 1000mg of taurine per serving.
Also, REIZE is a good choice for me as I prefer energy drinks with mild caffeine. To be exact, I can only take up to around 100mg of caffeine per serving. Therefore, I prefer REIZE at this point.
Sugar
Guru has 21g of sugar while REIZE is completely sugar-free.
If you’re someone battling diabetes, REIZE is definitely a better choice. I like that REIZE is sugar-free as it uses artificial sweeteners to give it a nice flavor and taste.
The 21g of sugar in Guru can easily put you at risk of overconsuming sugar if you’re not too careful considering you’ll get added sugar from other food and beverage you consume.
Price
Guru Energy costs around $4 per can while REIZE is about a dollar per sachet including delivery.
No question that REIZE is definitely the winner in terms of affordability!
However, both REIZE and Guru Energy definitely work in terms of boosting energy levels. Still, be wise in choosing the right energy drink for you.
Reviews – Is Guru Energy drink good?
Guru Energy is perhaps not so well known out there yet, but it has received some favorable reviews.
I’ve done a review of Guru in a previous article, and it received an 8/10 from me, a pretty high rating.
This review says the taste isn’t bad for the price, and it works quite well.
Another review does not seem to think that it is as healthy as it claims it is, and isn’t really suitable for daily, casual use for those who aren’t about to do an intense workout.
A review from across the border gives a functional but neutral view of its taste and effects, supporting a local brand.
This review agrees that compared to other energy drinks, Guru does give a better selection of ingredients than most other energy drinks out there.
One final review also supports the idea that Guru is favorable as a healthy alternative energy drink, and even though the taste left something to be desired, the effects were pretty good.
Alternatives to Guru Energy Drink
If you’re looking for some similar, liquid-based energy drinks that might give a bit more energy than Guru, take a look at:
- Monster
- Red Bull
- Rockstar
- Celsius
- XS
- Monster Import (different from the original Monster)
- Rip It
- Bing energy drink
- Bang (no relation to Bing!)
- Xyience energy
If you want something a bit different and more efficient, try caffeine pills, which give you an energy boost that is more direct than Guru, but perhaps without the great taste.
You could also take a look at Mio energy water drops, which are another reasonable alternative to ready-to-drink energy drinks.
Powdered energy drinks are also a great option, and they tend to be more convenient and also more affordable than a lot of the more famous energy drinks on the market, but with the same great flavor and efficacy:
- Gfuel
- Zipfizz
- Advocare Spark
- REIZE
In particular, REIZE is an energy drink that is easy to carry around and to make – just add water.
At 50mg of caffeine, REIZE doesn’t have the same amount of caffeine that Guru does, but it is a lot more convenient and can be tailored to your individual tastes. You can add all types of liquids to it- soda, hot water, cold water, flavored juice, it’s up to you!
REIZE ships right to your door for around $1 per drink, much more affordable than Guru and most of the energy drinks on the market.
Give it a try today and you might just find that you prefer REIZE to Guru.