# What Do Those $1.00 "Energy Drinks" Contain? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 22, 2011, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-those-1-00-energy-drinks-contain/582770 "2011-05-22T11:19:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-those-1-00-energy-drinks-contain/582770/21 "2011-05-22T20:44:58Z")
> [@code\_grey](#): > > true. But those people could also drink caffeine pills with their favorite sweet beverage - hopefully one that doesn’t cost as much as the energy drink. Or Jolt ™ Cola. As their radio ad said (last time I heard one), “All the sugar, and twice the caffeine of regular colas”. ---
**Author:** ![code\_grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@code\_grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/code_grey)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-those-1-00-energy-drinks-contain/582770/22 "2011-05-22T20:53:45Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Cite? 😃 > > (IOW, linky, please? I have no problems buying 'em online…) check out this one. Seems to be cheapest imaginable, if you don’t mind the large purchase amount [Amazon.com](http://www.amazon.com/4Ever-Fit-Caffeine-milligram-Tablets/dp/B001G7QXT8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1306097524&sr=8-2) ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-those-1-00-energy-drinks-contain/582770/23 "2011-05-22T20:57:43Z")
> [@code\_grey](#): > > check out this one. Seems to be cheapest imaginable, if you don’t mind the large purchase amount [Amazon.com](http://www.amazon.com/4Ever-Fit-Caffeine-milligram-Tablets/dp/B001G7QXT8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1306097524&sr=8-2) Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-those-1-00-energy-drinks-contain/582770/24 "2011-05-22T21:29:55Z")
> [@Troppus](#): > > Could it contain [Kratom?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kratom) This legal but addictive herb is described as a very strong motivator, and the name Krating Daeng sounds similar enough to ping my radar. Google kratom and read some user experiences. Is yours similar? No, the “kra” is just a common phoneme (?) in Thai. Krating means ox. Also, I’ve had kratom and the experience was nothing like Thai Red Bull, and also gave me the worst drug hangover of my life. ---
**Author:** ![Troppus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@Troppus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troppus)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-those-1-00-energy-drinks-contain/582770/25 "2011-05-22T22:47:51Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > No, the “kra” is just a common phoneme (?) in Thai. Krating means ox. > > Also, I’ve had kratom and the experience was nothing like Thai Red Bull, and also gave me the worst drug hangover of my life. Ah. And oxen are strong and virile, yes? Thank you. Not familiar with Thai at all. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-those-1-00-energy-drinks-contain/582770/26 "2011-05-23T01:51:13Z")
> [@Cheshire\_Human](#): > > Or Jolt ™ Cola. As their radio ad said (last time I heard one), “All the sugar, and twice the caffeine of regular colas”. One of the writers I work with wrote that! He was young at the time, and I remember him saying there was a contest – the guys starting to market a cola needed a tagline. ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-those-1-00-energy-drinks-contain/582770/27 "2011-05-23T09:25:15Z")
Just don’t drink Steven Seagal’s energy drink… [apparently it tastes terrible](http://www.agonybooth.com/agonizer/Steven_Seagal_s_Lightning_Bolt.aspx). ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-those-1-00-energy-drinks-contain/582770/28 "2011-05-23T11:32:30Z")
> [@digs](#): > > One of the writers I work with wrote that! > > He was young at the time, and I remember him saying there was a contest – the guys starting to market a cola needed a tagline. Congratulate him. It got me to buy the stuff, the first time, once I realized it wasn’t just a fake joke commercial. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-those-1-00-energy-drinks-contain/582770/29 "2011-05-23T12:16:50Z")
IIRC caffeine is a stimulant, but it doesn’t give you “energy”. Proteins, carbs, and fats give you energy… ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-those-1-00-energy-drinks-contain/582770/30 "2011-05-23T12:54:05Z")
I’ve tried Red Bull, Rockstar, Monster and others over the years. I didn’t like any of them. But for some reason, 5-Hour Energy is different. I usually down one before going out for a late night. It seems to work very well in a gradual manner. It doesn’t give me the shock of a caffeine blast. This is very good for me because caffeine (from a cup of coffee, for instance) occasionally makes me run to the toilet. Not good for a late night. Plus, with 5-hour Energy, I can go right to sleep when I want (even before the 5 hours). Since we’re on the subject, does drinking 80% of a 5-Hour Energy bottle give you 4 hours of energy? ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-those-1-00-energy-drinks-contain/582770/31 "2011-05-23T15:48:48Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > It’s also worth noting most of them have no more or sometimes less caffeine than a regular cup of coffee. I always find it weird when someone who is both a coffee drinker and an energy drink user talks about downing a Red Bull or Rockstar energy drink as though that is the “heavy duty stuff” when compared to coffee. > > Red Bull has something like 80mg of caffeine in their normal 8.5oz cans, and a 4 oz. coffee can have as much as 200mg of caffeine. If they’re really hard-core, they could make their coffee _with_ Red Bull. ---
**Author:** ![Aversin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/53a042/32.png) [@Aversin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aversin)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-those-1-00-energy-drinks-contain/582770/32 "2011-05-23T16:45:03Z")
> [@constanze](#): > > Just don’t drink Steven Seagal’s energy drink… [apparently it tastes terrible](http://www.agonybooth.com/agonizer/Steven_Seagal_s_Lightning_Bolt.aspx). I bought one of those probably around 2006-2007 (for $1) and it was the worst beverage I’ve ever had in my entire life. Dunno what flavor I got but it tasted like someone made a pumpkin flavored energy drink ugh. ---
**Author:** ![ChrisBooth12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@ChrisBooth12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisBooth12)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-those-1-00-energy-drinks-contain/582770/33 "2011-05-24T20:03:51Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > If they’re really hard-core, they could make their coffee _with_ Red Bull. Psh I make my coffee using Coffee instead of water [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-those-1-00-energy-drinks-contain/582770.md?page=1)