In this article, we’ll take an in-depth look at some of the best energy shots on the market. We’ve sorted these energy shots into five categories to help you easily find what you need. Most energy shots listed here contain caffeine, but we’ll also look at one that provides a decent energy boost while being caffeine-free.
In addition, we’ll show you an even faster-working alternative that may work better for you than an energy shot.
At a glance:
Fastest Way to Get Caffeine: HELO Air
People look to energy shots when they want to get their caffeine boost as quickly as possible, but energy shots are not actually the fastest way to get caffeine. If you’re looking for quick energy, there’s no better option than HELO Air, the caffeine diffuser from MELO Labs.
The thing is, anything you drink will need to go through your digestive system, whereas inhaling your caffeine gets it into your bloodstream right away. You’ll feel the effects of HELO Air almost instantaneously. In fact, you can even supplement your energy shot with a few puffs from HELO Air to enhance the effects and get energized more quickly.
And if you’re wondering if it’s safe to inhale caffeine, fear not: These vaporizers have no BS ingredients. Made with just caffeine, organic vegetable glycerin, and natural flavors, there’s nothing in them that can harm your lungs. It comes in a wide variety of tasty flavors, but the most popular is the Gush flavor.
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Best Energy Shot: Pure Caffeine
In this category, we’re going to look at two energy shots that contain pure caffeine in the form of coffee.
FORTO Coffee Shots
For those who aren’t big fans of the bitter taste of coffee, the FORTO Coffee Shot is sweetened and flavored to make it more tolerable. It has milk, cream, and sugar, with 7 grams of sugar per serving. It comes in vanilla and chocolate flavors. All ingredients are organic. Plus, it comes in a cute latte-shaped bottle, but don’t let that fool you – this is a shot, not a full-on energy drink.
Each shot has 225 mg of caffeine, making it equivalent to about two cups of coffee, but customers said it was very different from drinking coffee. They appreciated that it wasn’t bitter or acidic like regular coffee. You can buy it in a 6-pack or a 12-pack.
SToK Caffeinated Unsweetened Black Coffee Shots
For those who don’t want the added dairy and sugar, the SToK Caffeinated Unsweetened Black Coffee Shots deliver what they promise: pure caffeine from coffee. Note that the shots also contain corn syrup, but it’s such a small amount that the nutrition label considers it negligible, stating it has 0 grams of sugar per serving.
The caffeine content in each shot is 40 mg, so you’ll want at least two in order to feel the same effects as one cup of coffee. The company actually intends these shots to be added to coffee to make it stronger, but you can also drink them by themselves. You can buy them in packs of 60, 100, or 264.
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Best Energy Shot: Extra Strength
The energy shots in this category have been designed to energize you with more than just caffeine. Additional energizing ingredients make these energy shots even stronger than pure caffeine.
5-Hour Energy Shots Extra Strength
With 230 mg of caffeine as well as taurine, glucuronic acid, malic acid, n-acetyl l-tyrosine, l-phenylalanine, and citicoline, the 5-Hour Energy Shots Extra Strength is sure to keep you energized for an extended period of time. It’s so strong that some customers drink half a shot at a time, finding this amount to be sufficiently energizing.
It comes in three flavors – grape, berry, and blue raspberry – and one box contains 30 shots. Overall, customers were happy with the flavors and with the feeling they got from drinking these shots. Note that it contains zero sugar but is sweetened with sucralose, an artificial sweetener.
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XMODE Extra Strength Energy Shots on Tap
Before we get into the details of what this shot contains, one major advantage the XMODE Extra Strength Energy Shots on Tap have over all the other shots on this list is that they come from a dispenser. If you don’t like the thought of your trash can filling up with little tiny bottles every day and want to reduce the amount of plastic you use, this is the option for you.
In addition to 150 mg of caffeine (the equivalent of about a cup and a half of coffee), these shots contain taurine, malic acid, n-acetyl l-tyrosine, and l-citrulline dl-malate, all of which can help to enhance the effects of the caffeine. It also has plenty of vitamins B3, B6, and B12 for increased vitality.
It comes in four flavors – cherry, apple, tangerine, and watermelon – and one bottle has 100 servings. As with the 5 Hour Energy Shot Extra Strength, it has no sugar but is sweetened with sucralose. Customers were very happy with the effects overall.
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Best Energy Shot for Focus
If you want something more out of your energy shot than just energy, you may be interested in the energy shots in this category. These energy shots contain additional ingredients to boost your focus and mental performance.
DailyPower Energy Shot
There’s plenty of caffeine in the DailyPower Energy Shot – 220 mg, equivalent to about two cups of coffee – but it has additional energizing ingredients as well as ginseng, an adaptogen known to boost focus. In fact, a study from the Journal of Ginseng Research suggests ginseng can improve memory function as well as other cognitive functions.
This energy shot also contains high levels of several B vitamins. It’s sugar-free and sweetened with stevia. It comes in pink lemonade and blue raspberry flavors, and customers enjoyed the taste and said they felt very focused without a crash later.
ProperWild
The energy shots from ProperWild contain organic ingredients and no added sugars or artificial sweeteners. They’re sweetened with fruit juice and monk fruit. This makes them a great option for those who like to shop organic, but this isn’t their only benefit.
Each shot contains 100 mg of caffeine (equivalent to a cup of coffee) and 120 mg of l-theanine, an amino acid found in green tea known to help with mental focus. It’s even more beneficial when taken alongside caffeine: A study from Nutritional Neuroscience found l-theanine combined with caffeine could improve cognitive performance as well as feelings of alertness.
Customers were particularly happy with how long this energy shot lasts, commenting that they felt focused all day long. They were less thrilled with the taste, but with three flavor options – ginger, peach mango, and blackberry – you’re sure to find one that’s at least somewhat tolerable.
Best Energy Shot With Collagen: Vital Proteins Energy Collagen Shot
If you’re looking to get a dose of caffeine and collagen in one convenient package, the Vital Proteins Collagen Shot is for you. It has 90 mg of caffeine (about one cup of coffee’s worth) and seven grams of collagen peptides. Note that it isn’t vegetarian, as the collagen comes from cows, but customers were very happy with the effects this has on their skin, nails, and hair.
Additionally, this product contains hyaluronic acid (a popular ingredient for those who want healthier skin) as well as biotin and other B vitamins, magnesium, and potassium. It has 4 grams of sugar and 7 grams of protein per serving.
One major drawback is the taste – it only comes in pink grapefruit, and many customers commented that it tasted awful – but some people pointed out that they could add it to a smoothie instead of drinking it by itself, making it more tolerable.
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Best Energy Shot for Immune Support
If you’re looking for an energy shot with additional ingredients to boost your immune system function, consider the two energy shots in this category.
Tru Focus Wellness Shots
The Tru Focus Wellness Shot contains 150 mg of caffeine – equivalent to about a cup and a half of coffee – as well as numerous other ingredients to support energy and focus, including yerba mate extract and l-theanine. Additionally, it contains rhodiola root, an adaptogen known to be beneficial to the immune system.
A study from Current Pharmacology Reports suggests rhodiola root can stimulate the immune system and fight cancer. It is also anti-inflammatory, anti-stress, and anti-aging, making it a great way to balance out the caffeine in your energy shot.
The Tru Focus Wellness Shot also contains apple juice concentrate as well as erythritol (a sugar alcohol), maltodextrin (a type of sugar), stevia, and monk fruit, all of which contribute to its sweet flavor – but it has 0 grams of sugar per serving.
It only comes in one flavor – apple kiwi – and customers are relatively divided on how good it tastes. That said, it can always be added to water or another beverage to make the flavor more tolerable.
FeelGood Superfoods Immune Shot Support
If you’re looking for an energy shot packed with organic fruits and veggies and other natural ingredients, you’ll love the FeelGood Superfoods Immune Support Shot. Note that this energy shot doesn’t contain caffeine, so those looking for caffeine will want to avoid or supplement it, but it claims to boost energy with high levels of vitamins B6 and B12 as well as other vitamins.
In addition, the long list of organic fruits and vegetables is impressive. It contains a total of 26 superfoods, including beet, carrot, spinach, broccoli, kale, celery, ginger, garlic, parsley, strawberry, blackberry, raspberry, cherry, and blueberry, just to name a few. It’s sweetened with erythritol (a sugar alcohol), stevia, and monk fruit and has only one gram of sugar.
Each of the superfoods listed on the bottle has its own unique benefits for the immune system as well as other body functions. For instance, garlic can boost immune function, according to a study from the Journal of Immunology Research by stimulating the production of certain immune cells, but it is also anti-inflammatory and has other health benefits.
Customers were pleased with the flavor of this energy shot, commenting that it tasted much sweeter than something that has only one gram of sugar. It comes in orange and fruit punch flavors.
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Try MELO Labs for Your Caffeine Needs
As we’ve seen, you have no shortage of options if you’re looking for an energy shot. For pure caffeine, try the FORTO or SToK coffee shots. For extra caffeine, try 5-Hour Energy Shot Extra Strength. For energy shots with minimal plastic waste, try XMODE Extra Strength Energy Shots on Tap. For more mental focus, try DailyPower or ProperWild.
But if you want your caffeine to work as fast as possible, try HELO Air from MELO Labs. The amount of caffeine is less than what you’ll find in these other energy shots, but there are two reasons why this is actually a benefit. First, you don’t actually need as much caffeine when you inhale it. It works so quickly and efficiently that a little goes a long way.
Second, because it doesn’t contain as much caffeine, there’s no chance of overdose. In fact, you can actually use HELO Air to supplement your other energy shots or energy drinks. You don’t have to worry about overdoing it the way you do with some of these high-caffeine products. A few puffs will quickly energize you without jitters or a crash later.
So if you want your energy shot to work faster – or if you want to replace your energy shot with something more efficient – consider trying HELO Air. Many customers commented that it helped them quit coffee and energy drinks altogether, and that they’ve saved a lot of money by making the switch.
That’s right – you’ll save money if you choose HELO Air over an energy shot or energy drink. Whereas you used to have to consume an entire product (or two, or three) every day, HELO Air will last up to a month or longer. You’ll get your energy boost for a fraction of the price of daily energy shots, and with a wide variety of much more enjoyable flavors.
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