Can You Put Energy Drops in Coffee? Yes — Here's How

It's 5:47am. The coffee's already in the mug. I'm staring at a calendar with three investor calls and a 90-minute bike workout I haven't done yet, and the one cup I just poured is not going to carry me.

This is the moment the TikTok crowd has been figuring out on their own for the last year. You don't need a second coffee. You need more caffeine in the coffee you already have. One squeeze of energy drops into the mug. Stir. Done. You're at 160mg, hydrated, and out the door.

So the question I get asked constantly: can you actually put energy drops in coffee? Yes. Here's the math, the method, and the part nobody tells you about timing.

The direct answer

You can add Drizz to coffee. One squeeze delivers 65mg of green tea caffeine plus L-theanine and taurine. An 8oz cup of coffee averages around 95mg of caffeine according to the FDA. Combined, you're at roughly 160mg per cup — well under the FDA's 400mg daily limit for healthy adults.

Drizz is unflavored and virtually undetectable in strong-flavored drinks like coffee. Drop. Stir. Drink. The caffeine kicks in on the same curve you'd expect from coffee alone — peak blood concentration hits around 45 minutes after ingestion — but the L-theanine and taurine ride along.

Table of contents

• Why people are adding caffeine to coffee
• The caffeine math (and the FDA ceiling)
• How to actually do it
• What coffee + Drizz tastes like
• The L-theanine angle (the part most people miss)
• When NOT to do this
• Real talk: do you actually need this?

Why people are adding caffeine to coffee

The trend showed up on TikTok in 2024 and hasn't slowed down. The reasoning is simple once you see it.

A second cup of coffee gives you about 95mg more caffeine — but it also gives you another 8 to 12 ounces of liquid, more acidity on the stomach, and the kind of cold-coffee-on-the-desk situation every founder knows. If you're trying to be sharp at 7am without being in the bathroom at 7:45, a second coffee is not actually the move.

The drop is. One squeeze in the cup you already have, and you've gone from 95mg to 160mg without adding volume. It's the same logic as a double shot of espresso versus a 16oz drip — concentrated caffeine without the water bloat.

Athletes have been doing the powder version of this for years. Cyclists put caffeine pills in their bidons. Ultrarunners sip caffeinated gels. The drop just makes it cleaner. I've used Drizz in my pre-ride coffee maybe 200 times at this point. It's how I get from cold-mug to warm-up without negotiating with a second French press.

The caffeine math (and the FDA ceiling)

Here's where most articles wave their hands. Let me show you the math.

The FDA says 400mg of caffeine per day is generally safe for healthy adults. That's the ceiling you don't want to cross. They also note that consuming 1,200mg in a single rapid dose is where toxicity risks start — but nobody's getting there with coffee and a squeeze.

Average caffeine content, real numbers:

• 8oz drip coffee: ~95mg (Mayo Clinic)
• 1oz espresso shot: ~63mg
• 16oz cold brew: ~200mg (sometimes higher)
• 8oz Red Bull: ~80mg
• 1 squeeze of Drizz: 65mg
• 1 cup of green tea: ~28mg

So:

• Drip coffee + 1 squeeze = ~160mg. Safe, productive, no problem.
• Drip coffee + 2 squeezes = ~225mg. Big morning, still under the line.
• Cold brew + 1 squeeze = ~265mg. Watch the rest of your day.
• Cold brew + 2 squeezes + a pre-workout = stop. You're over 400mg before lunch.

The point isn't that more is better. The point is that you can hit a specific dose. That's the whole reason precision dosing matters — you decide whether today is a 160mg day or a 95mg day. Coffee alone doesn't give you that lever.

How to actually do it

The method is dumb-simple, but there's one thing worth knowing.

1. Pour your coffee. Hot or iced, doesn't matter.
2. Add one squeeze of Drizz directly to the mug or glass.
3. Stir with whatever's nearby.
4. Drink.

That's it. There's no science to it. The drop dissolves on contact and disperses through the liquid in seconds.

The one thing worth knowing: if you're adding milk, oat milk, or cream, do it after the Drizz, not before. Not because it ruins anything — it doesn't — but because clear liquid stirs faster than dairy. Two extra seconds of your morning. You'll live.

For travel: this is the entire reason I carry Drizz. A 60ml / 2oz bottle is under the TSA carry-on liquid limit. Hotel coffee is famously inconsistent — sometimes weak, sometimes lukewarm, always not enough. One squeeze fixes the weak ones. I've done this in airport lounges from DFW to Mexico City to Anaheim during Expo West week, and it's the single best founder-travel hack I've found.

What coffee + Drizz tastes like

I'm going to be honest because I respect your time: it tastes like coffee.

Drizz is unflavored. In a dark roast, a flat white, or anything with milk and sugar, it's virtually undetectable. In a very light pour-over or a delicate single-origin where you're tasting blueberry notes, you might catch a whisper of sweetness. Not flavor — sweetness, from the trace amount of sucralose in the formula.

If you're the kind of coffee drinker who can tell me what farm in Ethiopia your beans came from, you'll probably notice. If you're like me and you drink coffee because it's coffee, you won't.

The cold brew test is the easiest one to run yourself. Cold brew is naturally smoother and slightly sweeter than hot drip. Add a squeeze. Taste. You'll see what I mean.

The L-theanine angle (the part most people miss)

This is the part I care about most, and it's the reason putting Drizz in coffee isn't the same as putting a second espresso shot in.

L-theanine is an amino acid that occurs naturally in tea leaves. Research published in Nutrients in 2017 and earlier work in Biological Psychology in 2008 shows that L-theanine combined with caffeine improves attention and reaction time more than caffeine alone — and it appears to take some of the edge off the jittery, anxious feeling that high-dose caffeine can produce.

Coffee has caffeine. Coffee does not have meaningful L-theanine. (Green tea does, which is part of why a cup of matcha hits differently than a cup of coffee even at similar caffeine levels.)

When you add Drizz to coffee, you're not just adding 65mg more caffeine — you're adding the L-theanine that coffee is missing. The combined effect is more focus, less jitter, and a softer landing on the back end. That last part matters. A pure caffeine spike crashes. A caffeine + L-theanine dose rolls off more gently.

This is also why I don't recommend stacking Drizz with pre-workout. Pre-workout already has caffeine plus a stack of other stimulants. You don't need more. For day-to-day office or training caffeine, coffee + Drizz is the cleaner play. (For more on how this combo works in training contexts, I went deep on the pre-workout question in another post.)

When NOT to do this

Some honest guardrails, because I'd rather you trust me long-term than sell you a bottle today.

Skip the stack if:

• You've already had 2+ cups of coffee. You're approaching the FDA ceiling.
• You have a heart condition, high blood pressure, or arrhythmia. Caffeine raises heart rate and blood pressure — talk to your doctor.
• You're pregnant or nursing. The general recommendation is to limit caffeine to under 200mg per day during pregnancy, and adding more caffeine to your coffee is the wrong direction.
• You have an anxiety disorder. More caffeine, even with L-theanine, may not be the right tool.
• It's past 2pm and you sleep poorly. Caffeine has a half-life of 5–6 hours. The math is brutal.
• You're under 18. Don't.

The 400mg/day FDA number is for healthy adults. It is not a target. It's a ceiling. Treat it like a speed limit, not a goal.

Real talk: do you actually need this?

Here's where I stop selling and start being a founder talking to a friend.

If your morning coffee already does the job, you don't need to add anything to it. The reason to put Drizz in your coffee is when you have a specific, harder-than-normal day in front of you and you want to be precise about your caffeine instead of pounding three coffees and praying.

I use it on race mornings. On Expo West days where I'm on my feet for nine hours pitching buyers. On the rare 4am flights when the hotel coffee is decaf-strength and I have a 7am meeting at landing. I don't use it every day. I drink coffee every day. Drizz is the dial-up for the days that need it.

If you want to try it: grab a bottle of Drizz Boost — 15 servings, $14.99, about a buck per squeeze. Add one to your next coffee. See what the morning feels like. You'll know by lunch whether it's a tool you want in your kit.

What you don't want is to make it a crutch. Caffeine works because your body responds to it. Use it intentionally, and it'll keep working. Use it constantly, and you'll need more of it to get the same effect — which is the trap the entire energy drink category was built on. Drizz exists, in part, because I think there's a better way.

One squeeze. Any drink. Including the coffee already on your desk.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Consult your doctor before starting any new supplement, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or have a medical condition.