Crystal Light With Caffeine packets are my favorite way to get caffeine while I’m out and about. The fruit-flavored powder in each packet contains 60mg of caffeine, about two-thirds the amount in a cup of coffee. The single-serving packets are easy to pack and mix well in cold water.
Stats
- Make: Crystal Light
- Model: With Caffeine
- Model Year: 2019
- Measured Weight: 4g per packet
- Date Purchased: Summer 2019
- Price Paid: $28.65 for a 4-box variety pack or $0.72 per packet
- Usage: 2019 – present
Mixing
Although the directions state that a single packet should be mixed with two cups of water (a little less than half a liter) I find this to be far too sweet. I usually split a single packet between two 700mL SmartWater bottles which gives the water a slight tinge and lightly fruity taste.
Flavors
In no particular order:
- Wild strawberry
- Grape
- Peach Mango
- “Citrus”
Although the variety is nice, Peach Mango is known by all non-heretics to be the one true flavor. In any case the fruitiness is a great way to break up the monotony of drinking pure mountain water day after day (gross).
Alternatives
Coffee is the most obvious alternative but most folks prefer theirs hot or at least warm which requires heating, making it less convenient than the Crystal Light which mixes up just fine in frigid water. Coffee is also an expurgatory: it makes you poop. Caffeine on its own does not, another advantage for Crystal Light.
Nuun Energy tablets with caffeine are too large to fit into the mouths of most ultralight water bottles and must be either broken by hand or cut in half ahead of time in order to fit. Because they’re solid tablets they take longer to dissolve than the Crystal Light which only requires a quick shake to fully mix. The Nuun tablets also make the water fizzy which may or may not float your boat. The added electrolytes sound good on paper but the truth is that just regularly snacking is going to give you more than enough electrolytes anyway, you don’t need to worry about supplements. Finally, the Nuun tablets just don’t taste as good. I used Nuun Energy to get caffeine for over a year before switching to Crystal Light and I’ve never looked back.
Verdict
For a great-tasting caffeine source that’s easy to pack, easy to mix, and won’t make you poop you can’t beat Crystal Light With Caffeine.