This energy drink uses coffee, coconut oil, and lactose-free whey to keep caffeine jitters and sugar crashes at bay - and it actually tastes good

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• Energy drinks and bottled coffees are popular ways to get your caffeine fix, but they're full of unwanted sugars, calories, and artificial ingredients that can leave you with a sugar crash.
• After falling asleep in his classes due to a demanding student-athlete schedule in college, Jordan DeCicco went to find a healthy beverage that could give him lasting energy - but none of the options out there fit his standards.
• Kitu Life Super Coffee was born out of his need for a better energy drink.
• The founders pitched the company on "Shark Tank," and while they didn't get a deal, consumers (and other investors) are loving their Super Coffees.

Frappuccinos. Matcha lattes. Red Bull. A shot of espresso. Most of us have a go-to energy drink we rely on to help us power through long days, late nights, and early mornings. The problem is, most of the bottled coffees and energy drinks you find lining grocery shelves are loaded with artificial ingredients and tons of sugar - a recipe for a dreaded sugar crash.

That exact issue is what led Jordan DeCicco to found Kitu Life. As a collegiate student athlete drained from early morning workouts, Jordan found himself falling asleep in class. Dissatisfied with the energy drink options at his campus store - sugary, caloric beverages with little nutritional value - Jordan set out to make a better drink with ingredients you can actually pronounce like organic coffee, coconut oil, and whey protein. With just a blender, Jordan started whipping up batches of Super Coffee in his dorm room - it wasn't long before his teammates, coaches, professors and classmates became interested in his healthy energy drinks and started buying the beverages themselves. The campus buzz was what prompted Jordan to get his older brothers on board and take Kitu Life's Super Coffee to the masses.

Jordan's dorm-room dream made it to the big screen, when the brothers pitched Super Coffee to "Shark Tank" last winter. Though they left the tank without a deal, their exposure on the show garnered plenty of online sales and attracted interest from investors. Last year, Kitu Life made over $1 million in revenue with their delicious, better-for-you Super Coffees.

Super Coffee

The company also created a "Super Creamer" for your morning brew, loaded with many of the same key ingredients as the Super Coffee.

What's in Super Coffee?

Super Coffee is a ready-to-drink beverage that provides lasting, healthy energy. A 12-ounce bottle boasts 200 mg of caffeine (the same amount as a regular 16-ounce coffee), 10 grams of protein, only one gram of carbs, no sugar, and just 80 calories. To compare, take a look at the nutrition facts on a bottled Starbucks Frappuccino: 95 grams of caffeine, 40 grams of sugar, 46 grams of carbs, and 250 calories - that's almost (or more) than a day's worth of added sugar as recommended by the American Heart Association.

What sets Super Coffee apart from the other bottled coffees out there is its unique list of ingredients, which, when blended together, taste great and make you feel even better. They start off with organic Colombian coffee, one that's not treated with pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides, or any other toxins that taint the beans' taste, or more importantly, are detrimental to your health. MCT oil (medium chain triglyceride oil) derived from coconuts provides healthy fats, giving you sustainable energy without the sugar crash. To get a sweet taste without any sugar, they use Monk Fruit, a no-sugar, no-calorie, all-natural sweetener. For that creamy taste, they rely on a lactose-free whey protein. This provides the same creamy consistency as milk without the added sugars and unhealthy fats. This not only saves calories, but makes the beverage easier to digest - especially for those who suffer from lactose intolerance.

Does it actually taste good?

Plain and simple, yes. Plenty of beverages that are touted as healthy don't deliver on the taste factor - but in my experience, that's not the case with Super Coffee. The DeCiccos knew that in order for Super Coffee to work, people had to actually like the taste of the beverage as much as, if not more than, they liked the ingredient list.

Super Coffee offers four flavors: Creamy Black, Vanilla Bean, Smooth Mocha, and Maple Hazelnut. All are gluten-free, lactose-free, soy-free, and non-gmo, but more importantly super creamy, sweet, and delicious. They're just indulgent enough, but still manage to be light - so you feel fulfilled without going into a food coma. My personal favorite is the Smooth Mocha - when poured over ice, or sipped straight from the bottle, it tastes like a grown-up version of chocolate milk, making it a delicious upgrade to your plain, black morning coffee.

Shop Kitu Life Super Coffee at Amazon, 12-pack, $39.99

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