Inside the mint
Everything in a Focus & Energy mint, at the exact amount, why it's there, and what the research on these ingredients actually measured.
- One mint has 60 mg of natural caffeine and 90 mg of L-theanine, plus vitamins B6 and B12.
- 60 mg is less caffeine than a cup of brewed coffee and a little more than a cup of black tea.
- The research on caffeine with L-theanine is promising but small. We show what each study tested, found, and couldn't tell us.
- One mint a day, as the label says. Not for children, pregnant or breastfeeding women, or anyone sensitive to caffeine.
Four active ingredients, exact amounts
Per mint, straight from our label. RDA percentages are for sedentary adult men and women, as per ICMR's 2020 guidelines.
Natural caffeine
60 mgThe same molecule you get in coffee and tea, from a natural source rather than made synthetically. It's the most widely used stimulant in the world, and the most studied.
L-theanine
90 mgAn amino acid found almost only in the tea plant. It's why a cup of tea naturally contains both caffeine and L-theanine. Ours gives you 1.5 mg of L-theanine for every 1 mg of caffeine.
Vitamin B6
0.7 mg37% RDAA water-soluble vitamin your body uses in energy metabolism. One mint covers a little over a third of a day's requirement.
Vitamin B12
2.2 mcg100% RDAA vitamin found mostly in animal foods. One mint covers a full day's requirement.
The rest of the label, in plain words
Every other ingredient, what it does in the mint, and its international food-additive number.
| Ingredient | What it does | INS no. |
|---|---|---|
| Sorbitol | Sweetens and forms the body of the mint, with no added sugar. | 420 (i) |
| Mannitol | A second sugar-free sweetener and bulking agent. | 421 |
| Magnesium stearate | Stops the mint sticking to the machine when it's pressed. | 470 (iii) |
| Sucralose | A zero-calorie sweetener, used in tiny amounts. | 955 |
| Colloidal silicon dioxide | Keeps the powder flowing evenly so every mint gets the same dose. | 551 |
| Spearmint flavour | Natural and nature-identical flavouring. | |
| Spirulina blue | A natural colour from spirulina. |
Nutrition per mint, approximate, as on the label.
How 60 mg compares
Caffeine per serving. Coffee and tea vary a lot with how they're made, so treat these as typical values.
And the L-theanine: a cup of black tea has roughly 24 mg, according to a 2011 lab analysis of brewed teas. So one mint carries about as much L-theanine as three to four cups of tea, with a little more than one cup's worth of caffeine.
Built for the moment you actually need it
Nothing to brew
No kettle, no cup, no queue. It sits in a pocket, a bag or a desk drawer.
60 mg, every time
A cup of coffee or chai can vary a lot. A mint doesn't.
0 g sugar
5.5 kcal a mint, sweetened without sugar.
Let it dissolve
It's made to melt slowly in your mouth, which is why the label says don't swallow it.
The mouth route. Caffeine can be absorbed through the lining of the mouth, not only through the gut. In a 2002 US Army study, caffeine from chewing gum reached its peak level in the blood in about 60 minutes, against about 120 minutes for the same dose swallowed as a capsule.
Caffeine with L-theanine: three studies
Short summaries of studies on the pairing. They tested the ingredients, at doses close to ours but not the same.
Owen et al., 2008
Nutritional Neuroscience · 27 adultsGiesbrecht et al., 2010
Nutritional Neuroscience · 44 young adultsEinöther et al., 2010
Appetite · adultsOne mint a day
Our label recommends one mint a day, and says don't exceed it. That's 60 mg of caffeine from us. Count it alongside your chai, coffee and cola.
For context, India's food regulator, FSSAI, caps caffeinated drinks such as energy drinks at 300 mg per litre and requires their labels to say "consume not more than 500 ml per day". At the cap, that's at most 150 mg of caffeine a day from those drinks.
- Not recommended for children, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and people sensitive to caffeine. Keep out of reach of children.
- Sorbitol may have a laxative effect, cause bloating and diarrhoea, and reduce calcium absorption in post-menopausal women. One more reason to stick to one a day.
- Late in the day? Caffeine stays in your system for hours. The bedtime calculator in Lab Guide 01 shows how much is still around when you want to sleep.
- Not a medicine. It's not meant to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, and it's not a substitute for a varied diet.
Questions people ask us
How much caffeine is in one mint?
60 mg. Less than a cup of brewed coffee, a bit more than a cup of black tea.
Is the caffeine natural?
Yes. It's natural caffeine, as listed on the label, not synthetic.
Can I have two?
The label recommends one mint a day. Please don't go over it.
Why shouldn't I swallow it?
It's made to dissolve slowly in your mouth. Let it melt.
Why sorbitol and not sugar?
To keep it at 0 g sugar. Sorbitol in larger amounts can upset some stomachs, which is why it's on the label as a warning.
Will it keep me up?
It can if you take it late. Check the bedtime calculator in Lab Guide 01.
Who should skip it?
Children, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and anyone sensitive to caffeine.
- Caffeine content for coffee, tea, soda and more. Mayo Clinic.
- Keenan EK et al. How much theanine in a cup of tea? Effects of tea type and method of preparation. Food Chemistry, 2011.
- Kamimori GH et al. The rate of absorption and relative bioavailability of caffeine administered in chewing gum versus capsules to normal healthy volunteers. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 2002.
- Owen GN et al. The combined effects of L-theanine and caffeine on cognitive performance and mood. Nutritional Neuroscience, 2008.
- Giesbrecht T et al. The combination of L-theanine and caffeine improves cognitive performance and increases subjective alertness. Nutritional Neuroscience, 2010.
- Einöther SJL et al. L-theanine and caffeine improve task switching but not intersensory attention or subjective alertness. Appetite, 2010.
- FSSAI. Standards for caffeinated beverages, Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011.