Find yourself relying on coffee to power through jet lag and your busy lifestyle? It’s time to supercharge your caffeine hit with these nootropics and coffee alternatives…
Are you tired of the mid-afternoon crash after your morning coffee? Wish your daily brew did more than just wake you up? You’re not alone – most of us rely on coffee to power ourselves through the daily grind, with the UK alone drinking around 95 million cups of the stuff every day.
However, for frequent travellers and women on the go, that can quickly become a problem. Your traditional Americano might feel like the quick fix for long flights, jet lag, and packed schedules, but it isn’t always the most reliable travel companion. It can spike cortisol (your stress hormone), leaving you feeling jittery or anxious instead of focused. It’s also a diuretic, which can worsen dehydration on flights, and drinking it late in the day can disrupt your already-fragile sleep cycle when you’re adjusting to new time zones.
Luckily, nowadays there are alternatives – and they don’t require you to give up coffee cold turkey and wait for the caffeine withdrawals, such as headaches, sleepiness and irritability to inevitably strike.
Instead, as the boom in wellness drinks continues to rise, there’s a new way of supercharging your coffee-based drinks, with adaptogenic and nootropic coffee blends that don’t just give you a buzz but also wellness benefits too.
Here’s what you need to know…
How to power up your morning coffee
The purpose of adaptogenic coffee blends including exciting brands like London Nootropics is to take everything people love about coffee – the energy, the focus, the ritual – and make it smarter and more supportive of your body. Unlike coffee which raises your stress hormones (even if you find you crave it most when under pressure!), adaptogens are plant-based compounds that help the body adapt to stress, balance hormones, and support steady energy levels.
That means, when blended with coffee, adaptogens smooth out caffeine’s sharp edges, giving you the alertness you want, while helping prevent the downsides like crashes, overstimulation, or heightened anxiety. Many blends are also targeted so you can tailor your tincture according to how you can currently feeling or to your upcoming travel schedule. For example, you can look for lion’s mane for focus, reishi for calm and cordyceps for stamina. Cordyceps also comes highly recommended for jet lag.
Another option is to swap out your coffee for something like matcha, which has also become a rapidly rising wellness trend. Matcha is a finely ground green tea powder that still contains caffeine but also offers high levels of L-Theanine, which actually works to reduce your stress hormones. This unique combo also delivers alertness without the crash, alongside powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.
Intrigued? Here are our favourite coffee upgrades and alternatives. Best of all, London Nootropics is currently offering 20% off their brain-boosting coffee blends to all Citizen Femme readers with the code CITIZEN.
The best coffee upgrades
London Nootropics is leading the charge when it comes to smarter coffee and the sachets are super travel friendly too. Crafted with functional mushrooms and best-in-class adaptogens, each blend has a specific purpose: Flow for mental clarity and focus, Zen for calm and balanced energy, and Mojo for a natural energy boost (thanks to Cordyceps mushroom, which supports oxygen flow). The result: sustained energy without the spike-and-crash cycle however on-the-go you are.
As mentioned, matcha does contain caffeine, but a lower dose per cup than coffee, at 70mg. This, bound with matcha’s phytonutrients, slows the body's absorption, allowing you to stay alert for longer. The finely-ground powder is rich in vitamins and is said to regulate blood pressure, promote weight loss, and help prevent disease thanks to its anti-inflammatory effects. In terms of taste, an editor-favourite is the Beauty Matcha Latte from US brand Kroma Wellness. It's deliciously creamy with a slight spice, thanks to its additional ingredients of ginger and tumeric. Try it mixed with frothy hot oat milk in the morning.
Founder Shane created MUD\WTR as a solution to his love of coffee, but hate for the jittery, anxious aftermath. This coffee alternative is made from a blend of cocoa, chai and mushrooms, specifically Lion's Mane, which is believed to have a range of health benefits, both cognitive and physical. With a fraction of the caffeine in coffee, rise Cocoa leans on ayurvedic herbs, nootropics and cocoa to give you natural immune support without having to worry about that dreaded crash. This warming, spiced mushroom and cacao blend is particularly popular in winter, especially alongside the Coconut Creamer. That really makes a difference in taste and is a lovely warming morning pick-me-up.
Team CF actually discovered Maca as a result of an Instagram ad, and the glowing reviews had us suitably curious. Maca is a Peruvian root plant grown in the Andes Mountains and has become very popular for women as a supplement; it's known for potential fertility and libido benefits, and to treat symptoms of menopause. It's also a great ingredient for balancing hormones, as it influences the pituitary gland to stimulate production of hormones at the correct levels for your body. The taste is almost like butterscotch, a sort of earthy, caramel flavour. There is no caffeine in Maca, but it has the same warming effect, and can be brilliant for settling you down before bed after a manic day.
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