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Caffeine is a stimulant for your nervous system and can provide needed energy for those who are short on sleep, but it’s not only found in coffee. Energy drinks, chocolate bars and sodas also contain caffeine and the TastingTable folks have made a list of 20 popular sodas with their caffeine content. So that these numbers make sense, a good measure is that a regular cup of 12 ounces of coffee has about 144 milligrams of caffeine per serving. Here’s a list of the 20 popular sodas they listed with the amount of caffeine in each per 12-ounce serving.
- Canada Dry Ginger Ale – 0 milligrams – it is said that ginger ale is good for upset stomachs but that may be a myth, but it’s a good caffeine-free mixer for many drinks.
- Sprite – 0 milligrams – despite having no caffeine, Sprite does contain sugar and sweeteners including aspartame and the same amount of sugar and calories as Coca-Cola.
- Mug Root Beer – 0 milligrams – a natural, caffeine-free soda with no animal by-products.
- 7Up – 0 milligrams – similar to Sprite, 7Up was first to market in 1929 and until 1948 it contained lithium citrate until it was banned by the U.S. government.
- Fanta – 0 milligrams – one of the world’s most popular soda brands, Fanta is another zero-caffeine beverage.
- Sunkist (Regular and Diet) – 19 milligrams – one of the brands with the lowest amount of caffeine.
- Barq’s Root Beer – 22 milligrams – this soda is high in sugar and contains 160 calories per serving.
- Jarritos -32 milligrams – a Mexican soda that is becoming more and more popular, their sodas are based on aguas frescas in many flavors and each bottle contains 12.5 ounces instead of 12.
- Coca-Cola Classic (and Zero) – 34 milligrams – probably the most iconic brand of soda worldwide, the caffeine content is relatively low. The taste differs from country to country with the U.S. using high fructose corn syrup while Europe and Mexico use primarily cane sugar for sweetness.
- Cherry Coke – 34 milligrams – first introduced in 1985, it has become very popular with Coca-Cola fans but it has 42 grams of added sugars.
- Diet Pepsi – 35 milligrams – even though it has zero grams of sugar and zero calories, it has artificial ingredients including aspartame and was first introduced in 1964.
- Pepsi – 37.5 milligrams – blind taste testers have always found the taste of Pepsi to be preferred over Coke and Pepsi contains citric acid while Coca-Cola uses phosphoric acid.
- Pibb Xtra – 40 milligrams – this soda is a new version of the 1972 Mr. Pibb and has a spicy cherry flavor with 140 calories per 12 ounces.
- Pepper (regular and diet) – 41 milligrams – one of the oldest sodas in the U.S., it was first brought to market back in 1885 and the recipes for the two variations are in two separate Dallas bank vaults.
- RC Cola – 43 milligrams – this beverage first showed up in the U.S. in 1905 and is still popular all over the world. It’s not as fizzy as other colas on the list.
- Zevia Cola – 45 milligrams – this soda has zero sugar, zero calories and no added colors and uses organic ingredients for its spice an citrus flavors. It uses Stevia as a sweetener.
- Diet Coke – 46 milligrams – containing less sugar than regular Coke, it has over 10 milligrams more caffeine than regular Coke. Some people think the extra caffeine enhances the strength and taste.
- Mountain Dew (regular and diet) – 54 milligrams – this was first invented as a mixer for bourbon but has 46 grams of added sugars and 170 calories in addition to the high caffeine content.
- Mountain Zevia – 55 milligrams – often found in health-conscious food stores, it uses Stevia like the Zevia Cola and some people claim it has a bad aftertaste.
- Pepsi Zero Sugar – 69 milligrams – this soda has the highest caffeine content of any on the list of 20 but starting this year, PepsiCo has decided to reduce the amount of caffeine to about 37.5 milligrams per 12-ounce can.
Check out the story at Tasting Table