Energy Drinks vs Natural Energy: Comparing Bang® and MTE®

Intro

Bang vs MTE: Two Very Different Energy Drinks

In the ultra-crowded energy drink market, sometimes it’s hard to know what you’re getting when you grab a can off a shelf. You’re looking for that big energy boost, but do you know how you’re getting it? Bang is a typical example. One of the biggest brands in energy drinks today, they were recently acquired by the biggest brand – Monster®. People know Bang’s caffeine increases energy levels, but is that all?

And then you have a non-typical energy drink alternative: MTE. With this daily wellness powder, it’s not caffeine that supports energy levels, and it’s not sugar, taurine or a bunch of B12. So what is it? And how is MTE different from Bang?

How it Works

Mechanisms of Bang vs MTE: Stress Response or Resilience?

The first major difference between MTE and Bang is how they provide the energy boost they promise. The nature of these two energy drinks is totally different: Bang stimulates with stress induction; MTE supports with stress adaptation.

Bang’s Caffeine Content

A 16oz can of Bang contains 300mg of caffeine, equivalent to 3+ cups of coffee. Caffeine stimulates your body’s immediate energy-producing systems, activating the release of wake-up chemicals and blocking tired chemicals. In effect, it creates a false stress response, which is why you get increased focus, alertness and energy, but you also often get angsty with a high heart rate.

MTE’s Caffeine Content

A scoop of MTE’s energy drink replacement powder contains 0mg of caffeine and instead relies on a mix of energy-multiplying adaptogens, nootropics, and superfoods. Adaptogens support stress resilience, which negates the symptoms of chronic stress, like reduced immunity and fatigue. Nootropics support cognitive function, promoting a calm mood and improved focus and attention. Superfoods provide the nutritional resources the body needs to produce sustainable energy and reserves.

Instead of promoting energy mobilization via the body's stress response system, MTE supports the neurochemical systems associated with mood, learning, and motivation while helping to balance the activity of wake-up and calm-down chemicals. This creates that energetic, zoned-in feeling without the irritable and cracked-out effects of a bunch of caffeine – or that ever-imminent caffeine crash.

Benefits

Benefits of Bang & MTE: Anything More Than Energy?

MTE is a caffeine-free energy blend meant as a wellness companion, meaning it offers benefits that surpass temporary energy. Making MTE a daily habit can result in benefits that accumulate, including:

Calm, sustained energy
Stress resilience
Immunity
Focus and cognition
Positive mood
Better recovery
Inflammatory response
Metabolism support

Bang is a powerful energy drink that can offer as-needed benefits, including:

Mental focus and clarity
Physical performance
Muscle recovery
Reduced fatigue
Higher metabolism

Ingredients

It’s What’s Inside that Matters: MTE vs Bang Formulations

Both Bang and MTE claim to be healthy energy drinks. But what does that claim mean?

Key Ingredients in Bang

Ingredients in Bang that are important for providing that big energy boost include:

Caffeine: mobilizes energy using the body's fight-or-flight response to encourage wake-up chemical signaling and block I'm-tired signaling
B vitamins: essential for energy production and metabolic function
Taurine: amino acid that plays a role in energy production, muscle function and neurochemical signaling
CoQ10: coenzyme involved in energy production and muscle health
Sodium and Potassium: support electrolyte balance
Artificial sweeteners: calorie-free, sugar-free flavor

Key Ingredients in MTE

Of the 10 adaptogens, nootropics, and superfoods in MTE’s daily wellness blend, the key ingredients in energy production include:

Ashwagandha: Adaptogen that promotes stress resilience and adaptation, freeing up energy resources
Eleuthero: Adaptogen that supports enhanced energy, physical performance and metabolism
Maca: Adaptogen and superfood that improves stress response and supports stamina and vitality
Paraxanthine: Clean, crash-free energy from a caffeine metabolite that boosts physical and cognitive performance without overstimulation
L-theanine: Nootropic that supports calm, focused energy and reduces fatigue by improving stress tolerance

Learn about all of the ingredients in MTE’s plant-powered energy-boosting formula.

Pricing & Packaging

Cost & Packaging Breakdown for Bang vs MTE

Let’s talk logistics: what’s the cost of a Bang habit vs a daily drink of MTE?

One can of Bang costs $3 to $3.50 on average, and costs $2.50/can if you buy in bulk.
MTE’s daily energy blend powder comes in single-serve packets and costs $3.25 per serving. You can sign up for a subscription to save 20%, bringing the price down to $2.60/serving.

Bang energy drinks come in 16oz aluminum cans, which are 100% recyclable. Whether or not Bang needs to be refrigerated is really up to the person drinking it.

MTE is focused on reducing its carbon footprint with thoughtful manufacturing, sustainably sourced ingredients and minimal packaging, using post-consumer recycled plastic for the powder sticks and cardboard for packaging and shipping.

Other Highlights

Last Fun Facts on Bang & MTE Energy Drinks

Final notes on Bang aren’t fun, actually. Because there are a couple of things we need to be careful of with a daily Bang habit.

First, that much caffeine at once is likely to have those negative side effects of jitters, irritability, pounding heart, etc. Second, consuming that much caffeine chronically can create serious dependence, tolerance, addiction, sleep disturbances, and more. Thirdly, artificial sugars like the acesulfame in Bang are associated with a host of long-term health risks.

Let’s bring it back up. MTE has got a few other great things going for it:

No sugar bombs
No caffeine
Nothing artificial
Vegan
Keto
Gluten-free
Dairy-free
Kosher
Halal
Organic

Conclusion

How to Get a Transformational Kind of Energy

We’re not gonna fault anyone for grabbing a can of Bang after a sleepless night with a 14-hour day in front of you. You want to wake the f*ck up? That stuff works. But we should be careful with making it a habit, as there are several risks you’re taking with your physical and mental health.

For those looking for a replacement for energy drinks – something healthy, natural, clean – MTE is your new go-to daily wellness companion. Bioactive plants replace caffeine; neuromodulation replaces overstimulation; encouraging innate energy functions replaces synthetically augmenting energy levels.

It’s different; it’s effective; it’s energy you can feel good about.

Curious to know more about how MTE works? Check out the benefits of our jitter-free energy powder. And for suggestions on other great alternatives to traditional energy drinks, read our article detailing some of the best healthy energy drinks.

Questions About the Topic

The how of it all is complicated, but it’s also simple. Caffeine excites the nervous system; MTE does not. Caffeine promotes energy production by jamming I’M TIRED signals while pushing LET’S EFFING GO signals. It does this by hijacking the body’s natural stress response processes to keep it in a heightened state of alertness that lasts for 4-6 hours.

When the caffeine’s gone, those mood-boosting, energy-promoting, zoned-in benefits are gone all at once, and all those fatigue signals come flooding in. This is the caffeine crash, and what defines the caffeine hamster wheel.

MTE is way different. We use nootropics and adaptogens to tap into your body’s natural energy reserves. Adaptogens promote stress resilience, while nootropics promote energy, mood, and focus. They work synergistically to:

Free up energy by fighting the effects of stress.
Boost focus by promoting the production of neurochemicals associated with calm clarity.
Gently modulate I’M TIRED and LET’S GO chemicals to provide smooth, sustained energy that doesn’t come with stress, jitters, or over-excitation.
Support balanced activity of neurotransmitters and hormones controlling mood, memory, learning, motivation, and attention.

The result? Feel-good energy that doesn’t rely on making your mind and body panic for no reason. This energy is a result of optimizing your body’s natural processes instead of violently interrupting them.

Paraxanthine is a metabolite of caffeine that represents about 80-85% of caffeine byproducts when digested in the liver. Paraxanthine and caffeine are both methylxanthines, but caffeine is a trimethylxanthine while paraxanthine is a dimethylxanthine. Chemically, paraxanthine is known as 1,7-dimethylxanthine because it has one fewer methyl group than caffeine (1,3,7-trimethylxanthine).

Adaptogens fight the psychological and physical effects of stress by modulating neurochemical signaling in the body. Different adaptogens might affect neurotransmitter, hormonal, or other chemical activity in a way that increases the body’s resistance to the negative effects of stress in 1 or more ways:

Reducing levels of stress hormones
Increasing immune system capacity
Modulating activity in the HPA axis

For more, check out our article: Adaptogens: A New Name for Some Very Old Medicinal Herbs

Not in the way you’ve thought about energy drinks for the last 30 years. Rather than one-dimensional energy, often with a crash, MTE is a plant-powered powder that promotes feel-good energy while also supporting mood, stress resilience, calm focus and many other benefits to well-being that are often ignored.*

Accordingly, MTE was designed to be a daily supplement rather than a quick fix. Mix one scoop with 8oz of cold water or into your favorite protein drink or smoothie once a day to start feeling great. Because MTE’s adaptogens and nootropics act on your vital systems, it helps you have the energy you need to be at your best. It’s a healthy energy supplement that helps eliminate the need to reach for an energy drink in the first place!

energy drink comparison healthy energy drink alternative

Frequently Asked Questions

MTE combines support for energy, focus, mood, stress response, gut health, and overall recovery into a single daily blend to help your body better manage inflammation, immune challenges, and everyday wear and tear. Rather than borrowing from tomorrow, MTE’s proprietary blend of nootropics, adaptogens, and superfoods nourish your body’s systems naturally so you can feel good consistently. No crash. No jitters. No impact on sleep.

Most people describe MTE as calm, clear, and steady; focused without being wired; energized without the edge. Some feel a difference from their first serving. Adaptogens and nootropics work best over time, so the deeper shift in mood, stress resilience, and sleep tends to build over about 30 days.

Most drinks provide a burst of focus and energy, but disrupt your calm and sleep in return. MTE doesn't work that way. Instead of triggering a stress response, it supports your nervous system. Adaptogens build stress resilience, nootropics support focus and mood, and together, they tap into your body's natural energy reserves. No payback later.

MTE is made of 10 carefully-selected nootropics, adaptogens, and superfoods: paraxanthine, L-theanine, saffron, GABA, ashwagandha, eleuthero, maca, spirulina, amaranth, and chicory root. No caffeine, no added sugar, and no artificial anything.

If caffeine makes you jittery, anxious, or wrecks your sleep, MTE was made for you. It's also a good fit if you're looking for something that supports energy, mood, focus, and sleep without the usual tradeoffs. Many people add it to their morning ritual. Others use it as an afternoon coffee replacement, or just as a way to feel like themselves again. MTE is vegan, gluten-free, keto-friendly, and free of common allergens.