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MTE vs. ZOA®: Which One Is Better for Your Energy Needs?

6 Minute Read

Intro

A Healthy Twist on Mainstream Energy Drinks vs. a Completely New Approach to Energy

ZOA energy drinks became popular in 2021 when Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson announced the launch of a new line of cleaner energy drinks. ZOA is supposed to be this well-rounded energy drink that can give your body the fuel it needs to reach its full potential without messing up your health with chemicals and synthetics.

And when the demigod of muscles and charisma promotes a new, health-conscious energy drink, people are bound to listen. After all, The Rock takes such good care of his body, so this product must be something special, right?

While ZOA is a step in the right direction, it’s still only slightly better than other mainstream energy drinks. It boasts 160mg of caffeine per serving, which can definitely cause a jitters, irritability and a crash.

Unlike ZOA, MTE (More Than Energy) doesn’t rely on caffeine to give you the energy you need. Instead, it uses a synergistic formulation of 13 nootropics, adaptogens and superfoods that work together to support healthy energy levels instead of giving you a manic rush of energy that leaves you half-dead when it wears off.

We wanted to do something different, because reaching for caffeine every few hours to keep us going is just not sustainable. A constant circle of overstimulating energy highs and unmotivated bummed-out lows hinders your focus and productivity. On a real health level, this is 0% helpful. To anybody - even The Rock.

So, let’s see what MTE does differently -

How It Works

Is Caffeine the Best Approach to Sustainable Energy?

While ZOA offers a slightly healthier alternative to mainstream energy drinks, it still relies on caffeine for that much-needed jolt of energy – 160mg of caffeine, to be more precise.

Although consuming up to 400mg of caffeine per day is safe, according to the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA), some people experience side effects when consuming 160mg in one sitting.

So, they get a short-term energy boost with the side effect of becoming an overstimulated jittery mess with a rapid heartbeat. Doesn’t sound very fun, does it?

However, for most people, ZOA can provide a necessary kick that helps them overcome a midday slump. And thanks to the formulation that contains fruit extracts, vitamins, electrolytes, and amino acids, ZOA aims to do more than just charge up your body. It wants to support your immune system, keep you hydrated, and ensure you have enough energy and motivation for everything life throws your way.

It sounds good on paper, but it's no secret that caffeine isn’t the best approach for what they're trying to accomplish.

That’s why MTE wanted to take a completely different approach and create a path to feeling good and productive all day long. Stimulants aren’t simply not how your body was meant to source energy. They just trick your brain for a little while to forget about fatigue and continue being productive until the inevitable crash, which does not come with a good mood. Or motivation. Or productivity.

Feeling energized comes from having a balanced diet, sleeping well, managing stress, and getting your body what it needs. MTE seeks to be a trusty companion on the road to a healthier life, providing your body with a secret power of nootropics, adaptogens and superfoods.

That way, your body, and brain have everything they need to function optimally, which allows you to feel alert and focused without feeling tired.

Benefits

What Do ZOA & MTE Offer?

So, what does MTE promise, and is it any different from what ZOA offers?

Most importantly, we use 13 naturally-occurring compounds that work well together to support your well-being and offer a plethora of benefits. For example, adaptogens and nootropics in our formulation support stress management, reduced inflammation, better rest, calm energy, improved focus, immunity, and more.

These ingredients support the balance within your body by regulating and maintaining signals and keeping your systems in order. Adaptogens, in particular, help manage the brain and bodily systems that control stress response. At the same time, they work together with nootropics to promote the balance of certain feel-good chemicals associated with pleasure, learning, memory, and more.

As a result, MTE helps optimize your body, which results in several benefits, including:

More energy
Better response to stress
Improved mood
Better focus
Reduced inflammation
Better immune response
Improved recovery

Here’s what ZOA’s website says about the benefits of this energy drink:

“ZOA is here to light that spark inside you with a cleaner energy formula. Crafted to help you reach your potential and inspire others to reach just as high.”

With a new slogan: “Fuel Something Bigger,” ZOA aims to provide the necessary energy, immune system support, hydration, and muscle growth support to active people. So, let’s see how ZOA can do that.

Ingredients

ZOA’s Cleaner Energy Formula

ZOA energy drink uses a formulation of high-quality ingredients and natural colors and flavors. On their website, they list the five most important elements of their formula:

Camu camu extract
B & C vitamins
Natural caffeine
Amino acids
Electrolytes

Vitamin C and camu camu extract reduce oxidative stress and help optimize our immune system response. This contributes to normal energy metabolism and helps fight fatigue.

B vitamins are essential for many body processes, including energy production, metabolism, and mental focus. That’s why you can find B vitamins in most energy drinks, including ZOA.

The natural caffeine in ZOA is sourced from green tea and green coffee beans. There is a common misconception that natural caffeine doesn’t cause side effects. However, the dose is much more important than the source. Consume too much caffeine from any source and you may experience headaches, emotional distress and trouble unwinding at night. In comparison, a caffeine-free energy powder like MTE can help prevent migraines, promote relaxation, and make it easier to fall asleep.

Electrolytes like the magnesium, potassium and sodium in ZOA help maintain proper fluid balance and nerve and muscle function. These electrolytes can help you hydrate, which is vital for every cell function. In fact, fatigue is one of the first symptoms of dehydration.

Lastly, ZOA contains amino acids to help muscle growth and repair and provide necessary building blocks for enzymes and hormones. However, the website doesn’t state which amino acids are there, and the information is a little vague.

MTE’s Synergistic Formula

MTE contains 13 different nootropics, adaptogens and superfoods combined in an easy-to-take powder mix wellness companion. We’ll briefly go over them below, but you can read in-depth articles about each ingredient on our Wellness Blog. Because we're nerds about functional flora. Sorry not sorry.

MTE’s Nootropics

Most nootropics are natural compounds that support and enhance brain function, improve focus, and reduce fatigue.

Key nootropics in MTE’s formulation include:

We carefully selected these nootropics because of their benefits, safety profile, and extensive potential to improve well-being.

Theacrine is the star of our formulation, allowing people to feel a calm influx of energy without all the bad stuff associated with caffeine. l-theanine, GABA and saffron support cognitive function, improve stress response, reduce feelings of distress/unease, and so much more.

Lastly, green tea extract acts as a fuse for all the other energy-promoting nootropics in our formulation. With only 50mg of caffeine per serving, it offers a perfect balance of energy-boosting benefits without over-caffeinated drawbacks. Plus, there are theacrine, l-theanine and GABA to balance things out.

MTE’s Adaptogens

Adaptogens are natural compounds that interact with our central nervous system, helping us adapt to stress and become more resilient. As a result, the levels of stress chemicals in our bodies lower and we experience many additional health benefits.

Key adaptogens in MTE’s formulation include:

These ancient herbs and roots have been used for thousands of years to support various areas of people’s health. Together, they have the potential for:

Stress relief
Cognitive boost
Reducing fatigue
Improving sleep
Strengthening the immune system
Reducing inflammation
Enhancing mood

MTE’s Superfoods

Superfoods are nutrient-rich foods that may provide certain health benefits due to their naturally high content of vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, and other compounds.

We’ve decided to add a few superstar superfoods to MTE for another layer of benefits, two of which are amaranth and spirulina. These superfoods complete our formulation, creating a perfectly-balanced wellness powder for maximum benefits and no pitfalls.

These superfoods support:

The immune system
Heart health
Mental well-being
Blood sugar regulation
Eye health
Oral health
Allergy management

Pricing

The Cost-Benefit Ratio of ZOA vs. MTE

If you go to the ZOA Energy website, you’ll see that you can order these energy drinks in 12 packs. A standard 12oz 12-pack costs $24.99, while 16oz is $29.99. That comes to around $2.00-$2.50 per can, which is more expensive than most other energy drinks.

The good thing about ZOA is that you can choose a subscription option and get 10% or 20% off, depending on the product you select. The delivery frequency is every two or every four weeks.

MTE is comparable in price, but it offers more than a temporary energy boost. With MTE, you get several health benefits that stack over time and help support your well-being. Having more energy is just one part of the whole feel-better transformation that MTE brings.

With that in mind, MTE costs $2.33/serving, or $1.98/serving with a monthly subscription. So we're pretty equal here if you intend to make ZOA a daily thing.

Packaging

Are ZOA & MTE Eco-Friendly?

It’s more than evident than ever that we need to pay attention to the health of the planet and minimize our impact on the environment. That’s why we use post-consumer recycled plastic, which reduces the amount of waste in the environment. We also use cardboard boxes for shipping and avoid packaging with polluting ingredients.

ZOA Energy drinks come in recyclable cans with a cool, colorful design. Sustainability is not their primary focus, and they instead want to put the emphasis on providing that cleaner energy to help people do great things. But aluminum is green whether you did it on purpose or not, so hat's off to them.

Other Highlights

The Other Cool Stuff About ZOA & MTE

One big advantage of ZOA over MTE is that it’s available at most major grocery stores; you can easily grab a can on-the-go or order a 12-pack off Amazon and stock up on one of several available flavors.

ZOA doesn’t contain:

Added sugars
Preservatives
Artificial flavors
Synthetic colors

That makes it a somewhat cleaner and healthier alternative to most mainstream energy drinks.

But MTE isn’t an energy drink.

We are playing a completely different game, trying to help people feel better in a more natural and sustainable way. That’s why MTE doesn’t contain:

Dairy
Gluten
Artificial sweeteners
Added sugars
Caffeine bombs

We are vegan, organic, keto-friendly, Halal, and Kosher, making MTE suitable for various diets.

MTE prioritizes quality ingredients and the synergistic power of adaptogens, nootropics and superfoods over empty caffeine and sugar. That’s why the energy you get when you take MTE is calm and doesn’t overstimulate. If you want to learn more about MTE, check out why we’ve made theacrine the star of our energy-boosting formulation and why it is often called “clean caffeine.”