Sports Research L-Theanine + Caffeine Review
#3 of 8 · Best Premium✓ Label verified · Supplement Facts read Sep 7, 2026Real retailer photo, cut out. Label unedited.
Buy it for the branded actives and the softgel; skip it if you want to split doses or avoid gelatin. Nobody else on this list names both actives as trademarked materials with their own specifications, and the third-party testing claim is printed.
$22-24~$0.38 per softgel (100 mg caffeine + 200 mg theanine)
Why It Scores 8.6 — And The Label Line Behind Each Number
Ratio & Dose vs the Trials
30% of score200 mg L-theanine to 100 mg caffeine is the trials' 1:2 ratio at double the Owen dose in one softgel.
- Per serving
- 200 mg L-theanine (AlphaWave), 100 mg organic caffeine from green coffee beans (PurCaf), 450 mg MCT oil, 5 calories
Ingredient Sourcing & Form
20% of scoreBoth actives are branded materials: AlphaWave L-theanine and organic PurCaf caffeine from green coffee beans; carried in coconut MCT oil in a gelatin softgel.
- Form
- Liquid softgel (gelatin)
- Other ingredients
- Softgel capsule (gelatin, vegetable glycerin, purified water, turmeric), rice bran wax, sunflower lecithin
- Allergen
- Contains tree nuts (coconut)
Testing & Manufacturing
20% of scoreThird Party Tested and cGMP compliant are stated in the gallery; the lab is not named.
- Seals
- Non-GMO tested, gluten-free, third party tested, cGMP compliant (gallery)
Dosing Flexibility & Practicality
15% of scoreA softgel cannot be split and the coconut carrier adds a tree-nut allergen; 60 softgels per bottle.
Value
15% of scoreAbout $0.38 per softgel, the most expensive of the 1:2 capsules.
- Serving
- 1 softgel
- Count
- 60 softgels (60 servings)
- Cost per dose
- ~$0.38 per softgel
Label verified. Every figure read from the Supplement Facts photo, Sep 7, 2026.
Marketing Claims Vs. Reality
Formulated with coconut MCT oil.
450 mg medium-chain triglycerides per softgel on the panel, with a tree-nut (coconut) allergen statement.
Organic caffeine (PurCaf).
The panel names organic caffeine from green coffee beans as PurCaf, 100 mg per softgel.
Third party tested.
Stated in the gallery quality panel alongside cGMP compliant; no certificate or lab is identified on the pack.
What Our Test Actually Found
The best actives, in the least flexible form
PurCaf and AlphaWave are specified, branded materials with their own documentation, which no other product here offers. Then they are sealed in a gelatin softgel you cannot halve, with a coconut allergen and 5 calories of oil.
Premium means paying for the brand names
At roughly thirty-eight cents a dose you pay a small premium over Zhou and Natural Stacks for the branded ingredients. Whether that is worth it depends on how much you value a specification sheet over a coffee species.
Full analysis: all pros & cons (7), buy if / skip if
- Branded AlphaWave theanine and organic PurCaf caffeine
- Trials' 1:2 ratio in one softgel
- Third-party tested and cGMP stated
- Easy-swallow liquid softgel
- Gelatin softgel, not vegan; contains coconut
- Cannot be split for a half dose
- Highest price of the 1:2 capsules
- You want branded, specified caffeine and theanine (PurCaf, AlphaWave)
- You prefer a liquid softgel that goes down easily
- You want organic caffeine
- You are vegan or avoid gelatin
- You have a coconut or tree-nut allergy
- You want to titrate; a softgel cannot be split
Nobody else on this list names both actives as trademarked materials with their own specifications, and the third-party testing claim is printed. The trade-offs are a gelatin softgel that cannot be halved, a coconut allergen statement, 5 calories of MCT you did not ask for and the highest price among the 1:2 capsules.
Sports Research puts branded, characterised ingredients on both sides of the pairing: 200 mg AlphaWave L-theanine and 100 mg organic caffeine from green coffee beans as PurCaf, carried in 450 mg of coconut MCT oil inside a liquid softgel, 60 servings. The panel lists gelatin, vegetable glycerin, purified water, turmeric for colour, rice bran wax and sunflower lecithin as other ingredients and warns that it contains tree nuts (coconut). Non-GMO, gluten-free, third-party tested and cGMP marks are in the gallery.
The specified-ingredient pick, if the softgel suits you
If you want to know exactly which caffeine and which theanine you are taking, this is the only product here that names both. Buy it for that. Buy Zhou or Natural Stacks if you want a vegan capsule or a lower price for the same dose.
If This Doesn’t Fit — Try These
01Zhou Energy + Focus
Natural caffeine, the studied ratio, a vegan capsule and almost nothing else.
02Natural Stacks
The same pairing and dose as the winner with the best testing transparency on the list.
04Nootropics Depot 100/200
If your first question about a stimulant is who tested it and how, Nootropics Depot has the best answer here.
Quick Answers
Is Sports Research L-Theanine + Caffeine vegan?
No. The softgel shell is gelatin and the carrier is coconut MCT oil; the panel also carries a tree-nut (coconut) allergen statement.
What are AlphaWave and PurCaf?
Branded ingredient materials: AlphaWave is a specified L-theanine and PurCaf is organic caffeine extracted from green coffee beans. The panel declares 200 mg and 100 mg of them respectively per softgel.
Sources & Further Reading
2 peer-reviewed sources, each linked to PubMed
- [1] Owen GN, Parnell H, De Bruin EA, Rycroft JA. Nutr Neurosci. 2008;11(4):193-8. PMID 18681988 — The combined effects of L-theanine and caffeine on cognitive performance and mood. In a placebo-controlled crossover study, 50 mg caffeine with 100 mg L-theanine improved speed and accuracy on an attention-switching task and reduced susceptibility to distraction, beyond caffeine alone.
- [2] Rogers PJ, Smith JE, Heatherley SV, Pleydell-Pearce CW. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2008;195(4):569-77. PMID 17891480 — Time for tea: mood, blood pressure and cognitive performance effects of caffeine and theanine administered alone and together. 200 mg L-theanine blunted the blood-pressure rise produced by 250 mg caffeine, while caffeine's alerting effect on cognition was preserved, in a placebo-controlled study.
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