Study-Friendly Coffees: Our Best Picks for Late Nights

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Black coffee, of course, is my top pick for best coffee for studying, followed by Americano and bulletproof coffee.

All-nighters are basically a rite of passage for students everywhere. They’re all familiar with the grind of busting out their textbooks and studying hard for hours on end.

Of course, all-nighters aren’t complete without coffee and other caffeinated beverages.

Coffee is known to improve concentration, alertness, and energy levels which are all essential to a successful study session.

But of course, not all coffees are made the same. There are differences in ingredients, taste, and preparation methods that can result in different effects on your body.

So, apart from my top picks, if you want to get into details about the best coffees for studying, you’ve come to the right place.

I’ll be presenting my tried-and-tested top picks for the right coffee for your all-nighter in this article.

Let’s get to it!

Is It Good To Drink Coffee While Studying?  

Drinking coffee while studying can be helpful for you.

Right from the get-go, coffee’s caffeine content will keep you energized for your study session.

Furthermore, caffeine stimulates your central nervous system so you can focus and concentrate more. You’ll be firing on all cylinders, so that’s great.

Caffeine will also help improve your memory.

A study by Johns Hopkins University discovered that participants who ingested 200 mg of caffeine did better in remembering the test images than others.

But of course, caffeine also has its downsides.

Excessive use will lead to side effects like headaches, restlessness, insomnia, and loss of concentration.

Keep in mind that coffee should support you and not be your crutch, so it’s still better to start your study session well-rested and fed.

Watch the video to learn more about how coffee affects your brain:

WATCH & LEARN: How Coffee Affects the Brain

How to Make Coffee For Studying

If you’re not up for a Starbucks run, you can always make your own coffee for studying.

Here are my top tips for brewing high-quality coffee!

Always buy fresh coffee beans or ground coffee.

Expired or outdated coffee beans will most certainly lose the roasted flavor and texture that we all know and love. Worst case, they might also lose their stimulating effect.

Hence, freshly beans should always be your go-to ingredient when brewing your own coffee.

Grind coffee beans right before you make your coffee.

Of course, you can always buy ground coffee and get straight to brewing, but grinding the beans yourself has a few advantages.

Freshly-ground coffee retains the flavor, moisture, and antioxidants better. Plus, you can control the grind size too!

Use perfect water temperature and ensure the right coffee water ratio.

The water temperature in brewing needs to be accurate.

If in any case you take more water and less dosing, or more dosing and less water, you’ll eventually end up with a cup of coffee with a spoilt taste.

The coffee to water ratio for a regular cup of coffee is 17:1.

Use good quality coffee making tools.

Make sure that the equipment and tools you use in brewing coffee are in good condition to ensure that the coffee you’re making is in line with hygiene and quality standards.

Timing is everything.

Timing can mean the difference between a perfect cup of coffee and a watery mess.

If you get distracted and your coffee gets brewed more than it should, you’ll get a subpar cup of overcooked burnt coffee.

Add MCT oil.

You can enhance your coffee’s benefits by adding an extra element called MCT oil.

It’s proven to lower the risk of diseases, boost your energy, and improve your memory and brain function.

Plus, MCT oil is also keto-friendly!

All in all, a great addition to your coffee.

Coffee can help you get through an intense study session.

Best Coffees For Studying

Now that you know what makes a great cup of coffee, let’s dive into the best coffees for studying!

Black Coffee 

Black coffee is the healthiest coffee variation out there.

Black coffee contains around 130 to 460 mg of caffeine depending on the cup size and this amount of caffeine plays an important role in keeping you focused and alert while studying.

Regular coffee, or black coffee as some know it, is probably the most consumed type of coffee around the world. It takes almost no time to prepare black coffee which saves you time and energy.

Americano 

Americano is a flavorful and strong coffee.

Americano coffee is a diluted version of espresso that provides a different flavor from the usual brewed coffee.

An Americano can contain around 75 to 300 mg of caffeine per cup, which guarantees that you’ll be enjoying caffeine’s benefits.

It’s also a great choice for those who want a little creaminess and a full-bodied taste in your coffee.

Also, if you find espresso to be too strong or black coffee to be too bitter, try Americano!

Bulletproof Coffee

Bulletproof coffee is made to energize you through the day.

This coffee variation is also known as “butter coffee.”

Many people believe that bulletproof coffee provides various health benefits such as improved memory, better cognition, and increased alertness.

However, if you need something a bit strong to help you to focus better on your studies, bulletproof coffee may not be for you. 

Its caffeine content is quite low compared to other coffee types, while its calorie content is higher than average.

Still, I’d go for bulletproof coffee for studying because it contains MCT oil which is beneficial in terms of improving concentration.

Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew 

Pumpkin cream cold brew is a tasty low-caffeine drink that you can grab from Starbucks.

Going on a study date with your friends?

The pumpkin cold cream brew is definitely a fun choice!

It has a calorie count of 250 and caffeine at 185 mg per grande cup.

The caffeine content is just the right amount for those who want to keep their intake low, but you should watch the sugar content since it can have side effects on your health.

NooTropic Coffee

Nootropic coffee is essentially the enhanced version of regular coffee and a great alternative too.

You have probably heard of people taking steroids to increase their muscle build-up.

NooTropic coffee consists of ingredients like creatine and L-Theanine which can improve your memory, focus your mind, and improve cognitive function.

These enhancements are exactly what a student needs for studying longer hours and increased productivity. It can also help relieve stress which is helpful whether you are studying or not.

Just like regular coffee, you have to keep your consumption to a minimum to reap its maximum benefits.

The table below sums up the differences between the coffees mentioned above.

ContentBlack CoffeeAmericanoBulletproof CoffeePumpkin Cream Cold BrewNooTropic Coffee
Caffeine130 to 460 mg75 to 300 mg120 to 145 mg145 to 185 mg130 to 460 mg + added mind improving substances
Preparation Time4 to 6 minutes3 to 5 minutes5 to 10 minutes5 minutes4 to 6 minutes
Sugarnoneoptionaloptionaloptionaloptional
Comparing Different Coffee Variants in Terms of Caffeine, Sugar, and Preparation Time.

Key Takeaways

And the winner is black coffee!

No doubt about it as black coffee at its purest is very healthy in nature and it’s loaded with antioxidants that have a key role in fighting certain diseases.

Black coffee too can help you study by giving you an energy boost and improve your concentration and focus longer.

All-nighters can be particularly tiring and stressful, so the right coffee can help you power through them!

However, you have to be wary of coffee’s side effects, as people tend to load up on caffeine during all-nighters.

Always keep in mind the recommended limit which is 400 mg caffeine per day for most healthy individuals.

So, stay within that range to avoid caffeine-related symptoms!

Additionally, caffeine affects us all differently.

If you’re caffeine sensitive, you have to be extra careful of your caffeine intake. I strongly recommend choosing a drink with low caffeine content and listen to how your body reacts to it.

And if you’re embarking on a grueling study session, make sure you pick the right coffee for you.

Best of luck!

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