Redwood City, California (August 6, 2024) – Coffee’s been a staple in American life since we saw movies of cowboy’s brewing up on the open plains. Today, it’s what we wake-up to in the morning and when we need that extra boost to get us through the day. But every few decades, consumer preferences for their coffee experience undergo a profound shift, and recently the world of coffee has been changing again to embrace additional benefits beyond the energy boost.
Companies, and consumers, have come to see that coffee can be more than a just a way to deliver caffeine. In today’s world, coffee is being upgraded with ingredients that help us to stay focused, reduce fatigue, and can lead to a real and more relaxing level of energy. Adding mushrooms for their health benefits has proved wildly successful for some brands, and many of them also include science-backed AlphaWave® L-Theanine.
Why AlphaWave® L-Theanine? Studies show that caffeine increases the beta brainwave activity that’s associated with a stimulating effect but can also cause anxiety, and make it hard to relax. In contrast, published clinical studies with AlphaWave® show its ability to significantly increase the alpha brainwave activity that’s associated relaxed wakefulness and a reduction in anxiety and stress. In nature, L-Theanine is found with caffeine in green tea, accounting for the soothing alertness of that beverage. Adding it to coffee has proven to be a very natural fit, and a hit with consumers.
These studies also confirm the safety, efficacy and experiential benefits of AlphaWave® 1,2 that include its ability to promote mental clarity and focus, reduce nervous tension, and help relax without drowsiness. In these ways it supports and enhances the benefits of nootropic mushroom ingredients such as Lion’s Mane, Reishi, Chaga and others which are increasingly being added to coffee beverages.
Ethical Naturals AlphaWave® L-Theanine is GRAS Affirmed in the US and is the only source of L-Theanine approved for use in Australia by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). Widely used in dietary supplements, AlphaWave is also ideal for beverage use: it’s fully water soluble, flavor neutral, and stable at a wide range of temperatures and pH conditions; it’s also certified Kosher and Halal. AlphaWave® is inventoried and supplied though ENI’s NSF certified cGMP facility in Redwood City, CA.
To assure consumers have access to the benefits they expect, AlphaWave® is custom manufactured to meet a higher internal specification than is used for generic materials. All AlphaWave® is produced at one facility that is GMP, ISO22000, FSSC and HACCP certified by SGS and inspected by FDA; it is also tested and distributed through ENI’s NSF/ANSI 455-2 Certification that includes FSMA and cGMP (21 CFR 111), (21 CFR 117). The supply chain for AlphaWave® is thus certified from production to delivery.
“Though history has found the benefits caffeine and L-Theanine to work beneficially in green tea, several modern scientific studies have verified their benefits of adding L-Theanine to caffeine products,” noted Cal Bewicke, CEO of Ethical Naturals. “A new wave of consumers looking for something new, looking for focus, and interested in improving their well-being are finding what they seek.”
1. Safety and Efficacy of Alpha Wave® L‑Theanine Supplementation for 28 Days in Healthy Adults with Moderate Stress: A Randomized, Double‑Blind, Placebo‑Controlled Trial (Marc Moulin, David C. Crowley, Lora Xiong, Najla Guthrie, Erin D. Lewis Neurol Ther https://doi.org/10.1007/s40120-024-00624-7).
2. Evans M, McDonald AC, Xiong L, Crowley DC, Guthrie N. A Randomized, Triple-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Study to Investigate the Efficacy of a Single Dose of AlphaWave® L-Theanine on Stress in a Healthy Adult Population. Neurol Ther. 2021 Dec;10(2):1061-1078. doi: 10.1007/s40120-021-00284-x. Epub 2021 Sep 25. PMID: 34562208; PMCID: PMC8475422. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40120-021-00284-x.