Coffee vs. Cacao

Statistics from multiple sources, including the National Coffee Association, report that around two-thirds or more of American adults drink the beverage daily, with the figure for those that drink it less often with regularity being even higher. Consuming it is known to boost alertness early in the day along with other areas such as focus and short-term memory, and it even contains an amount of beneficial antioxidants. The energy its caffeine provides, however, delivers a strong spike and crash while also potentially affecting stress hormones and causing dependency in ways that high flavanol cacao does not. 

By contrast, the theobromine present in high flavanol cacao provides a more manageable, longer-lasting energy while containing more nutrients and minerals, including those that support mood. This is in addition to the myriad health benefits we’ve already discussed with high flavanol cocoa, such as cardiovascular support and its much higher concentration of vital antioxidants. Read on for a more in-depth look at the benefits of cacao vs. coffee:

The main reason most people who drink coffee on a daily basis do so is, of course, the early morning energy boost it provides. As mentioned previously, however, the boost from a large amount of caffeine is much less dependable than one from high flavanol cacao’s theobromine for multiple reasons. In addition to the potential for caffeine crashes and dependency, any regular coffee drinker can attest to the nervousness and anxiety caused by coffee jitters. 

High flavanol cacao, by contrast, solves all of these issues while still giving you the effective boost you need. The stimulant it contains, theobromine, provides a much more consistent and long-lasting energy boost without relying on quick bursts of alertness. It’s mild enough to be used by those who need an energy boost throughout the day but don’t want their sleep disturbed by caffeine consumption, and has the added benefit of supporting healthier blood flow, dilating the blood vessels where caffeine is known to do the opposite.

Key Takeaways:

• Coffee’s energy boost is much less dependable vs. cacao

• Coffee can cause crashes, dependency, and nervousness or anxiety in some

• Cacao is less addictive and delivers a much stabler, longer-lasting boost

Another major benefit of cacao vs. coffee comes with their relative nutrient densities. While coffee is known to be somewhat rich in antioxidants, high flavanol cacao handily outdoes it, and cacao is simply better as a source of many other vital nutrients as well. Raw cacao especially, like the kind Vital Purple offers, is rich in minerals such as magnesium, potassium, iron, and several others, giving it an ability to provide long-lasting energy beyond its effect as a mild stimulant.

These minerals high flavanol cacao contains are the source of many of the health benefits we’ve discussed previously. Iron and potassium are potentially the most important, leading directly to high flavanol cacao’s ability to support oxygen transport throughout the body and bolster cardiovascular and muscular health. They’re the reason you have more energy, both physical and mental, after consuming nutrient rich foods, and it’s an energy they don’t need caffeine to provide. Coffee, by contrast, contains very few of these essential nutrients.

Key Takeaways:

• Cacao is much more dense in magnesium, iron, and potassium vs. coffee

• Cacao’s nutrients provide an energy beyond its effect as a mild stimulant

• Cacao’s nutrients also work to support cardiovascular and muscular health

Though we just mentioned how much stronger an antioxidant provider cacao is vs. coffee, it’s important to note just how deep the benefits in that area go. Antioxidants are linked to most of the major benefits of high flavanol cacao we’ve covered in the past, including improved blood flow, lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, reduced inflammation, and even health of the lining of blood vessels themselves. In high flavanol cacao, these come in the form of the flavanols themselves, being a major reason to seek out their content in cacao products.

As said, coffee also has an amount of antioxidants, but the super potent flavonoids and flavanols in cacao outdo anything coffee can provide. Studies from the past couple decades have consistently linked high flavanol cacao to the benefits listed above as well as general improvements in cardiovascular health and reduced risk of both age-based cognitive decline and several major categories of disease. 

Key Takeaways:

• Cacao is much stronger in antioxidants vs. coffee

• Cacao’s antioxidants lead to healthier blood flow, blood pressure, and cholesterol

• Cacao’s flavanol content also leads to many other benefits

Further benefits of cacao vs. coffee become clear when looking at the cognitive effects of each. In addition to high flavanol cacao being a much better mood stabilizer, it doesn’t negatively affect stress hormones or lead to dependency in the way caffeine can for some people who use it regularly. Cacao can increase production of chemicals like serotonin and dopamine without mimicking caffeine’s addictive properties, and combined with its more stable and consistent energy boost, may prove a better way to improve focus and mood throughout the day.

Evidence has even suggested that rather than simply having less of an effect on stress hormones, high flavanol cacao can actually lower ones such as cortisol where caffeine is known to increase it. And while high flavanol cacao does contain an amount of caffeine as well, its main stimulant theobromine has a different profile that is less linked to the typical caffeine tolerance cycle of needing more over time once you get used to it.

Key Takeaways:

• Cacao is a much better mood stabilizer vs. coffee

• Cacao can stimulate serotonin and dopamine more positively vs. coffee

• Cacao may lower hormonal stress where coffee can increase it

There is a decisive victory between cacao and coffee for several reasons but the most notable are: 

• Cacao lowers cortisol, while coffee raises it and stresses out the nervous system
• Cacao contains more minerals resulting in superior nutrient absorption and optimal cognitive function
• Cacao increases blood flow to the heart and brain, while coffee restricts blood flow. 
• Cacao has been studied to benefit the cardiovascular system through reduced cholesterol and improved artery elasticity 
• Cacao is a more powerful antioxidant, leading to a reduction in oxidative stress and reduced cortisol 
• Caffeine in coffee creates dependency and energy crashes

Writer / Researcher: Trey Norbey