Bare Brew vs Celsius: Which Energy Drink is Actually Better?
Bare Brew vs Celsius: Which Energy Drink Is Actually Better?
Bare Brew and Celsius both deliver high caffeine, but they get there in completely different ways. Bare Brew is cold brew coffee — two ingredients, 320mg of natural caffeine from Honduran Arabica beans. Celsius is a formulated energy drink — 200mg of caffeine plus artificial sweeteners, sucralose, citric acid, and a proprietary blend of additives. If you want your caffeine to come from a real food source, Bare Brew is the simpler label.
Short answer
If you want your caffeine to come from a food rather than a formulation, Bare Brew is the better can — it's coffee, and the label proves it. Two ingredients (coffee and water), 0g sugar, 20 calories, 320mg of clean caffeine per 12 fl oz can (26.7mg per fl oz), and cold-brewed, which extracts fewer acids than hot brewing.
Add a 12-pack to cart → or see all pack sizes320mg clean caffeine · 0g sugar · 2 ingredients · $8.99 flat shipping
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The Full Comparison
Caffeine figures transcribed from published labels, September 2026.
Caffeine: Bare Brew delivers 320mg per 12 fl oz can — 26.7mg per fluid ounce, all from naturally extracted coffee. Celsius contains ~200mg per 12 fl oz can — about 16.7mg per fluid ounce — from synthetic caffeine (caffeine anhydrous). Bare Brew is the denser of these two on both measures.
Ingredients: Bare Brew has two: cold brewed Honduran Arabica coffee and filtered water. Celsius lists 15+ ingredients including sucralose, citric acid, calcium carbonate, vegetable juice for color, green tea extract, guarana seed extract, ginger root extract, and a "MetaPlus Proprietary Blend."
Sugar: Both are zero sugar. However, Celsius achieves this with sucralose — an artificial sweetener 600x sweeter than sugar. Bare Brew achieves zero sugar by simply being coffee. No sweetener of any kind.
Sweeteners: Bare Brew contains no added sugar and no sugar substitute, so there is no sugar spike to come down from. Celsius is sweetened with sucralose.
Price: Celsius retails for an estimated $2.00–$2.50 per can, though retail prices are estimates and vary by store and region. Bare Brew is $4.50 per can on the 12-pack ($53.99), $5.50 per can on the 6-pack ($32.99), and $6.00 per can on the 4-pack ($23.99). Celsius is the cheaper can — both per can and per milligram of caffeine. Bare Brew costs more because it is brewed coffee rather than a formulation, so the case for it is the ingredient list, not the price. Shipping is $8.99 flat on every order — no minimums.
The Bottom Line
Celsius is a flavored water with synthetic stimulants. Bare Brew is actual coffee — the original energy drink — at 320mg per 12 fl oz can from two ingredients.
