I love coffee. //

L-theanine is an amino acid extracted from the leaves of camellias sinensis — the fancy-pants name for the common tea plant. It’s actually responsible for some of the savoury notes in green tea and is a common relaxant, often mixed with other natural supplements to induce feelings of calm and relaxation.

Also known as a nootropic — a cognitive enhancer (and 100% legal, in this case) — theanine can help improve cognitive function. However, it’s most significant benefit is it’s ability to reduce mental fatigue and stress in humans.

L-theanine affects the brain in a number of ways, and is known to amplify alpha brain waves, allowing for a type of calm alertness and even heightened creativity.
Theanine has also been shown to boost levels of GABA, as well as other hormones and compounds that promote calm, focus, regulated mood, and more.

By itself, l-theanine is effective nootropic. But when combined with caffeine…there’s a pronounced synergistic effect. This means you experience heightened focus, awareness, and energy, as well as reduced stress and improved mental endurance to even higher levels.

The simplest method would be to take a caffeine capsule and a l-theanine capsule half an hour before you want to experience the effects. The ratio of caffeine to theanine is generally 1:2 (100 mg of caffeine with 200 mg of theanine). Most theanine and caffeine capsules are available in 100 mg doses, so that would mean taking one 100 mg caffeine capsule (generally the same amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee!) and two 100 mg theanine capsules.