I'm Ted.
Before Klar, I spent five years working on film sets. Long days, early call times, and five-plus cups of coffee to get through them.
It worked until my gut gave out. While I was being tested, I found out I'd been living with two bacterial infections for seven years without knowing it. The fix meant giving up caffeine entirely.
That's when I noticed what coffee had actually been doing. Caffeine on its own doesn't fuel you. It borrows energy, the bill comes due, and you go back for more. I wasn't energized. I was chasing.
So without caffeine, I had to figure out what real, sustained energy looks like. That's how I found nootropics, and they made a dramatic difference for me.
I've recovered since, and caffeine's back in my life. But I'm never going back to five cups a day.
My daily caffeine
Then vs. now
One stick of Klar. About a third of the caffeine.
Coffee: about 95mg per 8oz brewed cup (USDA FoodData Central). Klar: 150mg per stick.
I didn't need more willpower. I needed a better tool.
So I built the thing I wanted to drink
Klar is the blend I built to drink less caffeine and get more focus out of it. One stick in any water, about 10 seconds to mix:
- 150mg natural caffeine from green tea. About a cup and a half of coffee.
- Paired 1:1 with L-theanine. The pairing is the whole point. It's why Klar feels different from a can or a third coffee.
- Electrolytes and adaptogens. The parts caffeine alone skips.
- Zero sugar, sweetened with stevia. Vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO, keto-friendly.
Klar is a nootropic energy and hydration drink mix. That's a long way of saying it's the drink I wanted at 3 p.m. and couldn't find.
Try it yourself
How many coffees do you drink a day?
Coffee: about 95mg per 8oz brewed cup (USDA FoodData Central). Klar: 150mg per stick.
The pairing
Caffeine and L-theanine, 1:1
- Natural caffeine150mg from green tea
- L-theanineMatched in equal amounts
The pairing behind every stick of Klar. See how it beats caffeine alone below.
Sugar per serving
Zero. Not "less."
Klar gets its sweetness from stevia, not sugar.
Cola: Coca-Cola nutrition label, 12oz can.
What's actually in it
- 150mgNatural caffeineFrom green tea, per stick.
- 1:1L-theaninePaired with caffeine in equal amounts.
- +ElectrolytesThe hydration half of energy + hydration.
- +Nootropics & adaptogensBuilt into every stick.
- 0gSugarSweetened with stevia.
- 4FlavorsBlood orange, pineapple ginger, piña colada, cactus pear.
- Vegan
- Keto-friendly
- Gluten free
- Non-GMO
The formula, broken down
What’s in the stick
One stick does three jobs: energy, focus and hydration. Here’s every active ingredient, what it does for you, and why it made the cut.*
- 150mgNatural caffeineFrom green tea. About a cup and a half of coffee.
- 2,000mgKlar Focus StackCaffeine, L-theanine, Alpha-GPC, L-tyrosine, L-citrulline, taurine, Panax ginseng.
- 328mgHydration BlendHimalayan pink salt, sea salt, potassium chloride.
- 200mgSodium9% Daily Value.
- 100mcgVitamin B12As methylcobalamin. Plus B6 10mg, B1 15mg, B3 15mg.
Per stick, from Klar’s Supplement Facts panel (klarlabs.co).
- 01Energy
Natural caffeine
150mg · from green tea
The lift.
Caffeine blocks adenosine, the molecule that builds up through the day and makes you feel tired. At low to moderate doses, research links it to better alertness, vigilance, attention and reaction time.1
In every stick: 150mg from green tea, about a cup and a half of coffee.
- 02Smooth
L-theanine
In the Focus Stack · from tea
Smooths the boost.
An amino acid found in tea leaves. Paired with caffeine, it helped people switch between tasks more accurately and feel more alert than placebo.2,3,5 On its own, it’s studied for helping promote a sense of calm in healthy adults.6
Why it’s in Klar: it’s the partner that makes the caffeine work smarter. Paired 1:1 in every stick.
- 03Focus
Alpha-GPC
In the Focus Stack
Feeds acetylcholine.
A form of choline your body uses to make acetylcholine, the messenger behind attention, learning and memory. Choline compounds like it are studied for supporting memory and cognitive function.7
Why it’s in Klar: focus fuel that isn’t just more caffeine.
- 04Focus
L-tyrosine
In the Focus Stack
Building block for drive.
An amino acid your body turns into dopamine and norepinephrine, the messengers behind motivation and alertness. Research suggests it supports focus most when you’re under stress or a heavy mental load.8
Why it’s in Klar: backup for your busiest, most demanding days.
- 05Flow
L-citrulline
In the Focus Stack
Supports blood flow.
Your body converts citrulline into arginine, the raw material for nitric oxide, which helps blood vessels relax. In one study, oral citrulline raised blood arginine more effectively than taking arginine itself.9
Why it’s in Klar: supports the circulation that carries everything else.
- 06Flow
Taurine
In the Focus Stack
Backs up circulation.
An amino acid that supports nervous-system function and is studied for its role in healthy blood-vessel function.10 In a trial with athletes, taurine plus caffeine gave faster reaction times than either one alone.11
Why it’s in Klar: a classic partner for caffeine.
- 07Energy
B vitamins
B1 15mg · B3 15mg · B6 10mg · B12 100mcg
Turns food into fuel.
B vitamins are coenzymes your cells use to turn food into usable energy and to make neurotransmitters. Klar uses methylcobalamin for B12.12
In every stick: 1,250% DV B1, 590% DV B6, 4,167% DV B12.
- 08Calm
Panax ginseng
In the Focus Stack · Klar’s adaptogen
Helps you feel calm under stress.
Adaptogens are herbs used to help the body handle stress. In placebo-controlled trials in healthy adults, Panax ginseng reduced mental fatigue during long, demanding tasks13 and improved self-rated calmness.14
Why it’s in Klar: helps you stay calm when the day runs long.
- 09Hydration
Electrolytes
328mg blend · 200mg sodium
Underrated for focus.
Himalayan pink salt, sea salt and potassium chloride support hydration and fluid balance. That matters for your head: across 33 studies, dehydration measurably impaired attention, executive function and coordination.15
Why it’s in Klar: energy and hydration in one stick, so your water does double duty.
How it works together
Five jobs, one stick. Coffee only does the first one.
- 01 · LiftWake upCaffeine→adenosine blockedB vitamins
Caffeine blocks the tired signal so alertness and attention come up.1 B vitamins help turn food into energy.12
- 02 · SmoothSmooth it outCaffeine+L-theanine
Together, the pair improved attention-switching accuracy and alertness versus placebo in the first two hours.3,5
- 03 · FocusFeed the messengersAlpha-GPC→acetylcholineL-tyrosine→dopamine + norepinephrine
Raw materials for the messengers behind attention, memory and drive.7,8
- 04 · Flow + calmKeep it movingL-citrulline→nitric oxideTaurinePanax ginseng
Citrulline and taurine support healthy circulation.9,10 Ginseng helps you feel calm and less mentally fatigued.13,14
- 05 · HydrateHold the waterElectrolytes→fluid balance
Even mild dehydration drags on attention. Electrolytes support hydration so the rest can do its job.15
Head to head
Caffeine alone vs. caffeine + L‑theanine
In studies that tested both, adding L-theanine made people sharper.2
That’s why every stick of Klar pairs its 150mg of caffeine with L‑theanine.
Try the pairing →Owen 2008: 50mg caffeine ± 100mg L-theanine, 27 adults.2 Kelly 2008: 50mg ± 100mg.16 Haskell 2008: 150mg ± 250mg.4 Kahathuduwa 2017: 160mg ± 200mg, 20 adults.17 “—” = no significant effect reported for caffeine alone. Study doses, not Klar’s.
Hydration
Dehydration hits focus first
How much dehydration dragged down each kind of task (bigger bar = bigger hit).
Klar’s answer
Your focus drink should hydrate you too. Klar is energy + hydration in one stick.
Wittbrodt & Millard-Stafford 2018, meta-analysis of 33 studies.15
Energy, focus and hydration, built into one stick.
Try Klar →*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Then other people started switching their mornings
Thousands of people have switched their morning to Klar. Erewhon picked us up in LA. Zupan's carries us in Portland. Next up: we're launching at Jayde's in Bel Air.
What they say, in their words:
★★★★★“Have been mixing it with water every morning and completely stopped drinking coffee as a result.”
Adrian B., verified buyer
★★★★★“Couldn't believe how easy it was to mix these… Love the clarity and boost it brought as well. Will be reordering!”
Andrew V., verified buyer
★★★★★“Cleaner feel, taste and so much more versatile than canned/bottled energy and sports drinks.”
William H., verified buyer
★★★★★“I am a little sensitive to caffeine (at least in typical energy drinks) but I haven't seemed to have any negative side effects with Klar.”
Stetson P., verified buyer
Reviews from verified buyers on klarlabs.co. Swipe for more.
How I'd try it
Start with one stick a day, in the morning or whenever the afternoon starts winning. Don't go past two a day. Four flavors, so pick the one that sounds best and work from there.
Day 1, it's a smoother energy drink. Day 30, it's just how your mornings work. I'm not going to tell you a drink fixes your life. It fixed mine enough that I built a company around it.
Out in the wild
