Cacao vs. Coffee - Two Different Ways They Work

We are often asked whether our cacao can be used as a coffee substitute. Many people love coffee, not only for its taste, but also to stay awake and productive during the day. That is why today we are taking a closer look at what coffee and cacao have in common and what sets them apart: in their effect on the body and also in the feeling both create in us. And why more and more people are discovering cacao for themselves as a gentle, heart opening alternative.

By Felix in Cacao Blog

Theobromine and caffeine - two stimulants, two different ways they work

Both substances wake you up, but in very different ways. And it is exactly from this that fascinating differences arise, which many people associate with mindfulness, empathy and creative solutions.

A cup of filter coffee (200 ml) contains on average around 90 mg of caffeine.¹ A cup of our cacao, prepared with 30 g of cacao, on the other hand contains on average around 45 mg of caffeine, but with an average of 285 mg a considerably higher share of theobromine.²

Caffeine stimulates the cardiovascular system and the central nervous system – in a moderate amount this can increase your concentration and alertness and give you more performance in the short term. With larger amounts, however, it can also feel different: nervousness, inner restlessness, sleep problems, sweating or a noticeably faster heartbeat are possible – how strongly you notice this depends on your individual sensitivity and the amount consumed.³ In short: caffeine gives your body a clear push. For some people this can feel intense and activating, for others rather hectic.

Theobromine, the characteristic plant compound of cacao (botanical name “Cacao Theobroma”), works quite differently from caffeine. Many describe the feeling it creates as gentle and steady – you feel awake and present without your body moving into a kind of tension. It is as if cacao invites you rather than revs you up. For many, this gentler activation feels like inner clarity, a fine sense of perception and a creative, connected state – qualities that many people associate with cacao.

Gentle drive vs. quick kick

Caffeine and theobromine are alkaloids that are responsible for the stimulating effect of coffee and cacao. Coffee gives you a quick energy boost, which drops off again just as quickly. It is very well suited when you want a short energy kick. With cacao, on the other hand, the energy level rises more slowly for many - but it often lasts longer and stays more even.

Cacao is also rich in magnesium with an average of 300 mg/100 g² - a mineral that has been shown to contribute to normal muscle function, a normal energy metabolism and a normal function of the nervous system.⁴ No wonder that many people feel calmer and more energetic at the same time after a cup of cacao.

Coffee and cacao are both well suited for working and focusing, although there are differences here too: caffeine quickly brings you up to operating temperature - the mind wakes up, the gaze moves forward. With cacao, many experience a feeling of clarity, only in a gentler, calmer way. The flavanols that are naturally contained in cacao also play their part in this.

One of our customers described wonderfully in a review how this can feel:

“I use the ritual cacao from cacaoloves.me regularly in everyday life and I am delighted. For me it works like a gentle pick me up with clear focus, entirely without the hectic caffeine rush of coffee. Instead it supports me in the long term with a clear mind and pleasant energy. It really helps me a lot and I can no longer imagine my everyday life without it.”

The right energy depending on the activity

In my experience, coffee is particularly well suited when you want to concentrate intensely and rather one dimensionally for a limited time, for example with monotonous tasks or when it is about "getting something out of the way". The effect is direct, fast and targeted.

Cacao, on the other hand, widens your entire system. It opens your perception and the access to your feelings and your intuition. That is why cacao is ideal for creative processes, finding visions, reflective activities and all those moments in which you do not have to be rigidly focused on one single thing, but want to dive into a greater sensing, thinking and feeling.

Probably the best known quality of cacao is that it can evoke a feeling of heart opening - a personal self experience. When I have drunk cacao, I feel more strongly connected to my feelings. Intuitive activities and creative processes come much more easily to me. It is not for nothing that cacao has been used for rituals and ceremonies for thousands of years, because it opens the access to inner abundance.

Cacao as the "coffee of tomorrow"

A transformation has been taking place in the business world for several years now. Social skills such as empathy, mindfulness and self efficacy are becoming more and more sought after and more important. Creative and inventive solutions will create the future. Here I clearly see cacao as the "coffee of tomorrow". Cacao is also referred to as “Food of the Shift”. Very fitting, I think.

My personal conclusion

For me, cacao is more than an alternative to coffee. Cacao has a wonderful effect on our body and mind. Of course it depends on where you want to place your focus. I very much appreciate coffee for clear, structured computer work. For creative processes, cacao is clearly my first choice.

What are your experiences? Feel free to write to us!

SOURCES:

¹ European Food Safety Authority (EFSA): EFSA explains risk assessment: caffeine, (2015), https://www.efsa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/corporate_publications/files/efsaexplainscaffeine150527de.pdf

² Cacaoloves.me: Nutritional values of our cacaos - average values for caffeine, theobromine & magnesium, (2026), https://cacaoloves.me/en/pages/naehrwerte-unserer-cacaos

³ German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR): Coffee, energy drinks or caffeine powder: stimulants with health risks? Question: "Which desired and undesired effects does caffeine have?", (2026), 
https://www.bfr.bund.de/fragen-und-antworten/thema/fragen-und-antworten-zu-koffein-und-koffeinhaltigen-lebensmitteln-einschliesslich-energy-drinks/

⁴ Note: applies in the context of a balanced and varied diet as well as a healthy lifestyle.