Vegan Drinks Compared: Matcha Soda, Coffee and Energy Drinks
Published: 2026-05-11
If you're vegan, or just careful about what goes into your drinks, the label matters. Here's how matcha soda compares with coffee and typical energy drinks.
What's in a typical energy drink
Most mainstream energy drinks are technically vegan, but the ingredient list is long: caffeine (often synthetic), taurine, added B vitamins, sugar or artificial sweeteners, and flavourings and colours. Some also use guarana, a plant source of caffeine.
What's in coffee
Coffee is simple: roasted beans and water. Black coffee is vegan; the question is what you add to it. Many café coffees come with dairy milk unless you ask for a plant milk.
What's in Luma Matcha Soda
Luma is made with real matcha powder (whole ground tea leaves), Hawke's Bay lemon and lime juice, and sparkling water. It's vegan. Matcha naturally contains caffeine, L-theanine (an amino acid found in tea) and plant compounds called catechins.
Caffeine comparison
- Typical energy drink: 80–160 mg
- Standard flat white: 100–150 mg
- Luma Matcha Soda: 42–67 mg per 330 ml can (matcha varies by batch)
Luma isn't the highest-caffeine option, and it isn't trying to be.
Sugar
Many full-sugar energy drinks and colas contain 25–40 g of sugar per can. Always check the nutrition panel, whichever drink you pick.
Taste
Energy drinks tend to taste sweet and confected. Coffee is bitter and roasty, an acquired taste for some. Matcha soda is earthy and slightly grassy, with citrus from the lemon and lime, and it's at its best ice cold.
The social side
Matcha soda is also a good drink to hold at a party when you're not drinking alcohol. It looks like something, it tastes like something, and nobody needs to ask why you're not drinking.
What to look for on the label
- A vegan statement, if that matters to you
- Caffeine per can, so you can keep track of your daily total
- Sugar per can
- Real ingredients you recognise, such as "matcha powder" rather than "green tea flavour"