C4, Rockstar and Bucked Up Caffeine Pouches Compared

C4, Rockstar and Bucked Up Caffeine Pouches Compared

C4 and Rockstar both showed energy drink pouches with 100 mg of caffeine at the NACS Show in Las Vegas (October 6 to 9, 2026), with launches reported for early 2027. Neither product appears on its brand's website yet. Bucked Up's PWR Buck, a 50 mg caffeine pouch with Cognizin citicoline, 20 per tin, already sells through retailers. All three are nicotine-free energy drink pouches.

Key Takeaways

• Biggest label number available now: Wip at 200 mg per pouch ($0.28 per 100 mg), followed by Ultra Energy at 180 mg.
• Lightest dose with a nootropic add: Bucked Up PWR Buck at 50 mg caffeine plus Cognizin citicoline, $0.45 per pouch, on sale now.

Announced vs On Sale: The Side-by-Side

Source: trade-show reports (Stack3d), brand and retailer product pages; prices one-time except Roon (subscription), checked Oct 17, 2026. Price per 100 mg = price per pouch ÷ (mg ÷ 100).

Where These Numbers Come From

C4 and Rockstar specs are drawn from trade-press coverage of NACS booth samples (Stack3d, Stack3d), not from finalized labels or brand pages, so formulas and counts could change before launch. Bucked Up figures come from retailer listings (living.fit, DPS Nutrition). On-sale brands use their own product pages. Computed columns (price per 100 mg) were calculated from those published prices. We compared the published labels, prices and doses; none of these pouches was lab-tested or use-tested for this page.

A note on bias: Roon sells its own caffeine pouch, which appears in the table and is linked from this page. Each figure above links to the trade report, brand page or retailer listing it came from, so you can check it.

Is C4 Making Caffeine Pouches?

Yes. C4 showed Energy Lip Pouches with 100 mg of caffeine at NACS, with availability planned for the first quarter of 2027, per Stack3d. The formula relies on caffeine alone, with no added nootropics or amino acids reported. Only one flavor, Strawberry Blast, was on display.

Stack3d noted that 100 mg is half the caffeine in a 16 oz C4 Energy can, and that the tin holds 1.5 g total (pointing to 15 pouches). No price has been announced. C4 is a Nutrabolt/Cellucor brand; for a look at the drink line, see our C4 Smart Energy review.

What Is in Rockstar Energy Pouches?

Rockstar's pouch carries 100 mg caffeine plus theanine and taurine at undisclosed doses, 15 pouches per puck, in Fruit Punch Freeze and Mint Freeze, according to Stack3d's NACS report. Launch is reported for early 2027. Stack3d describes this as the brand's first product outside a can, and Rockstar told them it has more innovation planned for the coming year.

Celsius Holdings acquired the Rockstar brand in the US and Canada from PepsiCo on August 29, 2025; PepsiCo retains Rockstar internationally. So a US launch would sit with Celsius; the trade-press reports do not say more than that about who will sell the pouch.

Bucked Up PWR Buck: The One You Can Buy Now

PWR Buck delivers 50 mg caffeine with Cognizin citicoline, 20 pouches per tin, in Spearmint, Blue Raz, Rocket Pop and Watermelon. Retailers list it at $8.99 per tin (about $0.45 per pouch). The label text shown on the retailer page claims "up to an hour" of energy and focus support, recommends no more than five servings per day, and advises against consuming additional caffeine while using the product.

The citicoline dose is unclear: Stack3d reported "63.5" without a unit at launch, and the retailer pages we checked did not print a dose. Treat it as unconfirmed. For background on citicoline, see What Is Cognizin Citicoline? At least one retailer showed PWR Buck flavors as sold out or on pre-order as of mid-October.

Price per 100 mg, and Why It Is the Wrong Scoreboard

Price per 100 mg rewards the biggest dose. That metric treats all caffeine the same, regardless of what else is in the pouch or how long the effect lasts. It also cannot tell you whether a 100 mg or 200 mg dose is the amount you want, and a pouch cannot be split.

Roon sits at 80 mg on purpose: the goal is duration, not a bigger number. Its 25 mg of methylliberine is there to slow caffeine clearance (the supporting study used a much larger 100 mg dose, covered below). If 80 mg feels light, two together make 160 mg, or a second can come later in the day; whatever you choose, stay within 4 pouches and 400 mg of caffeine a day counting coffee, drinks and everything else.

Will Energy-Drink Pouches Cost More Than Pouches Already on Shelves?

Nobody knows yet. C4 and Rockstar have not announced pricing. Among pouches on sale today, per-pouch costs range from $0.38 (Berserker, in a 5-pack) to $1.07 (Ultra Energy, in a 3-can pack). Whether drink-brand recognition commands a premium over pouch-native brands is something the market will answer in 2027.

Which Should You Pick?

• If you want the most caffeine per pouch on sale today: Wip (200 mg, $0.56/pouch).
• If you want a lighter caffeine-plus-citicoline pouch now: Bucked Up PWR Buck (50 mg, $0.45/pouch).
• If you are loyal to C4 or Rockstar: Wait for the early-2027 launches; specs may still change.
• If you want a moderate dose built for a longer window: Roon (80 mg plus 25 mg methylliberine, 6 to 8 hours, from $0.61/pouch).

Before You Stack a Pouch on an Energy Drink

The FDA sets 400 mg of caffeine per day as the amount not generally linked to negative effects in most healthy adults. Toxic effects, including seizures, have been associated with rapid intake of around 1,200 mg. A 16 oz C4 Energy can contains 200 mg, so one can plus two 100 mg pouches already hits 400 mg for the day. Bucked Up's own label advises against adding other caffeine while using PWR Buck.

If you are pregnant, trying to conceive, breastfeeding, have a heart condition, take stimulant medication or are caffeine-sensitive, talk to a clinician before using any caffeine pouch. These products are for adults 18 and older.

Related from Roon

• Best Caffeine Pouches Ranked
• How Many Caffeine Pouches a Day?
• Nootropic Pouches vs Energy Drinks

Frequently Asked Questions

Are C4 pouches out yet?

No. C4 Energy Lip Pouches were shown at the NACS Show in October 2026, with Stack3d reporting availability planned for Q1 2027. They do not appear on C4's website as of mid-October 2026 and cannot be purchased.

Does Rockstar make a nicotine pouch?

No. The Rockstar Energy Pouch previewed at NACS is a caffeine pouch (100 mg per pouch with theanine and taurine), not a nicotine product. All reports describe it as nicotine-free.

Do any of these pouches contain nicotine?

C4's and Rockstar's pouches are reported as nicotine-free caffeine pouches, Bucked Up's retailer listing says PWR Buck is nicotine-free and tobacco-free, and Roon has zero nicotine. Every product in the table is sold as a caffeine pouch; for the others, check the brand's own label for its nicotine statement.

How many C4 pouches equal one C4 Energy can?

Two. Stack3d reported that each C4 pouch contains 100 mg of caffeine, "exactly half" the 200 mg in a 16 oz C4 Energy can. So two pouches match the can's caffeine load.

Where can I buy Bucked Up PWR Buck pouches?

Retailers including living.fit and DPS Nutrition list PWR Buck, and Stack3d reported it launched on buckedup.com. Some flavors showed as sold out or on pre-order in mid-October 2026.

Built for the Afternoon, Not the Label

The big drink brands are converging on 100 mg caffeine pouches, and price-per-milligram tables will follow. That comparison treats caffeine as interchangeable regardless of how long it keeps working.

Roon takes a different angle. Each pouch pairs 80 mg caffeine with 60 mg L-theanine, 25 mg methylliberine (Dynamine) and 5 mg theacrine (TeaCrine). Methylliberine's role is to slow caffeine clearance: a randomized crossover PK study (n=12) found that co-dosing extended caffeine's half-life from 7.2 to 15 hours without raising the peak, though that trial used 100 mg methylliberine and 150 mg caffeine (about 4x and 1.9x Roon's amounts), so the effect at Roon's dose follows the same mechanism directionally rather than replicating those exact numbers. The result Roon claims is a 6 to 8 hour felt window with no jitters and no crash, and you should leave at least 8 hours between your last pouch and bedtime.

An 80 mg pouch carries roughly the caffeine of a small coffee, and four in a day is 320 mg, inside the FDA's 400 mg daily figure as long as you count your other caffeine too. Roon is from $9.16 per tin on the 12-tin subscription. No 2027 launch date, no waitlist. It ships now.

Sources

• C4 Energy Lip Pouches, Stack3d (Oct 9, 2026)
• Rockstar Energy Pouches, Stack3d (Oct 2026)
• Rockstar 2027 Innovation, Stack3d (Oct 2026)
• Bucked Up PWR Buck, Stack3d (June 2026)
• Bucked Up PWR Buck, living.fit
• Celsius/Rockstar Acquisition, SEC Filing (Aug 2025)
• NACS Show 2026 Attendance
• FDA: Spilling the Beans on Caffeine
• Methylliberine/Caffeine PK Study, Journal of Exercise and Nutrition

Written by Roon Team