Xenergy Cran/Razz
Cost: $2.79 16oz
Taste: 7
Power: 9
The good stuff: Ginseng, Guarana, Caffeine, 0 Sugar
Typically speaking, my Southwest quest for new energy drinks was a bust. At best I came out with 5 new products to try…at worst I got 1 copy of a popular drink and 3 new products (1 of which is in 2 different flavors) so needless to say when I got home and found a box sitting on my front door step I was pretty excited. That excitement came crashing down pretty hard when I saw that what I had was 2 6-packs of sugar free “healthy” energy drinks.
Now for all you new folks out there you have to understand that I DESPISE sugar free stuff. I hate* artificial sweeteners more than I hate the thought of Brazil or Mexico winning the World Cup. I hate* them so much that I normally refuse to review them because there is no way in hell I can give a fair review. Now I always drink them…always give them a shot, and on one or two occasions I have actually included them on the site…but compared to the number I actually try, that’s a pretty damn small percentage.
So now you are probably asking “Why are you wasting your time writing this review?” and to answer quickly….because this stuff rocks.
Ok, so let’s be clear here. That sugar free artificial sweetener taste is present….I can taste it, and I still don’t like it….but it damn near goes away after the 3rd of 4th drink…it’s never 100% gone, but it gets adapted out enough that I can enjoy the drink and actually finish off the can without feeling like I’m going to have to down a bag of Gummi Bears to balance out the sugar level in my body. After a while I can almost completely focus on the actual fruity flavor of the drink. The cranberry is nice and crisp and the raspberry balances it all out so that there is none of the bitterness you find in other cranberry drinks like Diablo for example. The after taste is mostly that of the artificial sweetener (Sucralose) and then a bit from the cran/razz combo. Nothing to offensive, but it does hang with you a bit longer than that of most energy drinks which kind of forces you to drink it all down a bit faster than normal (at least it does with me.)
So now what? The taste is pretty good, but it still has the sugar free stuff I hate, so why would I still drink it? Well, put quite simply…it’s strong as hell. Seriously… 1/3rd of the way through the can and you can feel it. What’s really cool about this stuff though is that it’s what I would call a focused energy. I’m not jittery, or jumpy at all, but I am wide awake…nothing nervous, I just feel sharper, and well….focused. One of the best feelings I have ever had from an energy drink period. Now I have been on vacation for the past week. Driving all across the Southwest drinking more energy drinks per day then I have in the past couple of years…on Saturday alone I think I had 4 or 5 to keep my awake on the 1000 mile drive home. After all that caffeine abuse this stuff is still hitting me hard….and it lasts too! The effects seem to last about 2 times longer than most drinks do with me (something I could have really used last week) so it’s got my vote for an early morning and a late night drink at this point.
So there you have it. Probably the best 0 Cal sugar free drink out there. If that’s what you have been looking for, then there you have it…of course it costs a bit more than most drinks, but it also does exactly what it claims. Xenergy is definitely worth checking out!
http://www.xyience.com
*since I can't properly express how much I hate artificial sweeteners withouth going on with an endless stream of obscenities, I'm just going to let this picture speak for me.
