It was only a matter of time. This had been out for a bit but my ability to review it has been delayed. But Coke having an energy drink…it’s simply inevitable, I suppose. Everybody has some kind of energy drink. Few people do them properly.
The ultimate way to do an energy drink would be to make sure you had the right amount of sugar, no artificial sugar (or at least that as an option), and the right amount of caffeine/stimulants to make you feel good about the terrible decision you just made to drink an energy drink.
Coke has been down this road before. And yes, I know they own something like 54% of all beverage companies on the planet, so they’ve probably been down the road in many different forms. But seldom is it branded as straight up “Coke.” Maybe the closest they’ve come is that Coke Blak fiasco from years back. So now what have they done?
Well, to sum up, it’s not terrible. The initial whiff from opening the can filled me with trepidation, as often happens. Because it’s a smell that reminds me of artificial sweeteners (which are Satan), but it turns out it’s just because this is sweetened with glucose (but also high fructose corn syrup). The drinks sports not only caffeine but guarana extract (which was most famously used stateside in Josta) so that guarana taste is in there too. The caffeine content is 114mg which is not a lot, really, but it is the same amount of caffeine per ounce that you get in Red Bull.
While we’re on the subject of the stimulants, you do have B vitamins (25% of Niacin and 25% of Vitamin B6—how much does that translate into energy-wise? Hellifiknow.) but you also have 39 grams of added sugars, which is exactly the same as an equal amount of normal Coke.
But like I said: it’s not terrible. It tastes like slightly stale Josta, that lost energy cola of myth and legend. From a taste standpoint, I would choose Red Bull over it. From a boost standpoint, it’s decent. I could feel slightly more awareness after consuming it rapidly, but it wasn’t like I could feel my hair grow or anything. Not that that’s necessarily a goal—I just mention it for comparison purposes.
And I finished the can. If that tells you anything.
