Red Bull Simply Cola
i have to say that my years of energy drink ingestion have come to an end. i have since parted ways with red bull, sugar free red bull, monster and the other now-crowded energy drink market. additionally i have shunned soda altogether, well mostly. what i have shunned is high fructose corn syrup (hfcs), which is a leading ingredient in most sodas but you would be surprised to find where else it is located. but that’s for another post. instead i choose sodas and drinks like jarritos that use only sugar. i believe, this is my opinion, that when consumed is moderation can still be not-detrimental to your health. again, i’m getting off topic.
what piqued my interest was the new can design. i always keep an eye out for new products that can be tested and reviewed. who knows, you might like them, right? in this case, hell yeah i liked it. let’s start from the beginning: the foundation. what really makes a soda? water, sweetener, carbonation, flavoring, caffeine, caramel color (though the argument can be made that cola can taste like cola and be clear). most commercial colas use phosphoric acid to add tangy flavors to their drinks and caffeine from an undisclosed source (though it’s likely the same as red bull). btw, click the link for phosphoric acid and read about rust removal, simply awesome. again, getting off topic. red bull has no phosphoric acid, caffeine from coffee (there are only 2 factories that decaffeinate green coffee beans btw) and no artificial colors.
but how do they get it to taste like cola you ask? simple, with a blend of 16 different spices. yeah, i know. the list is hilarious but totally works. you wouldn’t think to add things like mustard seed, galangal, cardamom, clove and mace to your can of coke, but they sure did. and you know what? it worked. also they get that tangy flavor from lemon juice concentrate instead of that other acid. if you count the flavor combo as one ingredient, than the total number of ingredients comes to 7. yep, 7 ingredients total.
but how does it taste? surprising good. at first gulp your brain is triggered to have a harsh sweetness as you, almost literally, get prepared to choke down the first sip. instead it feels weak, but bubbly on the tongue. give it a second. stop and think about it. you are actually reversing years of conditioned response to cola. (if you never knew what coke tasted like, this would be a new experience, but since you do you have to “teach” yourself again about this product) i waited about a minute after the first sip for my second and i began to analyze the flavors. it was soft and subtle. it tasted like……….cola. or at least what i imagined a real cola to taste like. it was sweet enough, without being too sweet. it did have a faint hint of what soda water tastes like. i had no problems drinking it, even as someone who drinks almost no carbonated products other than beer. i didn’t have a buzz, or a caffeine rush then crash, or anything like normal cola. also, you know that nasty bit in the back of your throat that makes you cough like you have to spit something up, none of that. you got subtle hints of the different flavors including the vanilla and kola nut. it was as sweet as it needed to be without going too far.
the color was light caramel. it was more brown than red bull and less yellow/orange. it was however, just as carbonated as red bull, but that’s okay in my opinion as it is a soda after-all. if i wanted something flat i would have shaken the can into oblivion. nutritionally, it’s still cola. however it’s not as bad as coca cola. an 8 ounce can of coke has 100 calories, while this 8.4 ounce can has 90. coke = 27 grams of sugar, rbsc = 22 grams of sugar.
would i get it again? yes. am i regularly in the mood for a can of cola? no. would this be great paired with some jack daniels? you bet. i didn’t feel bad after drinking this. could i find it at my local whole foods? probably not, but i will remember it. i consider it to be like a micro-brew but for colas. while i like others like cricket cola, this seemed more of a winner to me. check it out for yourself and let me know what you think.
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