A can of regular Coke contains enough sugar to send you on a certain kind of high, followed by an almighty crash, and I’m not entirely sure why Coca-Cola felt the need to create an energy drink.

But they did, so here we are.

The drink comes in a 300ml can and contains 32mg of caffeine per 100 millilitres.

At R15 a can, critics are happy with the price, but not entirely thrilled about everything else.

Let’s take a closer look at what Coca-Cola is trying to sell us, starting with the name.

‘Energy’.

So, zero points for creativity – sorry.

We’re off to a good start.

Moving on to the taste. According to Business Insider, it tastes like a watered-down version of Iron Brew. You know, this guy:

This is surprising, because the drink is missing the one ingredient that limits how an energy drink can be flavoured.

Energy does not contain a headline ingredient in Red Bull: taurine. Taurine is an amino acid important in several of the body’s metabolic process and is believed to increase mental performance when combined with caffeine, hence its use in energy drinks.

It will also turn you into a monster if you mix it with vodka.

The bitter taste of taurine has to be masked, which is why so many energy drinks taste the same. If you take away the taurine, you welcome in a world of flavours.

Taurine-free 28 Black, for example, gets its energy boost from natural arabica coffee and natural raw sugar. It’s also vegan-friendly, gluten and lactose-free, and contains no artificial preservatives.

The fact that it’s taurine free means that it comes in a variety of flavours like Açai Berries, Açai Berries Zero (which has zero sugar and calories), and Pink Grapefruit-Mint.

In other words, ‘watered down Iron Brew’ is a strange choice considering what could have been done with the flavour.

The overall review was summed up in a single word: “meh”.

Friends, life is too short for “meh” drinks.

Find out where to stock up on energy drinks that are worth the effort here.

[source:businessinsider]