I found these at Costco warehouse in Watford for 3.99 excluding VAT for a tray of 24 of these 250ml drinks. Excluding VAT that is just 17pence per can. The Red Bull main drink costs more and from experience this does the same job. I think this is a good value alternative to Red Bull and even Powerade drinks. I like Powerade Tropical and Berry flavor based on the taste and texture, though from my recent purchasing I have to say that my interest in this drink called Emerge is higher.
The design of the can is not that interesting though it comes in a red colored triangle, V shape and silver grey in colour. The can is easy to open. One of the differences is that Emerge drink when poured into a glass is slightly yellow in colour compared to a darker coloured Red Bull drink. Recently with the hot weather I bought some to get some additional energy for practising football, as I joined a part time social football club.
The effects of this drink work within minutes and last for upto an hour. I found myself enjoying this drink even more based on my discovery that it gave me almost a prolonged hour of sports and fitness ability. It had an effect on my nervousness in that I felt more relaxed and slightly more able to play football in a nice and controlled manner. A disadvantage was that the drink does contain a lot of sugar. It contains more sugar than Powerade although slightly less sugar than Pure Sobe Energy drink. Secondly I felt that my body had more confidence in running around my local park and also that my alertness was greater than normal. Overall this was slightly thirst quenching without it actually tasting all that great. On my recent experience of this drink on a hot day, I was able to train and kick the ball well. I simply did not have the enthusiasm after breakfast and a few cups of tea to play football in the park. It was almost imperative and after downing this drink that I suddenly felt the improvement in both my mental and physical need to play football. It worked wonders for me despite the high caffeine and sugar intake. This drink kept me adequately hydrated and feeling good throughout the day I had consumed it. During my second experience of this drink, I played a football match and after the exercise I consumed another can of Emerge and felt much better using the product this way. I felt that it hydrated my body very well after the exercise. I did not experience any adverse effects from this drink. Though there is a lot of sugar in this drink, I felt that drink is not sickly or too sweet. The use of the fructose glucose syrup in the drink is a better alternative for the sugar than actual sugars that are found in most other energy drinks. What I liked about the ingredients are that there is no aspartamne, or similar sweetners included in the drink. There are also B6 and B12 vitamins. The drink is refreshing and quite pleasant. On the days that I have taken the drink I have remained slightly upbeat and have not felt lethargic. The color of the drink is a yellowy colour, light and somewhat pleasant to look at.
There is a little amount of fizz when opening the can, though not so when pouring this drink into a glass or cup. There is not much vibrancy or depth in terms of color. The drink had a slightly sweet taste and also has a citrus orange flavor. The taste of the drink is in my opinion slightly better than other brands of Energy drinks. I could not taste the taurine or other ingredients. There of course was the fructose sugary feel to the drink. I found the texture of the drink to be good.
The taste of the drink was pleasant and I simply found myself with the same sugary taste with an array of after taste. There is an slightly orangey taste to the drink, the drink contains a high level of caffeine, the sugary taste and feel comes from the glucose and fructose syrup. The good thing about the drink was that I found it to be thirst quenching though I did not get a pungent or overpowering taste from any part of the drink. I liked this drink according to the high focus and energy it gave me temporarily. I definitely consider this drink to be a good quality and lower cost alternative to other sports drinks. I found this product also slightly interesting as it can be viewed as a caffeine replacement drink from the form of drinking instant or brewed coffee.
The product packaging contains warnings against pregnant women, young children using this product. I find that it is a drink that being at risk of getting diabetes that I shall not use this drink too frequently. In addition the drink says it is best served chilled, though I had left this in my fridge for about a day and the temperature was good enough from the fridge. I did not feel the need to add ice cubes or even freeze the drink for a few hours.
At Costcos unbeatable offer, I could not resist in buying 24 of these cans. This is a purchase that will give me more energy and alertness over the summer months of 2011. I feel that even if paying around 40pence per can in certain stockists of this product that this is good value, compared to buying the more mainstream and popular Red Bull drink. I also took the time in buying Emerges Isotonic drink where the contents of this drink look similar to the drink I am reviewing. The disadvantages of the Isotonic version is that that contains sweetners and additional bad stuff.
-Ciao Specific Criteria-
My opinion of the product quality as a whole is that it is a good quality drink. The drink contains citric acid which is good in that the product contains a good level of Vitamins and has a slightly citrus flavor. The concentration to be gained is evident due to the high level of caffeine 30mg per 100ml. The drink contains 105 calories over a 250ml serving size, which is quite low as the average calorie intake for a man is approximately 2500 calories. Though if you have too many of these drinks then this could be a cause for concern. A serving size of 100ml of 7up compares to the same as the level of calories contained in Emerge energy drink. Similarly the same level of sugar is contained in this energy drink as in 7up drinks.
The caffeine level is high and did help keep myself focused for many hours after my exercise. The energy effect does not last too long if doing exercise. I found it hydrated my body which is what I wanted from this drink. It was a drink that also kept my body energised and feeling good after the exercise. Due to there not being aspartamne or ascuflame sweetners this also helped. I was able to carry on my daily activities well after taking this product and my body felt good many hours after the exercise. The packaging design is interesting, it has the same shape can as a Red Bull drink, the same level of fluid, the ingredients on the bottle are clearly labelled. Regarding the taste, I was happy with this Emerge drink. Value for money this product is cheaper and just as effective as a can of Red Bull.
Comparing another product on an almost like for like basis is Lucozade Energy drink (not the Lucozade sport version). The Lucozade Energy drink cost me £1.65 for a bigger 500 ml plastic bottle. For me personally I found Lucozade Energy drink to be ever so slightly better tasting drink and more visually appealing. The Emerge drink consumed in a glass has a slightly dull amber color, did not taste as nice as Lucozade Energy drink. Lucozade also contains slightly less sugar but has more calories than Emerge. Lucozade Energy drink is described as having a sunset yellow color, or to my eyes was orange. Lucozade has 70kcal per 100 ml serving size, compared to Emerge 42kcal. Both products to my knowledge worked well in terms of hydration and providing energy. I take these drinks in this manner and at times when doing exercise. The one aspect you do not get in Emerge energy is a good level of minerals such as Potassium and Magnesium that can be found in Powerade sports drinks. Here in Emerge drink you get some vitamins and just a trace of sodium. There was more after taste from Emerge drink than the orange Lucozade drink. Lucozade for me was sharper, crisper and had less after taste. The one disadvantage I noticed of the Emerge drink was that there is a slight liquid syrupy after taste.
Price comparison. Asides the cheap bulk buying option available at Costco warehouses, the Asda supermarket chain sell this product for 30pence per can, and Ocado sell this for 30p. Asides from Costco, for most consumers this would be the most suitable or likely place to shop for this product.
My conclusion of Emerge energy drink, is that it is a pleasant enough drink for hydration and exercise. It provides a high level of energy. I felt that it refreshed as well. The drink was not too fizzy. The drink on a cost basis is very worthwhile compared to the more expensive Energy and even sports drinks.The Emerge drink, albeit advertised as a Energy drink contains a similar level of sugar as what you would find in 7up soft drink. I liked the main taste of the drink and as such is recommended. The drink also does not have aspartame sweeteners included which is also a good sign. This drink will emerge in my view as a credible candidate in the Energy drinks market.
Extra Information: The company making this product is Cott Beverages Ltd located in Derby, U.K.
Emerge Energy Drink 
