Red Bull Can Energy Drink

I think I'm the reason Red Bull still exists, I buy so much of this stuff, to the extent I worry I'm addicted.. (apparently it is addictive)
I don't remember the first time I actually tried it, but I obviously liked it. I used to buy a can in the morning before school, I probably had one in my bag for break and/or lunch too.

I don't really feel it makes me energetic, I think it's more of a placebo effect, I just love the taste, I love the fact that it's fizzy, I'm a sucker for fizzy drinks.

Appearance

The can itself is taller and thinner than other soft drink cans, and is mainly silver with a metallic blue colour scheme. You'd think it would be easy to find in the shop, but I do sometimes spend a lot of time looking. I always thought it was too small, now they have made a bigger can which I'd say is nearly the size of a beer can, a much more worthwhile size!
The sugar free Red Bull is the same, except the metallic blue is a lighter pale blue, so it's quite obvious which one is which. However, I've gone home with the wrong one sometimes, the taste is similar but I'd say the sugar free one is less refreshing and thirst quenching.
The can says 'Red Bull' in a red that contrasts well with the blue and silver, and underneath it are two red Bulls charging at each other with what I believe to be the sun behind them. It's a good image for an energy drink, it shows power and strength, I don't think Red Bull makes me feel like a charging bull though..

At the bottom is says 'With Taurine. Vitalizes body and mind', now, someone said to me a long time ago that taurine was something to do with bulls testicles, I'm either not as gullible as they'd hoped, or in denial that I like to drink Bull's balls! Either way, It's a good drink so I'm sold.
On the back of the can it says;

'RED BULL Energy Drink - especially developed for periods of increased mental and physical exertion.
Beneficial effects per can:

• improves performance
• increases concentration and reaction speed
• improves vigilance
• stimulates metabolism

Energy Drink - high caffeine content (32 mg/100 ml)'
Ingredients

• Water
• Sucrose
• Glucose
• Acidity Regulator Sodium Citrates
• Carbon Dioxide
• Taurine (0.4%)
• Glucuronolactone (0.24%)
• Caffeine (0.03%)
• Inositol
• Vitamins (Niacin, Pantothenic acid, B6, B12)
• Flavourings
• Colours (Caramel, Riboflavin)

Nutritional information per 100ml

• Energy 192kJ (45 kcal)
• Protein 0 g
• Carbohydrates 11.3g (of which Sugars 10.7 g)
• Fat 0 g (of which saturates 0 g)
• Fibre 0 g
• Sodium 0.08g
• Vitamins: Niacin 8mg/ 44% RDA
• Panthothenic Acid 2 mg/ 33% RDA
• B6 2 mg/100% RDA
• B12 2 pg/200% RDA
  RDA = Recommended Daily Allowance.

Now back to the review, I've shaken my can up a lot now having dropped it a lot while reading and typing what was on the back!I've just gone onto the Red Bull website ('''www.redbull.com''') and it explains what Taurine is, and luckily for me, it's not Bull's balls!
Here's what it says: "Taurine is a conditionally essential amino acid which is naturally occurring in the human body. "Conditionally essential" means that in some situations or under certain conditions, as for example in situations of high stress or physical exertion, increased amounts of taurine are eliminated from the body which the body cannot reproduce in sufficient amounts.
Taurine is also contained in daily foodstuffs like scallops, fish or poultry and is added to most baby food. The functions of taurine are: Thermo-regulation: For example, when you perform sports your body heats up. Taurine helps to regulate the body temperature so that you do not get too cold or too hot."

If you want to look into more information on some of the other ingredients, go onto the website and look up Red Bull, not Red Bull Cola.

Bull's balls?

Ooh and I've come across the question ''Is Taurine made from bull's testicles? Is Taurine a derivative of Bull's testicles or semen?' What funny questions, I guess my 'friend' wasn't trying to make me look like an idiot after all! The answer to the question is it's a purely a synthetic substance produced by pharmaceutical companies and is not derived from animals or animal materials.
What a funny rumour!

The Smell

It has a very strong, fruity smell. I bought one in the pub the other day and the bar lady opened it up which caused a lot of the people at the bar to tell me how bad it smells, how disgusting it is, I got quite protective of my drink. If you don't like the smell, pinch your nose!
I can see why some people wouldn't like it, basically I only like this energy drink, any others and I can't stand them, they seem too chemically, and smelly, and make me more thirsty. So I guess if you like other energy drinks, you'd not like Red Bull too much.

The Taste

I love the taste, I think someone once said it was meant to be cherry flavoured, I'd never really noticed this or wondered what flavour it was, I thought it was energy flavour! I find it very refreshing, it's nice and fizzy but not so fizzy it comes out your nose fizzy, just right fizzy. It's quite a sweet drink, so if you find it too sweet you'd prefer the sugar free version. Some people say Red Bull is a big medicine like, but to be honest, look at the ingredients, you're hardly buying a fruit smoothie!!

The Price

I feel I'm being ripped off every time I buy a can, but as I said I'm a very loyal customer. The average price for a 250ml can is 99p, some places it's £1.30 or more. I think in Tesco near me it was 88p at one point, but they've now put it up to 99p. It's quite expensive for a drink that doesn't last that long, maybe because I always guzzle it. If you were to get it at an airport chances are you'd be paying double or triple this. In that case, it's not worth the money, it depends how much you want it! Sometimes there are offers, at the moment there is a 3 for £3 at my local Shell, but because I feel I drink too much already I don't want to get involved in this offer!!

Red Bull Slush Puppies

I tried to make a Red Bull Slush Puppy with my Slush Puppy machine that never worked, and the Red Bull version never worked either so don't try it. The machine leaked everywhere and I lost half the can, the other half was definitely not slush, just flat and I'd never tasted anything so bad, that was the first Red Bull I'd ever had to throw away :( except for the one that burst in my bag making everything sticky and sweet.

Is it bad for you?

Someone told me it makes you have mood swings, and another person told me it makes you schizophrenic which is very reassuring. I've heard it can cause heart palpitations which would be the one rumour I'd find most easy to believe.
However, the makers of Red Bull state that they have tested the product and found no evidence of these issues.
The other day I was at work, and I felt something on my shirt, then it happened again and I realised my heart had done some really big beats so big that it felt like someone had flicked an elastic band at my shirt, I wondered if this was to do with Red Bull, I'll never know, but what I will do is make sure I don't drink too much.
Usually too much of anything is not good for you, and for something that is made to make you energetic, usually too much of this is not good. It sort of makes me think of drugs that make the heart race, Red Bull is not a natural drink, if you're going to drink it, you need to consider the ingredients, how much you'll drink, and maybe if you have any heart issues.

I was in the pub the other day with a Red Bull (again) because I was the driver (again), and someone told me it made your blood STICKY!! I'd never even imagined anything like that happening to your blood, I didn't finish the rest of my Red Bull that day, but I don't believe that it causes that to happen, if it did, everyone would know.

Sticky Blood?

Here's a quote I came across about this:

"The researchers found that drinking just one 250 ml sugar-free can of the caffeinated drink boosted the "stickiness" of the blood and increased the risk of blood clots. After drinking Red Bull, the students had a cardiovascular profile similar to that of someone with heart disease, the Times (U.K.) reported.

The results were alarming and suggest that older adults with symptoms of heart disease shouldn't drink too much Red Bull, said study author Scott Willoughby, of the Cardiovascular Research Center at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and Adelaide University.

In a statement, Red Bull officials said the drink had been proved safe by numerous scientific studies, and that it had never been banned from anywhere it had been introduced, the Times reported.

Red Bull is sold in 143 countries but is banned in Norway, Denmark and some other countries due to health concerns."

Summary

I feel people who want to drink this a lot should definitely look after their teeth, someone I know of has bad teeth and apparently it was from Red Bull, and obviously not looking after them.

I think I drink this too regularly to really see an effect, but I'd never really shot up to the ceiling all hyper and ready to do something active when I first drank this.

I sometimes buy one before work, and I've noticed lately that instead of feeling more alert and ready, I feel a bit more sleepy and not with it, sort of like I'm drunk or something! Definitely not the best way to start a day of work.
However, if I have a Red Bull at my break and work, I go back afterwards feeling in a better mood, so I think it works best when you have been awake for a few hours.
If you really want to feel the effects of this or any other energy products really, you should never have something too regularly, like me you'll just get too used to it. ( I still enjoy the placebo effect it has on me, therefore it works for me!)

Maybe if you're pregnant, diabetic or have heart issues you shouldn't drink this.
Otherwise, happy Red Bulling! It's good with Vodka, but apparently that's a bad combination for you too....