Plastic bottle, not a can at all. The front has a bright yellow and green sunny-looking ordeal with a big "E". The text reads, "lemon lime, 6 vital electrolytes", then at the bottom, there's more text. Quickly, what's it say man? "Endurance Energy Drink, Non Carbonated, 15.5 Fl. Oz., low sugar, 30 calories". Alas, the back contains more text. The Hydrive bottle is a veritable bushel-basket of information, "What is an electrolyte? It's the stuff that lights you up. Like Hydrive E, the energy efficient drink that boosts endurance, but never leaves you jittery. Hydrive, the healthier way to re-energize." Near the bottom, the text concludes with, "Electroyltes: Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium, Phosphate, Chloride, Calcium with: Caffeine, Taurine, L-Carnitine, L-Arginine, Vitamins B3, B5, B6, B12, E. Made from Spring Water".
I have a personal interest in the new "sports" direction of energy drinks. I actually received these from Hydrive before Full Throttle Hydration was introduced. I was elated about both. A great number of energy drinks simple are not thirst quenching, and as I've recently discovered the small miracle that is Tiger Woods Gatorade, I'm glad to see that a couple manufacturers have shared my vision of jamming loads of caffeine into a great tasting sport drink (for me, this can be done manually by dropping scientific grade caffeine into a sports drink, but, alas, most laymen don't keep toxic levels of powdered/pill form caffeine in their home). So, most of you know Full Throttle, and Hydration is a great product (even through the can made me think it was going to be lemonade flavor...which would have been awesome, but the flavor they chose, which we'll cover more in our Hydration review [coming soon], is still very tasty). You may be asking yourself, "Who is Hydrive?" Well, I had the same question, and here's the beginning of the answer:
"HYDRIVE Energy LLC was founded in 2006 by beverage executives Mike Weinstein (former CEO Snapple Beverages and President of A&W Brands) and Brian O’Byrne (former CEO Yoohoo/Orangina). The company markets a line of enhanced water energy drinks in 15.5 oz. resealable bottles. All HYDRIVE products are positioned to consumers seeking a healthier energy beverage because they are low in calories and sugar and are fortified with vitamins, electrolytes and antioxidants. HYDRIVE is currently available in over 12,000 accounts in 21 states."
Alright, but what makes this tiny drink company a national player? Enter Dr. Pepper Snapple Group:
"HYDRIVE Energy, LLC, maker of HYDRIVE energy drinks, announced today that it has entered into an agreement with the Dr Pepper Snapple Group (NYSE:DPS) that provides DPS with an equity position in the company in exchange for meeting various distribution targets."
Enough business, let's knock the cap off, and see what's inside. AWESOME! That's what's inside, 100% pure pulp-free freshly squeezed AWESOME! A terrific lemon-lime flavor, goes down smooth, and you'd swear it was loaded with calories, but no, just 30 of those evil spirits in there. Sodium content might seem high, but this is a sports drink, and since you lose a great deal of sodium when you sweat, you may want to put that back. They skimped on the potassium a bit, but I figure if that's the most sizeable complaint you can levy against a drink, someone did a good job formulating it.
The resealable bottle should eliminate the sticky hands I get from running with a 24oz. can of Monster (which mysteriously goes flat after only about about 200 yards of running).
Hydrive is a great product at a good price. I can see this being a major player in the sports drink arena, and it appears that Dr. Pepper Snapple Group agree. If you like sports drinks and energy drinks, I would say Hydrive is the must-try product of 2008.
Oh joy, I've been brought back for another review. And, does Jason present me with an explicitly overly-sugared cotton candy flavored energy treat? No, he hands me a 30 calorie bottle of what appears to be fake Gatorade. Initially, I think a kick in the groin would have been more welcomed. I refused to review it, this is obviously for stuck up gym-goers who drive fancy cars and sell Mary Kay products. I'm not going to buy this or any other drink to impress girls, or guys, if you're in to that. I'm not, but whatever you want to do is your business.
Anyway, so I was getting pretty thirsty, and I have always liked the taste of lemon-lime Gatorade. Not to mention, it's got a lot of salt in it, I like salt, and it's not like it's sugar free, it still has 6 carbs. No self-respecting liposuctioned, breast-implanted, exercise deviant would be caught dead scoffing down 6 carbs, why not just drink bacon grease? I've done it, and the health benefits are questionable, at best.
What happened as the sweet nectar of Hydrive E hit my lips is nearly indescribable. Nearly half the bottle was gone before I came up for air. At this point, I wasn't sure I needed to breathe anymore, perhaps I could find a way to breath Hydrive. Gatorade shmatorade, Hydrive tastes like how other sports drinks wish they tasted, only Hydrive delivers that one component which other sport drinks lack, and we all crave; caffeine. It's the common thread that now binds us together as one. Much like Dave Matthews or John Mayer (and Mexican green) unite hippies and frat boys.
The taste is sincerely more like Powerade than Gatorade, but it's certainly enjoyable and thirst quenching. As enjoyable as either of the aforementioned, with 1/3 of the calories (which I couldn't care less about, but you're stupid and you do). So refreshing!
Hydrive has four 30 calorie flavors, Triple Berry Antioxidant, Lemon Lime Endurance, Blue Raspberry Strength and Citrus Burst Vitamin, each are $1.99 and available nationally at Super Target stores. Hands down, Hydrive Lemon Lime Endurance, despite being non-carbonated and low sugar, is an absolute winner! Just looking at the product picture makes me want to rip my computer monitor asunder to get at that refreshing bottle of Hydrive Lemon Lime. Oh pixilated refreshment, how you torment me so!