Red Bull Cola
A Fair & Honest Energy Drink Review
Red Bull Cola Retail Package Description
The Red Bull Cola can sports a very patriotic getup. Red, white and blue abound on this "Simply Cola" can. There's a diagonal stripy thing on the front, which the iconic Red Bull logo in the top left (the blue section) of the front of the can, underneath is a seal that states "Natural Cola" and on the underside of the seal, and upside down "Natural Cola". "Red Bull" is written in red letters across the center stripy thing (the white, or silver section), and in the bottom right (the red section) "simply COLA" and the very bottom of the can states "Strong and Natural". The text on the back is short, and I'm impressed by their lack of verbosity: "Red Bull Cola", (there's a circled R in there after Red Bull, but using the copyright symbol seems to botch up my RSS feed) " - a stimulating refreshment with ingredients from 100% natural sources". Then there are two bullet points, as follows:
- Contains natural caffeine from coffee beans
- Contains no phosphoric acid and no artificial flavors
Caffeine Addict's Red Bull Cola Review
Years ago, I posed the question, "Why do all energy drinks have to have this, 'new flavor'?" The question was geared toward this mass movement towards exotic flavors like, "passionfruit", "mango", "tamarind", "guava" and even more recently "coconut". "Why doesn't someone just come out with a better cola? A more energizing iteration of flavors people already like?". Well, Jolt Power Cola was the first to resoundingly respond to that request, and, I rewarded its offering with a 9/10 energy rating, 10/10 taste, and 9/10 value.
Jolt Power Cola (now available in sizes smaller than the 23.5oz. 'aluminum heart attack' size), did actually come up to a better value as a function of price/oz., but this 12oz. can is handy, and 12oz. of cola is a pretty portable size, and easy to enjoy before it gets warm or goes flat.
I prefer the taste of Red Bull's Cola to Jolt, and not by much, as the Stig mentioned, it's likely that the caffeine content is the primary difference in the taste, so with bitterness comes more energy. This drink doesn't disappoint in the way of energy, but it's no Jolt, and I think that's ok. This is a "stimulating refreshment", which is how they describe it accurately on the can. I think it's stronger and better tasting than a Coke or a Pepsi, and I think that's what they set out to achieve.
I personally think it's a good value, one may argue that a 16oz. Monster is usually $1.99. At this point, let's be honest, original Monster is still a good drink, but I've arguably consumed 1,000 of them, and even something as awesome as Monster gets old. Red Bull Cola is a welcomed twist on an old favorite, in my book, and may well become a new favorite.
Lastly, for anyone who knows my feelings on American-made Red Bull products, knows that this drink had a tough row to hoe. I would go as far as to say I dislike traditional Red Bull (though I occassionally get a craving for one...maybe it's the cocaine). This cola is, without question, the best product they make.
Energy Junkie's Red Bull Cola Review
We were fortunate enough to sample this drink almost a year ago, but for whatever reason, we didn't review it. If you've heard of Red Bull Cola, it may very well be from news reports about Germany banning the Red Bull Cola after traces of cocaine are found. Time magazine reports 0.13 micrograms of cocaine, to be exact. Meanwhile, also in the news, 90% of paper money in the United States contained "traces of cocaine" ranging from .006 micrograms to 1240 micrograms (about 50 grains of sand), *this information provided by 238th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society. So, Germany may also want to consider a cocaine ban on American money. In early June, most testing of the product came back with no traces of cocaine, meanwhile Taiwan's test reports traces of cocaine in every canned Red Bull product on the market.
Ultimately, it's such a trace amount, it wouldn't matter. Cocoa leaves are debatably used in the manufacturing of every cola. Normally a cocao leaf is "decocainized", which it's speculated Coca-Cola has done since 1903, before which, Coca-Cola contained cocaine. Ultimately, Red Bull got some free advertisement, and I'm not sure it matters. Despite this being a wonderfully flavored cola, reasonbely priced (we bought this 12oz. can for $1.69) and rather energizing, these drinks (at least in the US market) aren't flying off the shelves.
To be very clear, the taste of this cola is very much to my liking. It's not quite as bitter as Jolt Power Cola, which probably means it doesn't contain as much caffeine. The drink itself seems less thick to me than a standard Coke or Pepsi (neither of which I've probably drank in the past few years). It also has a pleasant, non-syrupy aftertaste. This syrupy, non-thirst-quenching film is one of the reasons I stopped drinking Coke, Pepsi and some other "brown sodas", as I call them.
Now, this doesn't have the complex blend of herbs, Harry Potter potions that we've come to expect from "sophisticated" or "proprietary" energy blends. This pretty much replies on the Jolt formula of sugar and caffeine. I whole-heartedly support that institution.
Our biggest gripe with Red Bull has always been price. A 12oz. can of regular Red Bull is $2.99. You might expect when they rolled out a Cola it would also be ludicrously priced, especially when it's purported to contain trace amounts of cocaine, but no. $1.69 for the 12oz. can, and the 8.3oz can will cost you only $1.29, at the location we purchased this drink. This soda is an all-around win. It's like someone giving you "Madonna" tickets right before you need to use a toilet-paperless public toilet.