Mindlessly wandering the aisles of my local natural foods store a number of years ago, I came upon this most interesting can. Now me being susceptible to all things shiny, I was immediately attracted to this dark red/black/futuristic-y small can glinting in front of me. I stared at the can looking for the flaw… hmm. lots of calories for an energy drink, but it is all natural. Not tremendous caffeine, but it has only guarana, not synthetic blend. No Taurine, but WAY different than the usual Energy Drink Mix found in these cans. And the I took a swallow – and have been forever hooked to the good stuff.
The word guru, a noun, means “teacher” in Sanskrit and in other languages derived from Sanskrit, such as Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati and Nepali. Thee is a ton of information most energy drinks can learn from this simple can – from the use of color and attractive packaging, to how you don’t need to pack these things with scary ingredients that make it taste like rocket fuel to create a winning energy drink. And the urge to mass produce drinks that have the consistency and sweetness of a root beer with chocolate sauce in it is less favorable than a unique carefully crafted and complex taste. This is also an energy drink – and so it would make sense to put more caffeine from organic sources than the average Red Bull clone, without going overboard and getting in legal troubles with kids ODing on them at parties. This drink is great to drink even warm(!!) something you can rarely say about any drinks in this category.

It does not take a whole lot for me to become enamored of a product – it just has to exceed my expectations in one of the 3 categories I judge – and be OK in the others. I like Spike Energy Shooter because the kick is palpitation inducing, and the can and taste I can live with. I deal with the taste and calories of a NOS because of the decent kick and the one of the Cleverest Packages Ever.
Guru became a favorite because the packing is really nice, the taste is delicious, and the kick is pretty strong. This one has become my standard in which others have been measured, especially when a drink aspires to be more than just a test carbonated treat like Monster. I have yet to find a can whick can so evenly provide all 3 of my essentials, even if it is not a master of it’s class.

Buzz/Nutrition:8.5
The guarana in Guru really does the trick, and the amount of other Whole Foods Pharmaceuticals packed inside must do something to assist 125mgs of guarana filled caffeine, as usually don’t keep me going for nearly as long. Panax ginseng, ginkgo biloba and echinacea are not ones usually associated with energy drinks, but work well here. The buzz is a gentle four hours of mental and physical acuity, and absolutely no crash (YAY NATURAL CAFFEINE!) They also have enough natural organic ingredients I felt almost healthier after drinking it.

Taste:8
The grape juice and cane juice added quite enough sweetness, without needing to resort to all the usual devices that can muck up taste and texture. No HFCS or sucralose or even fructose/glucose syrup – just organic juice concentrate. I have heard this compares to a grapefruit or a grape seed – which are fairly accurate. Either way, there is just a little tartness from the can.

Packaging:8
Simple colors, cool fonts, and fits the market well. Everything about this can does the job well, from the fonts chosen, to the logo design that you could tell took time and energy to create.