Alas – this is the last of the hydrive drinks I can try – having finally consumed the whole line. In case you did read the other reviews, let me sum up.
The CEO of Snapple Beverages and the President of A&W Brands and the CEO of Yoo-hoo/Orangina are the developers behind the hydrive brand – and so far their drinks dont dissapoint. From releasing a sports-endurance drink to tackle Gatorade, to a strong vitamin(Water) infused drink going after that crowd, to a straight on caffeinated water, their drinks cover all the bases.
As I mentioned in my previous review, I found it amusing that rather than dealing with extreme sports sponsorship, these guys took an interesting route sponsoring the speed dating site Cupid.com/PreDating, doing an integrated partnership that includes sampling at speed dating events, advertising and sponsorship.
Taste:8
Better than most flavored waters out there, but not as complex and tasty as the Acai Berry flavor. I guess my biggest problem with this drink, which is not really a problem, that every energy drink that purports to be healthy uses Pomegranate now. From Vitamin water to Rip It energy, pomegranate is the hit new flavor, probably featured in more drinks than fake orange. This has a strong fruity flavor, not at all weak and watered down. I liked it well enough for a Pomegranate drink and it can be slammed in one sitting easily.
Nutrition:9
As I mentioned in previous reviews, In bottled waters, the test is not what you can taste, but what you cant taste. The purer and more natural it is, the better off people will think of you. When the Coke plant was recently caught numerous times filling Dasani bottle with city tap water. ( just one example of the story)
Needless to say, the fewer and purer the ingredients the better. This one does not do too badly, only adding in 2 preservatives to the water, along with the usual energy drink mix ( tons of taurine and L-carnatine and all the Bs for the day) and like all the hydrives, has a good 145mg healthy dose of caffeine hiding somewhere in it too. This is with only having 30 calories in the whole bottle, so it does not leave you feeling heavy or bloated.
Packaging:9
I like the burst on this one, even though it is not nearly as cool as the label on the Acai berry drink – which is one of the coolest energy water packages I have seen in a while. Like vitamin water and the rest in this category, the sealable PET top is nice. This special “gripper” style of bottle formulated for Hydrive’s drinks is completely proprietary and so hopefully wont be immediately stolen by giant faceless monster corporation ( Coke).Packaging is now “dual front,” so it’s not as crucial how bottles are placed on shelves. The caffeine content, website and all info I could want, including the mission statement are on here as well.
Website:http://www.hydriveenergy.com: 7
Pretty basic, but chock full of information; from their press release to a FAQ for those of you who dont know about caffeine and hangovers. I do like their store locator. Unfortunately, there is not a place near me at all that has one. Fortunately, the Hydrive Gods sent me a box of all theri flavors to give a try – thank you SO much, as this is one that I had previously only found when visiting back east. Another cool thing about the site is the ability to get free samples from the site too, Well, almost free – you just need to pay fror shipping (around 6 bucks for postage and handling). Still, for 2 bucks a bottle it is worth a try.