Redcon1 Energy is the first-ever carbonated energy drink from Redcon1, and it was in the works for quite some time before it made its long-awaited and highly-anticipated debut near the end of last year. The brand built the product to support energy and focus with 200mg of natural caffeine and another 200mg of alpha-GPC for focus, leaving out any pre-workout type ingredients as seen in other sports nutrition beverages.
The critical feature for us in any energy drink is taste, as that is what will keep bringing us back to a product when we need convenient, anytime energy. Redcon1 confirmed it put a good level of attention in that very area in Redcon1 Energy with five flavors, including Sour Gummy Blast and Freedom Frost, all without any sugar, no carbohydrates, and zero calories. We finally got our hands on all but one of the options and can confirm the brand and beverage do indeed deliver on their promise.
Review
Redcon1 has a nice balance across each flavor of the Redcon1 Energy drink, with a moderate level of carbonation, enough for the flavors to shine through and make themselves known. They’re all sweet and well-communicated, and deliver on the tastes in their respective titles. Some have a bit more pop than others, with the position of our two favorites going to the candy-themed Sour Peach Rings and the impressive Vice City.
The Sour Peach Rings and Vice City Redcon1 Energy drinks communicate their flavors better than the rest, especially the Miami Vice cocktail-inspired Vice City. Despite that one being the most complex taste on the menu, the brand does indeed pull it off. The product doesn’t have one part of the flavor then another; the sweet strawberry, pineapple, and coconut are somehow all rolled into the one mouthful and can be picked up on.
When it comes to the effectiveness of the Redcon1 Energy drink, it is a touch more than we expected based on what’s in it and similar formulas in other carbonated functional beverages. The product doesn’t have any obvious tunnel vision or cognitive nootropic effect, or too much of a kick. The energy does however slowly but surely build to a strong level, more than we’re used to from a dose of caffeine around the 200mg mark.
Summary
The energy drink category is incredibly competitive, but Redcon1 has a respectable entry in Redcon1 Energy. It doesn’t stand out above any of our top favorites like Monster Ultra, Reign Total Body Fuel, or 3D Energy, although it’s better than a lot of the competition. The brand will need to pump out more flavors to keep up with the fast pace of the market, and that’s where we feel Redcon1 is going to evolve and improve, as we’ve seen it do along its journey in sports nutrition supplements.
