Energy Drinks: Part Two

In the second installment of our energy drinks review, we tracked down a few more energy drink mixes that are available on the market today. While you will find that these brands are readily available at larger outdoor retail stores, they might be a little harder to find at your local outdoor shop.

If you haven’t read part one of our energy drinks article, start here.

Like part one, this review will be broken up into two parts: electrolyte hydration tablets and energy drink mixes.

Electrolyte Hydration Tablets

Camelbak Elixir: Lemon-Lime

It’s been about two years since Camelbak released their Elixir sports drink tablet into the market. While we heard about the product when it first came out, we never had a chance to try it out till now. Elixir functions just like all the other electrolyte tablets: drop one tablet into a specified amount of water, wait for the tablet to dissolve, and drink. However, there are a few things that set it apart from the rest of pack. One tablet mixes easily into 24 ounces of water, (where other brands used only 16 ounces of water). While this 8-ounce difference seems minor, if you are dropping a few of these into a hydration bladder (as Camelbak recommends), you can easily go through quite a few tablets in just one trip. There also is no pigment in the tablets; after the tablet mixes with the water the results are not a bright pink drink. It also did not leave a sticky residue in the water bottle, making it easy to reuse for other purposes.

As for taste, we thought it was very pleasant. The flavor was not overpowering, and there was a slight effervescence when it was first mixed. Overall, it was quite refreshing, without any aftertaste. Camelbak Elixir is also available in Berry and Orange Alert (with caffeine) flavors.

Energy Drink Mixes

Accelerade: Lemon Lime

We have heard a lot about Accelerade, and it’s 4:1 carbohydrate-protein ratio, so we figured we ought to give it a try. Out of all of the other energy drinks that we have tested, it is the only mix that contains protein. The protein comes from whey protein, and the logic behind Accelerade is that athletes don’t just need to rehydrate to recover, muscles have to recover from exertion as well. Most people think that the best place to get protein would be through whole proteins, like meat or eggs. However, protein in this form is not as easily digested. The solution? Whey protein powder added to a carbohydrate drink mix. The liquid form of protein aids in speeding muscle recovery after a long day on the trail.

That all sounds great in theory, but how does it taste? When we mixed it up, it was obvious of the difference between this drink mix and the others we have tried before. The fine powder was much grainier in the water and took longer to mix. The addition of whey protein left the water was very cloudy and we also noticed a very unnatural color. It was hard to ignore the bright green color of the drink, but the color was not so obvious in a tinted Nalgene bottle. While the flavor was very strong (like drinking Jell-o mix), the added addition of protein to the mix was a nice benefit. The combination of carbohydrate and protein gave us a consistent energy level. If you can get past the strong flavor, the only downside of Accelerade is that the mix leaves a lot of residue in the container it’s mixed in. Accelerade is also available in Fruit Punch and Orange flavors.

Hammer Nutrition Heed: Lemon Lime

Heed is from the same makers of Hammer Gel, so we had to give their energy drink a try. Unlike other energy drink mixes, it contains only 2 grams of sugar, and no artificial flavors, colors, or sweeteners. It mixed together well, leaving a little cloudiness to the water but no color. The serving suggestion was a bit ambiguous, suggesting mixing it with anywhere from 16 to 24 ounces of water (for the test we mixed it with 20 ounces of water). When we tasted the drink, surprisingly, there was almost no flavor. While we could smell a hint of lemon lime, but we couldn’t taste it. It was definitely not as refreshing as we had hoped and it left a bit of a metallic aftertaste. Heed is also available in Strawberry, Melon, Mandarin Orange, and unflavored.

Vitalyte: Flavorful Fruit Punch

Vitalyte was the last mix that we tried. While we had not heard of this brand before, when we purchased it, it got rave reviews from the cashier, always a good sign. An added benefit of this mix was that it required 32 ounces of water; so one package goes farther than other brands. It dissolved well into water, leaving no graininess or residue. There was a hint of color, but it was not unnatural, and the flavor was apparent but not overpowering. We were impressed and found the Vitalyte to be very refreshing. Vitalyte is also available in Zesty Orange, Natural Lemonade, and Cool Citrus flavors.

If we compare all of the drink mixes we reviewed, our favorites would be the Camelbak Elixir, GU2O, and Vitalyte. However, we see a definite use for Accelerade, and will give the other flavors a try to see if they fare any better.