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I am a speed freak, y'all, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Not "speed," the illicit drug kind, but speed, the state of moving very very fast, and in my case, staying awake and speeding through work until 4 am.In the past, I relied solely on caffeine and personal adrenaline to keep me awake. If I drank a full cup of regular coffee at 5 PM, I'd be awake for the next 12 hours as if it were the middle of a Thursday morning. I never believed the people who said I would develop some sort of "immunity," but I have. Today, I could drink four cups of coffee and still conk out on the couch in about 10 minutes.
Enter: energy drinks. The first time I ever tried Red Bull, I threw up, about a half hour after downing about half the can. This wasn't even in a bar or club where most people are mixing the stuff with alcohol - I was working late for a software development company. It was miserable. I pretty much vowed that unless I had been wandering the desert for forty days without a drop of liquid, I would never touch the stuff again.
Every once in a while I would try whatever the hot new energy drink was on the market, just to see if perhaps the industry had made some grand discovery of how to make them taste good and not cause me to get sick to my stomach. Nope. The formula was always the same: bad bad aftertaste, but in a prettier can, but still, bad afteraste.
UNTIL. Someone made me try Tab Energy. It's not new. Tab Energy has been around now for about a year or so (maybe longer, but I hadn't been paying attention), and we know how long Tab had been around. However, it wasn't until the end of last year that I tried the energy drink. I fell in love. Really really fast!
The drink still falls victim to some of the typical energy drink problems. There is a slight artificial sweetener aftertaste, but other than that, to which I am pretty much now numb to artificial sweeteners after drinking two cans of Diet Coke (on avergae) for the last six years, Tab Energy is not bad in taste. Of course, I can't help but love the pink can.
I drank one can on Tuesday afternoon. I haven't slept yet! (Just kidding). But it did have the same high energy effect that I used to get from coffee.
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1-18-2007 @3:07PM Zora said... What you need is Yerba Mate. Get some, mix it with milk and have it over ice. Delicious and will keep you awake for a million years. (If I drink it past 3 pm, I am awake until 4 am.)
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1-18-2007 @3:09PM MELISSA said... OMG, I TRIED TAB ENERGY TODAY AND THREW THE $2.49 CAN OUT...IT WAS GROSS. I NEED A GOOD ENERGY DRINK THOUGH...ANYONE HAVE ANY OTHER SUGGESTIONS?
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1-18-2007 @3:59PM sara jane said... a local store was selling tab energy for 99 cents a can, needless to say i stocked up for the winter!
i agree with zora, yerba mate is a one of a kind energy. that stuff keeps you going and it tastes great! i have been drinking it for years in the traditional paraguayan way with a hollowed out bull horn as a cup (called a guampa, not sure of the spelling of that word) and a metal straw with a filter at the bottom (bombillia).
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1-18-2007 @4:44PM Jenni said... i actually have bought several 4-pack of tab energy (and went through it all). it's a great alcohol mixer, esp when you're sick of the redbull/vodka humdrum.
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1-18-2007 @6:22PM AVB said... Yerba Mate ... hmm. What is the flavor? I've seen it, but never tried it. I could use a natural high beverage.
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1-18-2007 @7:24PM Talia said... AVB, yerba mate ("tea of leaves") is the national drink of Uruguay and Argentina and very popular in other South American countries as well. Stroll through the streets of Montevideo or watch the cowboys riding on the Pampas and they all have a large cup with a straw (usually silver) tucked under their left arm. They sip from it continuously through the day -- which is probably why they can stay up half the night dancing the tango. They put a handful of leaves in the cup in the morning and keep adding hot water to them through the day. It is customary to share sips from your cup with someone who doesn't have theirs available. It tastes like a somewhat bitter tea, is very energizing, has high antioxidant and mineral content. I've heard that new drink Cocaine might contain mate. I believe there is also a new company in Boulder, Colorado that is producing mate drinks with a number of different flavors. P.S. You can stop at any gas station in Uruguay, for example, and find a huge hot water dispenser outside the building just in case you needed the most important fillup of the day. There's always long lines there.
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1-18-2007 @9:04PM Miranda said... I, too, found the Tab energy drink to be awful. But then, I do think Red Bull tastes pretty good whereas most people do not.
Argo Tea serves a Mate Late that is so very tasty. It's a good pick-me-up without the acid and jitters conferred by coffee.
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1-18-2007 @11:37PM AVB said... How interesting, Talia -- thank you for taking the time to provide that thoughtful response. I'll try it! I've seen packets in our Natural Food Co Op. How "fresh" or "potent" it is, we'll soon see.
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1-19-2007 @1:59PM bdw said... Try those little 10 ml bottles of ginseng drink in honey. They are available anywhere there are more than three Chinese or Japanese people, or online if you're in a small town. Great energy, at least as good as coffee, and a nice smoth buzz without that jittery coffee jangle. Some come mixed with bee pollen, which gives the same energy but with a mellower feel to it--I prefer this. If you can get to a Chinese apocathery you can get in the same kind of bottle deer tail extract, which is like rocket fuel, but still no jitters. I have tried some energy drinks which claim to contain ginseng, but never found anything of good quality. Also, the small bottles cost two or three dollars for ten, less in larger boxes. Single dose per bottle, comes with a mini straw for sipping. Tastes like candy.
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1-19-2007 @1:45PM Hunter Ford said... I couldn't agree more! Tab Energy is delicious and satisfying, despite some of the energy drink pitfalls. However, I have a recommendation for you: Rock Star Juiced. There are several forms of Rock Star, the original tasting like Red Bull, but if you like fruit juice then you will love this. Look for either the orange can or the purple one. Both are amazingly delicious, light, sparkly, and no bad aftertaste. Enjoy!
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1-19-2007 @1:45PM Ken said... Try Monster, the blue kind. It is low carb, AND tastes good. The best out of all of them IMO. No bad aftertaste, in fact it tastes pretty good!
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1-19-2007 @1:39PM Sasake said... Better yet, skip the caff., sugar, vitamins and all and change your sleeping pattern to get in a couple more hours.
Novel idea, I know.
Just drinking lots of plain old water is supposed to give your more energy, as well.
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1-19-2007 @11:06PM AVB said... Thanks, I bought some Chai Mate tonight, and, some bottles of Ginseng Honey bottles, thanks for both tips. And #9 -- I get plenty of sleep, rest, water, and vitamins. Every once in a while I need to pull an all nighter, and it isn't voluntary. I wouldn't mind a little pep for those occasions, so do you mind if we swap tips about energy drinks without the token sarcastic lecture? A novel idea, I know.
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