28 Black

I've seen 28 Black before on the shelves but had never given it a try so I thought it was time to explore what might be a healthier alternative to other energy drinks. Personally I feel like the sugar levels is on par with other drinks but they do have some different flavour options to the other ones on the market. Like other energy drinks on the market, though not all, many of these flavours are vegan although strangely the Acai flavours are not. They contain no taurine, no artificial colours or preservatives. 

Acai

This has a magenta/jam colour, not pink, not purple but a nice hue of both. The liquid is cloudy and opaque, helping add depth to the colour. Sticking my nose inside a glass I was gifted with a burst of fruity sweetness but lingering in the background was a very subtle herby note. There is almost a candy like smell, as if I had opened a bag of fruit gummies instead of an energy drink. The drink is sweet at first but then a slight bitter botanic aftertaste takes over, this stops the drink from becoming overwhelming and enables you to go back for me. I personally would enjoy this with a little more carbonation but if you are looking for a different flavour then this is definitely worth trying.

Ruby Grapefruit Mint

Recently I tried the new summer flavour of RedBull, Ruby Grapefruit, which you can read about here RedBull Blog Post This time there was the addition of mint. The drink is a bright cotton candy pink and just like the Acai one is cloudy and opaque. It has a very strong zesty grapefruit burst. Bitter and sour, it makes your mouth water and your nose tingle. The mint isn't as strong on the nose as the grapefruit and just adds a breath of freshness at the end. Once you take a sip it's a different story, the mint is strong. I don't know if this really works that well as it does taste a little like I've been chewing gum and then taken a sip of a grapefruit drink. Whilst it is refreshing, it isn't as pleasant as the Acai one is. There does need to be a small amount of sweetness to offset the bitterness from the grapefruit which is more pronounced when you are drinking it as opposed to just smelling it. Like the Acai this has little carbonation and while not terrible to the point I'd never buy it again, it wouldn't be my first choice, although if you were feeling a tad hunger over on a hot day this would be just the thing to wake you up and the mint would help you feel fresh.

On their website they have a few other flavours that I would be really interested in trying although I don't think you can get all of them in Australia. I would love to get my hands on the sour cherry and sour mango/kiwi. While these don't have much less sugar then other energy drinks I do think they are an interesting alternative to the others on the market, plus they have some interesting flavours that they others don't. Do yourself a flavour and try these for yourself. I'd love to know what your thoughts on them are.

28 Black Website