Today's drink is Red Bull Zero Sugar Passion Fruit and its can is a treat when viewed from the lens of an American; it is unmistakably the same brand we see still sold in dinky little cans here in the states, but things are not quite right. The visuals are all different, as is the logo, and not to mention, almost all of the text otherwise.
Pouring out a deep gold like an ultra-economic domestic pilsner, I have had better tasting passion fruit energy drinks, if we are being honest here. My biggest gripe is how flat it is, something the interwebs tells me is by-design, but the bright beverage has an oily texture, clinging to all sides of your mouth and creeping down sloooooooooowly, your taste buds having no choice but to focus their sights on this disappointing soft drink. Sweetness is achieved via a three-way blend of maltitol liquid, erythritol and sucralose, a creative blend to someone not native to China, the product's origins, and is without question my favorite part of the experience- this just does not taste diet! But the negatives keep on rolling on in, the passion fruit itself is mild and passive, letting the acidity do much of the talking, but it barely speaks! Things finish with an herbal, slippery and aquatic climax that has all the charm of a mouthful of weeds soaked in pond water, my palate crying out for the short-lived sourness to come back. The rest of me was crying for me to pick up a different energy drink.
My trusty friend-with-benefits Google tells me there is 104 milligrams of caffeine here, resulting in a pretty weak kick. We also have some taurine, ginseng, ginger, vitamins, you know the drill, but so what? What even is the point to reviewing an energy drink not sold domestically? For those frequent import shops? Those who read the award-winning The Caffeine King from other countries? I suppose both, but I probably should apologize; since when has jesting your readers been a good idea?
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