Sobe Essential Energy Berry Pomegranate

Yay, I finally got a chance to review the Essential Energy Berry Pomegranate. I am so excited to crack this one open because I really enjoyed the Orange Essential Energy. Sobe Essential Energy claims they their drink is "Better-For-You Energy" which basically means that it has healthier ingredients, like yerba mate and crystalline fructose. This can has a blue bar at the top, rather than a citrus-orange bar found on the Orange. The other difference is that the two Lizards and the large Lizard centered on the can is blue. Above that, I see the words Sobe and Essential Energy in all lowercase words. It's a pretty basic can desgin, right? I'm predicted a smooth berry flavor, with a sharp pomegranate aftertaste. If that is so, I believe it'll be a pretty intense drink. So, here I go.

As I open up the can, I get an unpleasant weak scent. However, it's not a bad one. It's a blend of bitter berry and a weak pomegranate, which reminds me of the Monster Mixxd, Extreme 6-Hour Energy Shot, and the Sobe No Fear. I think that it has an overwhelming scent, but isn't strong at all. It comes out of the can an extremely dark purple, almost violet, with some fizziness. Oh good, it tastes way better than its scent. As it first enters the mouth, I get a refreshing grape taste, with a hint of some raspberry. I can also taste trace amount of tea, most likely the yerba mate blended in. The aftertaste is a cheek-pinching, mellow pomegranate, probably the most natural tasting pomegranate I've ever had in a drink thus far. Every flavor in the Essential Energy Berry Pomegranate seems to be incredibly natural, one of the best you'll find, in terms of natural taste. This drink has neutral carbonation, so it's really easy to enjoy and down it quickly, not that you'd want to, anyway. As for gumminess, I notice some lingering around, but it wouldn't get in your way, though. Overall, this drink has a refreshing natural taste, as if you were drinking fresh squeezed raspberry, grape and pomegranate juice. A unique one, a must try.

Now for the ingredients. Like a few other drinks I've reviewed here on Canned Reviews, this drink contains crystalline fructose, which is basically table sugar, but coming from cornstarch, not fruit. Next, I see grape, pomegranate, and raspberry juice from concentrate. That explains all the natural flavors. Oh, that, and the fact that I see natural flavors listed next in the ingredients. You also get Vitamin C, caffeine, guarana, ginseng, and yerba mate. Per can, you get 230 calories, not bad, mostly coming from the fruit. You also get only about 59g of sugar, not bad either, considering that this is a pretty sweet drink, I thought. I just noticed that the Berry Pomegranate doesn't contain any taurine, but I'm feeling a noticeable kick now, anyway. It doesn't say how much caffeine is in here, but I'm gonna guess around 140-180mg, which is about average for an energy drink. Lastly, I see at the top of the nutritional facts that it says "Contains 7% Juice." This drink was great, in terms of having such a genuine and natural flavor, but the flavor just didn't appeal to me that much.

Taste: 7 - Natural, but not the best
Kick: 8 - Great kick, so far
Overall: 7.5 - It got a bit bland halfway through the can, and frankly wasn't nearly as good as the Orange

Reviewed by: Chan