Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Talking Rain Fusion Energy Orange Mango


A good friend got me this, after I inquired as to what he was drinking. He pulled out the Talking Rain Fusion Energy Orange Mango. It definitely looked tasty and I am a great fan of Talking Rain, a nice line of very tasty gourmet mineral water drinks. I hadn't even considered the fact that they might have an energy drink. It turns out they do, and it's one of a line of three different drinks that don't all have to do with energy. Overall, the design of this drink is pretty simple, with a soft gradient from green to white and a handwritten "Talking Rain" going up the side. I also find this bottle appealing, being the shape it is, thin and tall. Possibly it's aimed at women, such as many tall, thin products. What else points to it being marketed toward women is the fact that it's sugar-free. In many drinks, that means horrible aftertaste, but hopefully Talking Rain will have pulled it off well enough to make this more drinkable than all the other sugar-frees on the market.

This cap, instead of making a loud pop, makes a barely audible twist and a crack of plastic. Sniffin' this, I don't think sugar-free immediately. The smell is way too good to deter me. There's a strong orange scent like orange oil and wonderful orange pulp or orange juice that's enticing. If you smell beyond that, you get a sweet whiff of natural and delicious, smooth mango pulp. This wonderful smell is added to a fresh mineral water smell. As I take a sip, I first taste clean, refreshing spring water and some pulpy mango. Then, a taste like orange pulp comes through and takes over momentarily before a wave of sourness from citric acid or some sour agent in the drink, a sensation similar to watered-down 5-Hour Energy. Finishing it up, the sweetness pairs with the sourness and leaves some artificialness from the Sucralose and Acesulfame-K. I give Talking Rain kudos for pulling off a very natural and organic-tasting Orange Mango drink with my least favorite sweetener Sucralose, and my choice artificial sweetener, Ace-K. This beverage is easily drinkable and is very refreshing cold, considering it's spring water, with minerals. Though this is sugar-free, I'd recommend it to most anyone who enjoys orange/mango and bottled drinks.

I wouldn't expect a drink like Talking Rain to have many energy ingredients, but even these small amounts disappoint me. Per 17 oz bottle, you only get 34mg of Caffeine, 40mg of Panax Ginseng, 4 tiny milligrams of Grape seed extract, and 80mg of Green Tea Extract. For vitamins, you see 40% across the board of Vitamin C, B3, B5, B6, and B12. And because this is a sugar-free, zero calorie drink, the complete Nutrition Facts is comprised of zeros. The rest of the ingredients include Artesian Spring Water, which sounds fancy and makes this a very refreshing beverage, Citric Acid, Natural Flavors, Potassium Sorbate, Gum Arabic, Ester Gum, Ascorbic Acid, Monopotassium Phosphate (Electrolyte), and Beta Carotene for color. Overall, the ingredients list doesn't impress me, but the taste, combined with the fact that it's done right with artificial sweetners is marvelous. The kick from this should be similar or a bit more than a soda and right now, I must admit I have a fair amount of energy. This is a good choice if you're thirsty and need a revival during the middle of your day, when you're the most tired.

Taste: 8.2 - Refreshing, wonderful sugar-free orange/mango
Kick: 7.5 - Performs well in the mild energy drink category
Overall: 7.8 - Not a bad pick-me-up

Reviewed by: Jeff

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

these drinks are quite possibly the worst liquid anything that's ever gone into my mouth... and i'm pretty sure i've accidentally tasted pee, blood, and soft nearly liquid mud.

Oh yeah, semen too...

Anonymous said...

As a diabetic there are very few drinks that actually taste this good and are good for you. I have a poor immune system that could use the extra boost. The orange mango, dragon fruit, and the pomegranate drinks are all very good. My local store has stopped carrying them and I'm on the hunt to purchase them online if I can find the ones I'm looking for.

Anonymous said...

I love these drinks and my store has also stopped selling them. I am looking for somewhere that sells them by the case. My son and I drink 2-3 cases of them a month. However, they have the clear ones that we don't like at all. But teh orange mango, dragonfruit and pomegranate ones are the best! They also don't contain aspartame which is hard to find in a no calorie drink.

Anonymous said...

These drinks are great.I have looked all across Phoenix for these drinks I used to purchase them by the case but are no longer available in this area. Even my Dr. recomended to drink these due to the no sugar and zero calories. I would actually drink two cases a weeks and I need them to be brought back my whole family loves them.

Anonymous said...

Costco now carrys this product. Really like it.

Anonymous said...

Well costco dont sell them anymore in montreal and dont know where to find them!!!

Its very desapointing because it really works during the day, gives u energy and love the dragon fruit!!!! But dont have it anymore!

We need a number so we could reach the compagny!!!!

Canned Reviewer said...

Recently, I've seen a lot of these stocked on the shelves of Big! Lots. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. A bit of each, perhaps. On the plus side, they're, like, 60 cents each. But then again, Big! Lots is usually where dying brands go.

Reviewers

Jeffery "Jeff," Chandler "Chan"