Just when we thought we'd covered every single coffee energy drink left out there, we find a whole new line, Muud. Muud isn't advertised as an energy drink, but when the can says there is the equivalent of 4 shots of espresso per can, you know you've got something powerful in front of you. I've looked up the average amount of caffeine in one shot of espresso, and one site says there are about 77mg of caffeine per 1.5oz shot. That means there are 51mg in every ounce, which I think is the more traditional serving. If there really are 4 shots of espresso in here, that would mean there are roughly 205mg of caffeine per can; quite a hefty dose, when compared to Monster's 142mg per can and Red Bull's 81mg per 8oz can. The thing to remember, however, is that this is not a purposeful energy drink, but, as it mentions on the can, an "all natural premium coffee drink." What that means is that there won't be any other energy ingredients but caffeine. I take that as a sign that results may vary, in terms of energy given.
Immediately after I popped the can open, I noticed a very nice, rich, and robust coffee bean smell dominating with a small hint of milkiness. Unlike pretty much every single coffee energy drink, this drink has some serious coffee flavor, which right off the bat, gets me excited because I've been seeking a drink like this for a long time. Since I can already tell this isn't going to be a watered down, overly-sweetened kid's drink, I'm predicting that the color will be much darker, as a result of less milk and sweetener. I slowly poured it out and, to be expected, I saw a color exactly like coffee with a bit of cream in it, rather than light brown or tan. Taking a small sip, this drink is silky-smooth, starts off with a small bit of sweetness, tastes very milky, and then ends in very good, robust coffee and a rich nutty, bitter aftertaste. Lurking somewhere in the middle is a vague yet decadent mocha flavor. I have never been a fan of lightly sweetened coffee, but this is making one out of me; it's so good. To a non-coffee lover, this may seem not sweet enough until you warm up maybe a quarter of the way through. Honestly, before this drink, I haven't liked bittersweet or semisweet coffee. Now, I understand what makes it so good. It isn't necessarily the sweetness that makes it addictive; it's the contrast between sweetness, nuttiness, bitterness, and robustness of the coffee. Already, it's over and I'm trying to see if I feel the equivalent of 4 shots of espresso.
Because Muud is simply a coffee drink and not a purposeful energy drink, its ingredients list is relatively short. From beginning to end, the list is as follows: coffee, milk, water, sugar (Sucrose), natural flavors, cellulose gel, cellulose gum, disodium phosphate, postassium hydroxine, and carrageenan. The first four ingredients are pretty obvious, although I would rather not see water, becuase it makes me think this is diluted. The last ingredients look like thickeners, emulsifiers and preservatives, including carrageenan, which is a seaweed used to thicken products. On kick, Muud does well depending on your caffine tolerance. The amount of caffeine in it is likely less than or equal to the amount in a small cup of Starbucks. If you're somebody who regularly has coffee, this might have no effect. On the other hand, for someone who has a low caffeine intake, this will do a good job of getting you wired for a good hour or two. Even for someone like myself, who has a bit of a tolerance for caffeine from drinking energy drinks, having this at 7PM kept me up all night. Overall, I'd recommend this to anyone, because of its wonderfully rich coffee taste and high energy yield for a non-energy drink.
Taste: 9.4 - Rated superb by me, a non-coffee drinker
Kick: 7.5 - Quality caffeine kick
Overall: 8.6 - I would love another one of these
Reviewed by: Jeff
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