Vitamin Water Focus

You may be a bit confused that I'm reviewing all these Glaceau Vitamin Waters, but I'll assure that they are, in fact, considered an energy drink. I got the Focus the other day and I knew it was an energy drink because, after a quick glance at the ingredients, I spy B Vitamins, niacin, lutein, and electrolytes, good enough, right? So, I then find out that quite a few out on the market are actually considered energy drinks, so I guess I'll check those out a little later on. Perhaps I'll get a flavor more like diluted strawberry-kiwi only because they are water based, and those tend to be like that. I also believe there will be some vitaminy taste to it as well, you know, they do have vitamins, right? Knowing Vitamin Water, they do a pretty good job sweetening there water beverages, so I do think it'll actually have a flavor. Looking at the 20 ounce bottle, I see a basic wrapper reddish-pinkish-ah, I don't really know how to explain it, but you'll note the color from the picture (See left). The same color applies to background, which is the color of the drink, you know, that hard to explain color. Anyways, I'll keep this paragraph brief and go on with the taste.

As I twist off the cap, I find a scent that's quite unique being a sweeter-than-normal strawberry-kiwi aroma and possibly even some honey, but I can't be too sure. I mentioned the color before and maybe it's just me, but I seriously cannot determine a color. I'll go with pink, light red, and maybe some orange mixed together, as well as equal parts of cloudiness. Oh wow, what a nice flavor. It's a smooth mixture of strawberry and kiwi with an added bonus of natural sweetness and a whole lot of honey to top it off. Being uncarbonated, this drink seems to be even better with a nice consistency to it. What differs in this Vitamin Water than any other water based energy drink has to be amount of actual flavor. I mean, it has an up-front taste, with minimal watery flavor taken over, which, as you know, is a whole lot different than most I've tried. Aside from the main flavor, there's a sort of aftertaste that makes you want to drink more, and by the time you know it, it's gone. That flavor seems to be more like a sweeter version of the main flavor, but with more added honey to it and less strawberry-kiwi. It has a simple basic water energy drink gumminess to it, but nothing too malicious in the mouth. Overall, I still am yet to find a Vitamin Water that has not impressed me. These guys sure do know how to make beverages.

As for ingredients, each bottle of Vitamin Water Focus has vapor distilled, deionized, and/or reverse osmosis water, crystalline fructose, citric acid, ascorbic acid, natural flavor, vegetable juice, gum acacia, electrolytes, ester gum, Vitamin A, and B vitamins. I really have no clue how or what they use to filter their water, but I guess it's good, by the looks of the name. Okay, it's sweetened with crystalline fructose, which now, isn't the best if you didn't know. It's basically corn syrup, but based on corn starch, not fruit. Crystalline Fructose is made by isolating the fructose from high fructose corn syrup through hydrolysis. Some say crystalline fructose is just as bad as high fructose corn syrup, although that is only somewhat true, as you see. Per 20 ounce bottle, you ingest only 125 calories and a moderate 32g of sugar. For once, I must say, the calorie and sugar content actually match the amount of flavor provided in the drink, unlike most others I've tried. If you're wondering how much energy ingredients are found in a bottle of Vitamin Water Focus, I'll inform you that there's 125 mcg of lutein. I don't know much about lutein and how much is an even dosage in a drink, but I do know that it provides focus. All in all, I continue to be impressed with Vitamin Water's line of drinks, and I really do hope the last few I plan to review are going to be just as good.

Taste: 7.5 - Nice strawberry-kiwi-honey mixture with perfect amounts of sweetness
Kick: 5 - I can't be too sure I got an amazing kick, but I sure felt something
Overall: 7 - I would start sticking with these drinks for now on, if I wanted something not carbonated and water-based

Reviewed by: Chan