Hydrive Grape Fusion R

When I'm jonesin' for something tasty I don't hesitate to reach for grape drank. And I'm lucky today to have Hydrive Grape Fusion R to review. Grape is delicious enough, but this one takes it a step further with grape fusion. After a jam sesh, a nice, cool, refreshing Hydrive sounds great to rejuvinate me. Besides, the purpose of this one, R, is recovery. I'm extremely eager to gulp this one down, so I'm not wasting much time on this introductory paragraph.

My first whiff is of a very good, sweet, deep grape flavor. It smells natural, but still easily recognizable. I'm very happy with a swig of the stuff; it's cool, sweet, refreshing, a little bit sour going down, and overall very satisfying to a thirsty dude like me. The color is lovely as well, being that crystal clear royal purple. Early on, there's little evidence this has Splenda; it goes down smooth, much like Gatorade. Maybe halfway in, I feel some sweetness lingering in the back of my throat, a sign of artificial sweeteners. To my surprise, after chilling the drink, it tastes a lot more artificial than before. I remember learning a while ago that things taste sweeter to our tastebuds when they are warm. Maybe that's what's going on here; because the drink is colder, the natural sugar doesn't taste as sweet, while the sucralose cuts through sharply. So my recommendation for this and any other drink half natural-artificial is to drink it slightly below room temperature. Overall, this is a tasty one I'd enjoy at the end of a long day. Now I have a feeling this kick is gonna creep up on me.

Hydrive's proprietary blend is a little different in this flavor, and it makes me sad, because there's no Ginkgo Biloba. There's Caffeine (145mg), Taurine (50mg), Aloe Vera extract (50mg), L-Carnitine (25mg), L-Arginine (25mg), Acai extract (3mg), 298mg total. Below, it mentions the recovery forumla, consisting of Aloe Vera, Acai, Folic Acid, Niacin, and Vitamin E. Overall, compared to earlier, I'm feeling much more alert, vital, and concentrated. I know I have the amino acids and B Vitamins to thank for that, and probably the rest of the recovery formula. This isn't one of those balls-to-the-wall drinks, like Monsters, but nonetheless, the effects are great -- a burst of easy-going energy with awareness for only 30 calories. Hydrives are an attractive choice to me, someone who likes a moderate boost for little calories. I'm totally looking forward to reviewing the next, and final Hydrive in our series of six.

Taste - 8.4 - Enjoyable and balanced grape, better warm

Kick - 7.7 - Not an explosion of energy, but a smooth, solid, alert boost

Overall - 8.1 - I really enjoy this kind of drink, but it's not exactly the kind for energy junkies

Reviewed by: Jeff