Solstic energy drink mix

I was excited to receive two cool boxes of Solstic Energy Mix in the mail - all the way from Natures Sunshine in Ontario. I loved the name. I pictured all the good from a Solstice to a Soul Stick. I am surprised no one thought of this name for an energy drink before... These beautiful boxes were very sealed and looked happy and sunshiney - and even though it was late I could not help but dig into them. Beware though, if you get hold of these late, like I did, plan on having a late night - as one flavor is all you need to get hooked on the fantastic flavor of this citrus berry tea.

Buzz:6
I would give this a higher score, but the undisclosed amount of caffeine from the yerba mate boosting their energy levels, while advertising a lower caffeine content than other energy drinks lowered the score here. If I find out more information as to the actual caffeine content, the score may change. Until then, be advised that this might have much more caffeine than what is listed in the ingredients.

While 2 of these in a 20 ounce cup got me at least as caffeinated as a powerful double shot of espresso, I did not have an insane jittery amount of energy. I actually liked that this had less caffeine in it than other energy drinks, as I was able to drink more of them throughout the day. A single pack did not quite do enough for me, but 1 every 4 hours or so was more than enough to keep my mind clear and sharp. I really liked the mental focus I had, with absolutely no crash.

One of the big selling points of this drink is that it does not contain as much caffeine as your average energy drink or cup of coffee. This drink supposedly just has 60mg of caffeine from guarana, and that plus the ginseng B vitamins are supposed to give you a lift. However, when looking closely at the ingredients list, I also found an undisclosed amount of Yerba Mate, another source of caffeine. Since they stated the 60mg of caffeine is from guarana alone, they either are ignorant that Yerba Mate has quite a bit of caffeine, use a decaffeinated form of Yerba Mate, or they are subtly boosting their caffeine content and not sharing that info on the packaging.

Even so, I was mighty impressed with the rest of the ingredients list. There was a whole lot of good to be found in here, from the red grape skin (reservatrol - the stuff found to promote health in red wine), decaffeinated green tea extracts (for your metabolism and antioxidant properties), Panax Ginseng, a host of Vitamin Bs and Calcium.

I would not exactly call this natural, as it is sweetened with maltodextrin and sucralose, but that keeps the calorie count small and the flavor super tasty.

Taste:9
And it is super tasty. I am always a bit hesitant when it comes to powders, as the can really be hit or miss. Some have tried to carbonate the water with baking soda - some have tasted like oversweet Kool Aid ad some have been downright nasty.

I poured this into a glass of cold water, and it started dissolving only once I started stirring. Expect to have to shake it in order to mix it well - it won't dissolve on its own. Fortunately, there is no nasty grunge left on the top, and very little sediment on the bottom. However, it is full of crushed red grape skin, so the drink is packed with little floaties. This being a tea based drink though, I was expecting this to look as thick and opaque as it was.

While mixing, the flavor comes out - and it smell s delicious. Not as delicious as it tastes though, kind of like a citrus berry tea. I really did not mind that this had a supposedly lower amount of caffeine, as I have been drinking about 5-7 of these a day for the past 2 weeks at work. It is really hard to NOT drink these during a hot summer day. I even find myself craving these at night, when I know better than drink caffeine, just because they taste so dang good. They sell these in 30 packs, so it takes a while to run out, and makes it easy to treat yourself to Just One More.

Packaging: 7
The 30 pack is unassuming enough, and looks like something you might find on the shelf of your local mom and pop organic health food store. It certainly has sidestepped the usual energy drink packaging in favor for this healthy herbal look. Nowhere is a grungy font, a lightning bolt or even a running dude in silhouette. Overall, things are clean and neat - and look very shiny and happy. Everything is in yellows and oranges, the colors of a bright sunrise. The packs themselves open easily, are water resistant, and are very easy to just toss in your backpack and go. I know that this is what drink mix packages come in these days with little exception, but the layout and color scheme make it work.

Besides the already mentioned problem with the Yerba Mate, the only other issue I have is the lack of recyclable-ness of the pack. For a drink which is trying to appeal to the conscious consumer, a little more care on what to do with the foil pouches would be nice. I do think it was amusing that a product made in the tiny town of Spanish Fork, Utah has to be written in both English and French, as it got imported by Nature's Sunshine of Ontario Canada, where double printing in French is required by law.