Red Cow? (Asda Emerge Energy Drink)

Member Name: cyberem78

Product:	Asda Emerge Energy Drink
Date:	23/05/09 (59 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Provides energy if you are tired.

Disadvantages: Very sweet taste.

Emerge is a fizzy energy drink which is sold in slimline silver and red 250ml sized cans that look like a little bit like copycats of the popular energy drink Red Bull. I purchased my cans from my local Tesco supermarket and they are extremely cheap at around 25p a can.

Opening the can with the ring pull there is a strong smell that reminds me of children's mix-ups, those sugary jelly sweets and gooey, artificially coloured gelatine sweets. I can't say it is an aroma that I enjoy. The drink is described as being a 'mixed fruit' flavour. The smell is vaguely fruity - but more like a fake fruit smell, like the manufactured smell of fruity chewing gum.

The liquid has a pale caramel colouring - rather like weak tea. It does not appear overly bubbly but as I swallow I can feel a tingling sensation of tiny pinprick sized bubbles bursting in my throat. It is quite a nice, thirst quenching effect. It does have a slight 'eye-popping' effect in that the sweetness is so intense that it is almost too much and too shocking to the point that I pull a face when I swallow!

Instructions on the can advise chilling this and drinking with ice. I tasted it from room temperature just to see if it could be consumed that way and found the flavour totally different. At room temperature it is like drinking sherbet! Chilled the drink still tastes very sweet but has more of a sophisticated almost pretend alcoholic taste about it! I would definately recommend following the instructions on the can and drinking this with ice. I also think the ice can dilute the extreme sugar kick and improve the flavour somewhat.

The drink contains taurine, a 'sulfonic acid' often present in lots of energy foods and drinks. It is also present in my contact lens solution which initially made me a little concerned about drinking the stuff. However after googling the term I have learned that it is generally believed that taurine is beneficial to bodily health. The drink also contains a high caffeine content which helps to provide the energy boost. The drink is not suitable for people who are sensitive to caffeine. I would also avoid this if you are any heart medication - I have a sister with mild heart problems who was warned not to consume drinks of this nature. You should also avoid if you are anorexic or trying to maintain weight as this can speed up metabolism. The ingredients also list added flavourings, colours and vitamins B6, B12, naicin and pantothenic acid.

Nutritional values are provided on the can too. A 250ml full can provides 105 calories, 25.0g carbohydrates and nil traces of fat. I was quite surprised and impressed that the vitamin content was so high. There is 100% recommended daily allowance of naicin and Vitamin B6 as well as 83% RDA of pantothenic acid (a B vitamin) and 50% RDA of vitamin B12.

The effect this drink has on me is very pronounced. I tend to go into an extreme nervous, excited, jittery and fidgety state. The energy boost the drink provides is undeniable. As it has such an altering state on the nervous system I tend to drink this infrequently and only when I really need a jump start because I'm tired. I would say this drink is very similar to Red Bull and certainly has exactly the same effects but at the inexpensive price it is an alternative worth buying!

Summary: A stimulating energy drink.