I'm glad this one emerged (Asda Emerge Energy Drink)

Member Name: stillclueless

Product:	Asda Emerge Energy Drink
Date:	28/06/09 (71 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Tastes just as good as other stimulation drinks at a fraction of the price

Disadvantages: Relatively new in the UK market so only sold in a limited number of stores e . g Asda

I was walking around Asda probably about a month or so ago looking at the various stimulation drinks they had on the shelves contemplating whether or not to fork out the £3.47 for a 4 pack of red bull and my eye just happened across what appeared to be a new brand of stimulation drink that I had not seen before. With it's simple packaging and bold black letters set against a red background this really grabbed my attention.....the new brand I had discovered was Emerge, the new kid in town. I was even more delighted when I noticed the price for 1 x 250ml can, only 24p...of course I was a bit dubious, as I'm sure most people are when it comes to selecting alternative cheaper brands of their favourite products, but I'll try most things at least once, so I popped a few into my basket in the hope that this new brand would not disappoint.

===About Emerge===

After scouring through the internet for a little more information on this new brand of stimulation drink I found that there wasn't a single website (in English) that would offer some background information on the origins of Emerge. I did however come across one website

www.emergedrink.com

but this only offered up information either in Czech, Slovak or Polish but to my dismay the contact address for emerge is:

97 Heather Grove
Wigan
Lancashire
WN5 9PN
United Kingdom

how incredibly odd I thought to myself but oh well. So it seems that the drink is actually of Eastern European origins if I have my geography correct but has recently managed to make it's way into UK markets to our advantage or disadvantage? All will be revealed....

===The Packaging===

As previously stated the Emerge packaging is fairly basic. Contained within a 250ml Aluminium can the word Emerge is written in bold black letters across the front of the tin with stimulation drink written in smaller white letters below. Set against a red background that rises up to a point, almost flame like, with the remainder of the tin in silver....also forming the same flame like point on the back of the tin but towards the bottom instead of the top. There are various statements on the back of the tin which read as follows:

" Emerge is a refreshing carbonated stimulation drink"

"Simply Chill with Ice"

" Emerge is NOT suitable for persons sensitive to Caffeine"

Very basic yet useful information. The can basically states that Emerge is a Carbonated mixed fruit flavour drink with Tuarine and Caffeine (very similiar to the descriptions on most other stimulation drink cans), there is also the customary list of ingredients and address information for the company COTT, a leading supplier of private label carbonated soft drinks, so I can only assume that they are the supplier of either the packaging or the drink itself.

===The Taste===

Ah the all important taste test. Upon opening the can, I can immediately smell that distinct fruity aroma that you get with the likes of red bull, blue charge, kick and I'm sure a wide variety of other brands of stimulation drink, a positive sign I thought to myself. Of course the drink is carbonated so the first sip is very fizzy, but this wasn't unexpected. To be perfectly honest, this drink doesn't really taste any different to red bull in my opinion, it has that same sweet cherry / fruity taste which I find very refreshing especially when out hill walking with my partner and it goes very well with vodka too as a substitute to the ever popular red bull. I will say that if I had a can of red bull and a can of emerge in front of me and took a sip out of each then you probably would notice a slight difference in the taste but over all I have to say I am very pleased with the Emerge brand.

===The benefits===

As with any energy or stimulation drink it is advised that you drink Emerge and other such drinks when indulging in excercise and other energetic activities to help boost the body's energy levels and replace the energy that has already been lost, which is why I always take a can with me when I go hill walking, because as well as being very refreshing when you're thirsty from walking for hours on end I really do feel that I get a bit of an energy boost from it. I would probably only ever drink this under these circumstances or as stated above as a mixer with sprits such as vodka when indulging in alcoholic beverages.

===My overall Opinion===

For 24p I really couldn't complain but unfortunately it has gone up in price since I first came across it in Asda and it is now being sold at 33p, which when put into perspective, compared to £1 for a can of red bull is still pretty good value for money considering you get three cans of Emerge to one can of red bull. You can find it in stores such as Lidl and Asda and I have heard you can also get it in poundland but to be honest, the only place I have ever seen it is in Asda. I think I'll continue to buy this stimulation drink as a cheaper alternative to red bull as I don't think it tastes very different from red bull itself and in this economic climate, every penny that can be saved is well worth it.

Summary: Emerge - to bring you out of your shell