It was May 2019 when I learned that powdered energy drinks were a thing, obviously, through an ad on Facebook. The first brand I met was Sneak, and soon enough I placed my first order. Just a tester pack, well, actually two, with 5 sachets in each. Less than three weeks after that I bought my first tub. Cherry Bomb.
How did it start with the powdered energy drinks?
2019 was the year when I started working in the office, for the first time in my life. It was a year, when my life was filled with powdered food – with Huel being my lunch and first meal of the day, due to intermittent fasting that I’m a big fan of, and those newly-found energy drinks. Sneak joined my daily routine – about an hour after lunch when the tiredness, combined a bit with the food coma, started kicking in, I was on my way to the kitchen, to prepare some power-juice in my cute orange shaker.
It was always tasty and sweet, very refreshing, and kept me motivated to actually drink fluids when working. Great! At that 3 pm usually* gave me enough energy, to keep me going for at least another 3 hours – which was what I needed. So I kept buying more. It wasn’t super-cheap, but way cheaper compared to Monster, and just a bit above the supermarket’s-own-brand drinks, that definitely have quite dodgy ingredients. And definitely felt more eco-friendly, with just one tub and my own shaker, over 40 cans or bottles that I’d need with pre-made stuff.
*Usually, because it absolutely doesn’t help when I have a headache.
The challenge
A bit more than a year ago, (I think it was April or May 2021), someone on my Twitter timeline started talking about powdered energy drinks. They were talking about that new Polish powder, which was apparently very good and “kicked hard”. I had to jump in! I started with a basic question: have you tried any of the other ones out there? “No. But it works better than coffee.” Then we really didn’t have much to talk about, but the brand reached out to me and sent me some samples – let’s go!
In June I ordered my first 3 tubs of Gaminate and since then I don’t question people saying, that it really works. But, truth be told, people now started questioning my credibility. It’s time (I guess) to try some other brands, to make sure I’m not biased and blinded.
But why powdered energy drinks?
One of the main reasons for me was the fact that I’m buying it once in a while, and not every time. It’s quite big for me – I stock up after a payday and I’m good for at least a month. Or even longer, because every tub is at least 30 servings, and when ordering, it usually doesn’t make sense to get just one.
Less…
The less-waste idea. Every order means one box (recyclable), and a plastic tub (which can be later reused as a pen holder), with one serving-size spoon, usually 7-10 g, that can also be used in the kitchen. Canned or bottled drinks generate more waste, for sure.
No fizz. That’s a preference obviously, but I don’t like fizzy drinks as much. With my drinking pace, it’s just easier to drop the bubbles completely. If you want, you can still use sparkling water or a Sodastream, to spice up the powdered experience. I like the convenience tho, with just tap water.
It’s all low on calories, and actually sweet. It’s using sweeteners of course, and not the white sugar, that only kicks in temporarily. But the (nice and) sweet taste is great if you’re a sweet tooth trying to cut off calories.
More…
More than coffee, more than just caffeine, and focus on… focus. Maybe some of that is just marketing bullshit, sure, but I can clearly see that energy drinks wake me up, while coffee stopped working a decade ago. I still drink it, for a taste and as part of my daily routine, but it’s not an energy source for me. Usually, powdered stuff includes some vitamins and other ingredients, that are there to boost your reflex, endurance, and focus. Some of them even claim to boost your brain functions for long-lasting effects and I fall a bit into that idea of being über-human.
There is a bit of collecting involved as well. And if you know me, you know I’m a completionist. Nicely stacked tubs just appeal to me. Just don’t tell me Sneak is doing another limited run!
The variety of flavors! Most of the ready-to-drink ones have maybe 5 flavors, with Monster being the leading one here. With powdered stuff, there are so many choices! Gaminate has 11, Sneak (EU) 12, and X-Gamer or GFuel even more! It seems impossible to not find at least a few you’d really really like. Keep in mind that I haven’t found a powdered energy drink that tastes like the classic ones (Red Bull, etc).
Why energy drinks at all?
I feel like I always liked energy drinks. I never really drank them when I was a teenager, but when I moved out from home to study, and then when I started working, I started as well exploring the market. I had a few favorites – with wild strawberry-flavored Blow at the top of the list, followed by Monster Rehab. Yum! Not that it did much, but they were tasty, in their own way.
Also, well, why not? My sleep is weird anyway, I like staying late and I still have to wake up in the morning. Even if it’s gonna leave some marks on my general health, I prefer using the extra time now, and not when I’m 70+.
What now?
So, from now on, every once in a while, you’ll see me “reviewing” powdered energy drinks, right here. I’ll try to focus on: taste, price, and obviously how it works for me. Mind, that everybody is different and something that kicks me hard, may not work for you.