Review for Red Bull Sugar Free

CAFFEINE CONTENT

80 mg/8.4 oz. can

114 mg/12 oz. can

154 mg/16 oz. can

190 mg/20 oz. can

EASE IN ACQUISITION—10

Red Bull is easily the most popular energy drink in the world, and given this fact one may expect to be able to find Red Bull Sugar Free everywhere, and in staggering abundance.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—7.5

Sugar Free comes garbed in the same motif as the original, the only exception being the replacement of the original blue with a lighter blue.  It looks alright, though it makes me nervous about the flavor in the same way Amp Sugar Free and NOS Sugar Free do.

TASTE—6

Red Bull Sugar Free is not blessed with exceptional sweetening.  Initially, the flavor is more-or-less identical to the original—very muted and evenly balanced between sweet and sour—but when the bitterness hits, it seems compounded by the acrid aftertastes of the sweeteners and is not an especially enjoyable experience.  This diminishes to one extent as one continues to drink them, but it’s still not something I’d be keen on drinking again.

8.4 OZ. CAN

KICK (INTENSITY) —6

Kick is mild, but appreciable.  It’s the kind of thing I’d use for a mild pick-me-up, but not for a long drive or an evening of studying.

KICK (DURATION) —6

Also very moderate in nature; this drink is by-and-large for a short-term boost rather than powering one for the long haul.

THE DRINK OVERALL—6

Modest boost, low calories…if this is what you’re looking for and you don’t mind the subpar flavor, then the 8.4 oz. Red Bull Sugar Free might be your drink.

12 OZ. CAN

KICK (INTENSITY) —7

While the 8.4 oz. can was of a more moderate intensity, the 12 oz. can delivers a kick that is average but effective, manifest mostly as a small degree of jitters and a very noticeable degree of alertness.

KICK (DURATION) —7

I was able to get a few hours of efficacy out of the 12 oz. Red Bull Sugar Free before I hit a wall and had to take a nap.  Not much more to say than that.

THE DRINK OVERALL—6.67

So if you haven’t been able to tell already, I’m not much more enthused about the 12 oz. Red Bull Sugar Free than I am the 8.4 oz. size—I’m having a really hard time finding the words needed to elaborate on what I experienced, but I honestly think it’s because there’s not much to elaborate on.  It’s a drink of average intensity with a less-than-average flavor.  What more is there to say?

16 OZ. CAN

KICK (INTENSITY) —7.5

It’s about this point I started being able to at least enjoy the kick a bit.  No, I’m not saying it was spectacular—as I indicated in my review of the original Red Bull, this size is only somewhat more intense than the 12 oz. size, and I’m honestly not terribly wild about it—only that we were inching our way past the point of being “average” and beginning to venture into territory that I could appreciate.

KICK (DURATION) —7.5

Not much different from the 12 oz. can, but enough that I could notice a difference and was able to function a little longer.

THE DRINK OVERALL—7

There’s not much of a difference between 16 ounces of Red Bull Sugar Free and 12 ounces, but enough that I’m a little happier as I write the review for it.  You’ll be a little more awake for a little longer, but sometimes that’s all that’s needed.

20 OZ. CAN

KICK (INTENSITY) —8.5

At this point, you’re getting enough caffeine out of the Red Bull blend to get you really awake and jittery—the kind most people have come to expect out of an energy drink.  It’s true that more is not necessarily better, but in the case of Red Bull Sugar Free (at least in the caffeine department), I think it is.

KICK (DURATION) —8.5

Kind of in the same way it’s the only particularly intense size of Red Bull Sugar Free, the 20 oz. can is the only one I’d trust during anything particularly long and grueling; while I appreciate this utility, I 1) don’t particularly appreciate that I have to drink this much of a drink I’m not terribly fond of to get that, and 2) am not wild about the price I need to pay to get this big a can.

THE DRINK OVERALL—7.67

FINALLY…I am done reviewing Red Bull Sugar Free, and I have to say…Red Bull Sugar Free in general bugs me.  Most of the drinks are very underpowered, especially for the price, and even when you get to the 20 oz. can, you’re still drinking a lot of a drink that’s not especially good.  My conclusion: there are stronger, better-tasting, and far less expensive energy drinks that one can imbibe and still feel good about their caloric intake.  Red Bull Sugar Free is completely unnecessary, and something that I will avoid altogether in the future.  My advice for you is to do the same.

WEBSITE: redbullusa.com

KEYWORDS: Red Bull Sugar Free energy drink review, traditional energy drink flavor, Red Bull Sugar Free 8.4 oz. review, Red Bull Sugar Free 12 oz. review, Red Bull Sugar Free 16 oz. review, Red Bull Sugar Free 20 oz. review, 8.4 ounces, 12 ounces, 16 ounces, 20 ounces