Review for Green Dragon Sugar Free

CAFFEINE CONTENT

Not sure.  Best guess is 80 mg—it would certainly make sense, given the trends with these 8.4 oz. cans.

EASE IN ACQUISITION—6

So far as I’m aware, these are only available at WinCo stores.  Good news if you live near a WinCo, less so if you live out east.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—7

In a rare contrast with what normally occurs with the packaging of sugar free/low carb/etc. drinks, the sugar free version of Green Dragon far outshines the original.  Aluminum has been replaced with white, and blue with a pale green of sorts.  The dragon’s pretty cheesy, but the white and pale green actually do work nicely together.

TASTE—8

Given my experience with Green Dragon, I had a pretty good idea of what I was getting into when I opened Green Dragon Sugar Free—another shoddy Red Bull clone.  Pouring it out into my Energy Glass, it has the exact color of Red Bull—that dark yellow that makes you wonder what they were thinking about when settling on the dyes for the drink.  Taking a sip, I was caught off guard.  This isn’t some crappy Red Bull imitator, the likes of which inundates the energy drink market—this is a bona fide clone, and even an improvement, unless I’m mistaken.  The flavor profile is exactly the same as the original Red Bull (yes, sugared version), but lacks the bitter aftertaste of said drink.  I’ve drank several beverages that make a stab at duplicating the flavor, and just about all of them have fallen short.  Green Dragon Sugar Free is the drink Red Bull fans have been waiting for—something just like their iconic energy beverage, only vastly less expensive (78 cents/can compared with Red Bull’s $1.98/8.4 oz. can).  Only complaint I have with the flavor is a faint artificial sweetener aftertaste that sticks around a while once you’ve finished the drink.  Nothing a piece of gum won’t fix, but still enough to be worthy of note.

KICK (INTENSITY)—6

Given the size of the can, I anticipated a pretty tame kick, and that’s exactly what I got—a minor pick-me-up that helped me get past the cobwebs filling my head after my nap, but not enough that I’d trust a single can to get me through a tough work day or when I’m in danger of falling asleep at the wheel.

KICK (DURATION)—6

I have trouble placing my finger on exactly how long this beverage lasted; I’d guess about two hours or so.  In any case, it was a crash-free experience.

THE DRINK OVERALL—6.67

In order to have real energizing effects one will probably have to take down more than one can, but as far as Red Bull substitutes are concerned, this one is second to none.  It came from a singularly unexpected source, but I’ve found it—the drink I’ll recommend to Red Bull lovers who don’t feel like getting screwed every time they buy a case/can.  Oh, one thing I almost forgot to mention—had this drink on the rocks when I drank it, which in my experience does make a difference as far as flavor’s concerned.  I’ll have to try it straight out of the can to see if I get the same experience that way, but until then, pouring out the can into some ice seems to be a pretty minor inconvenience in light of how much you’ll be saving by switching.

WEBSITE: None found.  I’m guessing this a WinCo stores brand, as is HyTop.

KEYWORDS: Green Dragon Sugar Free energy drink review, zero calories, zero sugar, zero carbs, Red Bull clone, Red Bull flavor, bargain energy drink