Yes,
I know. This is not “technically”
an energy drink. But I think it
has earned the right to be reviewed as one. If you are curious as to why, take a look at the caffeine
contents—it is pretty apparent what they were going for when they made this
stuff (I’ve included the caffeine contents of the corresponding sizes of the
original for comparison), and I think they have succeeded.
CAFFEINE
CONTENT
69
mg/12 oz. can (vs. 38 mg in the original)
115
mg/20 oz. bottle (vs. 63 mg in the original)
207
mg/32 oz. bottle (vs. 101 mg in the original)
EASE
IN ACQUISITION—10
You
can get it pretty much everywhere—just look in the soda section. There are so many varieties of Pepsi
nowadays (some with truly asinine and nondescriptive names) that it’s easy to
overlook Pepsi Max, but if you make it a point to look for it it’s easy to
find.
APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—7
I
don’t feel like I have a lot to say in this section—it looks like the regular
Pepsi, except for the big red “MAX” and the blue burst behind the logo.
TASTE—8
For
the record, I am not generally a
Pepsi guy. I got back from
Guatemala in 2007, and since then it’s really bugged me when things are too
sweet—if you’ve read some of my energy drink reviews, you’ve noted that I make
it a point to say so when they’re too sweet. Anyway, I just really couldn’t stand the original Pepsi
because it was so freaking sugary, and it’s been a long time since I’ve had
anything Pepsi-related.
That
out of the way, this is good Pepsi.
It’s had the HFCS replaced by aspertame (so it’s really not healthy despite being low-calorie),
which makes it light years less thick and easier on the palate. I don’t have a clue how Pepsi fans feel
about it—but as for myself, I didn’t mind
12
OZ. CAN
KICK
(INTENSITY)—5
Drinking
a 12 oz. can of Pepsi Max won’t give you what I’d call a tremendous boost—but
it is far above average for your run-of-the-mill caffeinated soda. It’s enough to deliver a bit of a
pick-me-up and clear some of the cobwebs out of your head, but not a lot beyond
that.
KICK
(DURATION)—5
Hour
and a half or so.
THE
DRINK OVERALL—6
So
as far as energy products are concerned, this is a bit below average. But for a soda—it kicks butt.
20
OZ. BOTTLE
KICK
(INTENSITY)—6.5
It
wasn’t until I go to this size that I really started to notice marked
performance out of Pepsi Max.
Drank this bottle one afternoon I was studying and having trouble
focusing—it woke me up and helped me get my organic chemistry done all that
more quickly.
KICK
(DURATION)—6.5
Two
and a half hours or so passed before I felt that the drink had really worn off.
THE
DRINK OVERALL—7
For
a decent mid-range kick, a 20 oz. bottle of Pepsi Max will do you just fine.
32
OZ. BOTTLE
KICK
(INTENSITY)—8
Here’s
where things really start to get interesting. The 32 oz. bottle has 207 mg of caffeine—so about as much as
a Full Throttle. Mind you, the
caffeine is much more dilute, but it still delvers quite well in terms of
performance. After drinking all 32
oz. on ice (felt so…American doing
that), I really noticed quite a boost.
I was exceptionally alert, productive, and yes, jittery. And, with zero calories in the bottle,
I didn’t feel all that much guilt…but my liver probably wasn’t too happy with
it all the same.
KICK
(DURATION)—8
Three
and a half hours, no crash.
THE
DRINK OVERALL—8
So
in the end, I was impressed with the Pepsi Max line overall, most especially
this 32 oz. bottle, which delivered an excellent kick. If you’re into Pepsi and like more of a
boost out of your soda than the original gives you, Pepsi Max might be the way
to go for you.
WEBSITE:
pepsico.com
KEYWORDS:
Pepsi Max review, Pepsi energy drink, zero calories, zero sugar, zero carbs,
diet
And
yes, this marks the 300th product I’ve reviewed; I’m holding off on
making note of it until next week, when I’m getting some samples in the mail
from a company I’ve had my eye on for a while. I’ll celebrate then.
Sometimes Pepsi tastes like milk.
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