Not to be outdone by the likes of Hansens, the third most popular energy drink company has come out with a new exciting line of non carbonated Hydration energy drinks too. Not content to let Monster be the only kids on the block with non-carbonated hydration drinks, Rockstar has come out with the ir own line of Rehab-esque flavors. Rockstar has entered into the foray with a lemonade a little earlier in the year, along with a grape and an orange blend. This time however, I found a much more interesting flavor to hit the shelves, and one of the more difficult flavors to master - coconut water.
Coconut water is a tricky thing. Yes, it is the new fad drink - and there are more coconut flavors getting released to market with big backers, like Coca Cola and Pepsi with their own coconut water drinks hitting the shelves. It is easy to see why people are going nuts for the stuff, as coconut water is low-calorie, fat-free, cholesterol-free, and full of electrolytes. But that is real coconut water - usually 100% and natural and healthy. Rockstar is not really known for healthy - as they like their preservatives and chemicals. This is a true Rockstar version of coconut water - one packed with all the stuff people don't want to drink when they get coconut water - and devoid of all the things people want in their coconut water. But hey - this does manage to make one hell of a mixer.
Packaging:9
The first thing you notice about this coconut drink is the awesome standout color that pops right out of the shelf. This is a bright blue color that is brilliant as it is clean, and full of loveliness. Like all Rockstars, this is their basic theme in a chosen color - but it works well enough to not need any change. This incarnation has all the stuff that energy drinks packaging should have: listing of caffeine and other energy ingredients, a nice and easy to read can, double facing the logo and a little explanatory paragraph that is neither reaching for hipness or sink to new levels of idiotic Xtreme blather. FOr being a standard drink without any big innovation, this is still very well done.
Taste:4
Without too much work, it is really easy to turn a yummy coconut drink into something that tastes of bath water and sweatsocks. Fortunately, the energy drinks I have tried (Power Trip Coconut and Go Fast Hybrid) have been fairly successful.
Rockstar's version is different than these though. First, it is not carbonated, so you don't really get the sensation this is an energy drink or a soda - so you are left drinking this like a juice - which is also isn't. This is not also just a drink like a Kool Aid or a punch, as it is not terribly sweet or juicy enough to be either of those. It never manages to get beyond the taste of sweat sock either - as the whopping 10% real juice is filled full of sugar water and enough stevia to give it an herbal and slightly medicinal edge.
I like coconut water, and the thought of mixing it with caffeine is brilliant. However, when I drink it, I want want it to be natural and flavorful, not taste like a YooHoo version.
Buzz:5
I was so hoping for all the good of coconut water to be in here. Alas, this was severely lacking in all of what I wanted. Sure, this has 160mg of caffeine in the can, but that is not really the powerhouse of rockstar's other flavors. Instead this was a light lift - about as much as a strong coffee. Plus, the whole recovery and hydration did not really work for me. Although I was not drinking the night before, I was trying to recover from sleep deprivation, and this did very little to help. I was a bit more awake, but just as groggy with my head still packed with cotton. If you were hoping for something with coconut's healing powers, you will be disappointed too.
Rockstar should be absolutely loaded with potassium and Sodium - great for helping with recovery from a long run or a longer night getting wasted. Potassium is a necessary if you drank too much the night before and dried yourself out. Slamming some coconut water should help you regain some of your last shreds of energy and nurse you back to life.
Now the big question then is just how much coconut water is inside Rockstar Coconut water - and the answer is not much: just 10 percent. That means that this is 90% other crap - like sugar water to fill it out. Unfortunately, this completely negates the benefits of coconut water - including not much vitamin C, not much potassium and an increase in calories too.
It is nice that they tried to do good while cashing in on the coconut water craze. If you were looking for just a Rockstar drink, this might be OK - except for the carbonation this has all the usual Rockstar Sugar Free stuff, with the addition of a bit more electrolytes. IT is not that this was bad - but this Rockstar just can not live up to the potential it had. Now only if they actually worked on the reason people liked coconut water as a sports drink...
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