5 hour energy....Decaf?

July 3, 11:21 AMCaffeine ExaminerBig Red Boots  

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Containing only as much caffeine as a half cup of decaffeinated coffee, Decaf 5-Hour Energy is designed for people who avoid caffeine, but still need an extra boost to help them function during the day.  As for the big question - can it possibly work - the answer seems to be yes! Well, sorta. While it has no buzz or kick, there was a sustained enough amount of energy to finish making through the workday without grabbing that second cup of coffee. While not a resounding success, I was pleasantly surprised it was not just a placebic effect.  My caffeinated coworker tested this bottle out with me and found the same effects - that the need for that afternnon cup was gone, although he experienced no significant power rush.

“Decaf 5-Hour Energy provides a sustained energy boost for people who are sensitive to caffeine, or avoid it for medical or personal reasons,” said Carl Sperber, Living Essentials Director of Corporate Communication. “With its gentle effectiveness and light citrus taste, it will attract a new segment of energy consumer.” It does this by adding B-vitamins, amino acids and Choline. This essential nutrient plays an important role in many cognitive functions. My only issue is the cost - paying over 2.50 in most stores for a 2oz bottle of something of this caliber seems pretty outrageous.

Packaging:8
5 hr energy is packaged in the now standard 2oz bottle. The plasic is shrink wrapped over the lid for tamper proofing, just in case someone wanted to slip you something more exciting into your little shot. There is a screw top, and the directions on the side informed you that drinking just a half bottle would suffice for some people. While that is pure silliness, it is nice that the lid makes that at least possible. I personally HATE the runner sprinting up a mountain like he's being chased by a horrible mountain monster (who just probably downed their extra strength 5 hour energy shot - so you better sprint fast!) The color, the fonts, all of it, looks like some leftover marketing campaign by a discount drugstore chain.  Personal bias though. Professionally, the fonts are VERY easy to read and the color says energy while still using their basic imagery. They list every ingredient , website and even phone number very clearly if you wanted to contact them. while not revolutionary, they pulled the revolution off long long ago. Even though I hate the design, the package layout was nice still did everything it needed to well.

Buzz/Nutrition: 7
The new Decaf 5-Hour Energy Drink contains a gentler blend of B-vitamins and amino acids than those found in other energy drinks. Decaf 5-Hour Energy Drink does contain a small bit of caffeine, only 6mg, or less than you would find in a regular size Hersheys chocolate bar. You will also find Glucuronolactone, N-Acetyl, L-Tyrosine, L-Phenylalanine, Taurine, and Malic Acid, Protease, Lipase, Celluase, and Lactase. Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid, found in eggs, meat, bananas and other foods, but is also 50% of what makes up aspartame (nutrasweet or equal). people who have PKU might want to be wary. Lipase, Celluase, and Lactase are digestive enzymes responsible for digesting proteins, lactose and fat in your food. So anyone with Ulcers should probably stay away too. The good thing with these shots is there is almost no caloric sweeteners in them, so the Decaf 5 hour energy has just zero carbs and only 4 calories.

My coworker detected it made him a little hot, like getting a very mild niacin flush. I cold not find any niacin in this product, although they do add it to some in their line.

Taste:7
I was pleasantly surprised to find no medicinal taste.  The point of these things is not really ther flavor - however this one was pleasant to drink down. The aftertaste was a little chalky, but not bad at all. Unlike many shots I have tried, I did not need a chaser to get this one down. 

Website: 3
I am just looking at the decaf version of the website of 5 hour energy, which while not atrocious is not good either. First problem, it resizes my whole browser screen. Never Mess With My Browser Size. Drives me as crazy as if you blare music and don't give me an off switch. Basically, the decaf info is in a popup window. One with a strange offset from the background for no apparent reason. There is a couple blurbs about the product but that is about it. Now the whole 5 hour energy site is very different, and I will get into that when I review the real original 5 Hour, waiting for me in my queue...

Ejunkie
energy drink review blog