SodaStream T-Rex Energy Sugar-Free product reviews

Reading the previous reviews on this product I was just a little bit nervous about trying it, as it seems it wasn't as nice as some other energy drinks that are already on the market. This product however has highlighted to me just how different we can all be and how we all enjoy different things!

I fizzed up my water using one of my single serve bottles. I find these highly convenient and as it is usually just me making a drink for myself I prefer just to have a single bottle rather than making a big one and feeling like I need to drink it all before it goes flat! As I opened the bottle of T-Rex Energy Sugar-Free I noticed just how thin the syrup was compared to some of the other full sugar flavours I have had recently. Out of interest I got the non sugar-free version out of the cupboard (which I was yet to try) and noticed quite a difference in weight between the two bottles. I am assuming that this is something to do with the sugar content and how it affects the syrup. I did think that this would mean I needed more syrup to make a good flavour, but it turns out I didn't.

I poured a little bit of syrup in until it reached the wee line on the side oft he bottle. I put the lid on the bottle, mixed it in and tried it. It was perfect! It certainly didn't need any more flavour, which I have found with some of the flavours. And the flavour itself was beautiful. I am not really sure how to explain it, but it seemed to have a bit of a fruity twist to it. I am usually a big fan of the blue V bottles - it is my favourite flavour, but this T-Rex Energy Sugar-Free was more enjoyable for me than that. I love that the SodaStream syrups seem to have less of the nasties and that I can control just how much I am getting in it.

My only concern after this was as to whether it would give me the energy boost that other energy drinks do. I don't find that any energy drinks give me a big buzz, but they do make me carry on for longer when normally I would crash much earlier. After drinking this energy drink I had the same affect that other energy drinks do. After not a lot of sleep I was still able to carry on without having to have a Nana nap and actually found it hard to go to sleep again at the end of the day! Maybe next time I will have just half of a bottle. But to me that means it did the job it was supposed to do, and tasted great at the same time.

Sodastream has been a household name in New Zealand for as long as I can remember and boasts a massive selection of flavors to choose from, I have tried a number of them spanning from when I was a kid but I have never tried an energy drink version, so was pretty pumped to get this for review.

Being a regular user of energy drinks I was keen to try this as an alternative to the more expensive shop bought energy drinks. At first glance the packaging looks very modern with a sleek looking bottle that actually fits in the shelf on my fridge door. It proudly boasts its SUGAR FREE status underneath the menacing looking Tyrannosaurus Rex head which gives the impression this will pack a mean punch in the energy dept.

Unfortunately this wasn't the case with my experience, I noticed little if any boost in my energy after consuming this, which was pretty disappointing as I can't think of any other reason you would buy it otherwise. Then comes the taste, the best description I can give to the taste is that it had some serious similarity to drinking jagermeister. For some people this will not be a problem but for me personally getting a whiff of that first thing in the morning is not something I would go for.

On the plus side of things a single bottle will make 9 litres which is really decent value for money, and the sugar free option is a definite plus for today's market. I think this is one of those flavors that some will absolutely love and others wont want to go near it, the best bet would be to try it for yourself.

My husband is a big fan of drinking energy drinks and so we have a drink at least twice a week, so I was keen to try this as a cheaper alternative to buying a couple of cans a week each. The instructions on the bottle suggest that you fill the syrup cap to the top line for full flavor and so I followed these instructions for the first couple of bottles that I made up. The syrup gives it a nice color and it looks much like brands such as Demon and Mother, so it gave me hope for trying it out.

Taste wise... Well, I've certainly had worse but this was not anywhere near the top of my preferred list, the taste was OK but there was still a hit of aftertaste that wasn't the best, mostly overpowered by the flavor but still nothing wonderful. I decided to try this at half strength to see what that might do to the flavor and if it was an improvement or not. Flavor wise, at half strength it was a lot nicer and I could drink it if it weren't for the aftertaste that feels like a kick to the mouth it's that bad. I didn't notice much of an energy buzz from this but my husband felt it gave a bit of a buzz for him.

Like all soda stream products, it works out well in the long run money wise but when it comes to the taste, no thanks.

I'm a fan of a certain sugar free energy drink with similar coloured packaging to this sodastream flavour, and so on seeing this was available, I wondered if it might be a cheaper alternative, and was keen to try it out...and I was hoping for a similar flavour as to what I've become accustomed to.

I love that this has pretty much 0 calories and no sugar as I prefer not to drink my calories and I have no objection to artificial sweeteners on this basis. However I have to say that I wasn't overly keen on the flavour of this drink. I started off by making a single glass of drink and tampered with the strength of flavour but didn't enjoy it when it ended up too weak, so I ended up making a whole bottle using the recommended instructions up to the top line for full flavour. While the strength of flavour was now good, I didn't really enjoy the taste of it - for want of a way to describe it, it's a bit fruity for me. On the positive side though, the after taste was pleasant and the overall flavour wasn't actually bad ... I just didn't find it good either.

The energy in this drink comes from caffeine and as a non tea and coffee drinker, to be able to get caffeine from soft drinks is great for me. I don't necessarily notice a buzz or difference when I have an energy drink though, so it's hard for me to comment on that side of things.

On a final note, I wish there were instructions for making these drinks up by the glass, but now that I know the suggested strength, I can make future drinks up by taste. This is well worth trying if you are looking for a cheaper alternative to drinking expensive energy drinks by the can... but it's just not to my taste unfortunately and I won't be buying it again.