Alsa Vegan Energy Drink Review

I'm a coffee addict. I have to have a cup (or two) every single morning or I seriously cannot function. I've tried giving coffee up for various cleanses, only to find myself in a full-on mental breakdown by the end of the first week. A couple years ago, I decided — once and for all — that I will never give up coffee. You can pry that from my cold, dead hands.

But morning joe aside, I would like a little variety in my liquid stimulant habit in the afternoons. And tea just doesn't do it for me. I love iced tea (unsweetened, please), and I've been trying to learn to love hot tea for years (getting there, slowly but surely). But tea doesn't provide much in the way of an energy boost. And most energy drinks are filled with nasty chemicals and taste pretty gross.

But Alsa Energy offered to send me a few samples of their vegan, gluten-free energy drink powders that are free of preservatives and artificial colors, flavors, and sweeteners. The energy part comes from a mix of yerba mate extract, white tea extract, and a special PUREENERGY blend (more on that in a few). Alsa powders also contain citicoline, a popular supplement that's believed to enhance mental focus.

PUREENERGY is a special patented blend of caffeine that supposedly metabolizes better than ordinary caffeine. Here's what Alsa's website has to say about that:

Another premium ingredient in Älsa, PURENERGY is an innovative, patent-protected caffeine ingredient that is a co-crystal of caffeine (43%) and pTeroPure® pterostilbene (57%). What’s unique about PURENERGY is that the caffeine is metabolized more efficiently compared to ordinary caffeine. In fact, PURENERGY provides caffeine 25% longer and, at six hours, delivers 51% more than ordinary sources of caffeine. That’s six hours of steady energy from the amount of caffeine (100 mg) contained in just one average cup of coffee (and let’s be frank – who stops at one cup?). 

Caffeine that lasts longer? Sounds pretty good to me! But does it work? And how does it taste? The powders come in a few flavors — Three Citrus, Dragonfruit, and Pomegranate Blueberry.

I tried the Dragonfruit powder last Friday, the day after St. Patrick's Day. I wouldn't say I was hungover, but I had that feeling you get after you've had a few beers the night before and you don't feel 100 percent because you're getting old and you can't hang anymore. I mixed the powder with a Dasani water from the office vending machine (btw, I do keep reusable water bottles at my desk, but I didn't want my bottles to taste fruity).

The flavor was nice. It was only subtly sweet, and it didn't taste like chemicals in the way Red Bull or Monster energy drinks do. And you know what? I felt much better after drinking that. I had more energy and renewed focus that helped me get through the work day.

I had the Three Citrus yesterday before an after-work board meeting. I wouldn't say I was tired, but going from work straight to a board meeting is rough. So it was nice to have a pick-me-up, and the citrus had a refreshing orange flavor. The water turned bright orange, but I failed to take a picture.

I did snap a shot of the Pomegranate Blueberry this afternoon. I enjoyed this at my desk around 3 p.m., which is always the time of day when I need something to help me make it through the rest of the day. It worked. I was able to power through the rest of my duties, and it tasted pretty awesome too. Perfect for washing down a slice of leftover vegan French yogurt cake!

I probably won't trade Alsa out for my coffee anytime soon, but I'd go so far as to say that it works as well as coffee. I just really enjoy my steaming cup of French-pressed, fresh-ground, locally roasted beans (with coconut creamer) every morning. But I'd definitely drink Alsa again in the afternoons!