Red Bull gives you wings!
Written: Apr 04 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Red Bull gives you wings. It does all it claims to do.
Cons: It's not a toy.
The Bottom Line: It's the king of energy drinks, and no wonder that it's developed a cult following.
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| joecooper's Full Review: Red Bull Energy Drink |
Red Bull Gives You Wings! Or so the advertising campaign goes here in Australia. Red Bull is one of literally dozens of new fandangled energy drinks flooding the market. However, in my opinion, Red Bull is to energy drinks what Coke is to colas - the original and the best.
Strap on your wings! We’re going to test-fly Red Bull.
Image
Red Bull’s a fizzy drink, and therefore according to the Universal Laws of Marketing, it must have a carefully crafted image. Red Bull’s image tends to be steering towards the “Xtreme Games” generation. Flick on a sports TV channel and sooner or later you’ll see kids hurtling down mountains on push bikes or skateboarding off the top of a bus shelter, all with a gigantic Red Bull sign gleaming in the background. Red Bull is very now. If you image needs a shuffle then perhaps Red Bull can help.
Obviously image means nothing, but it was fun to write about, and interesting in a way. Forgive my liberties!
So, what exactly is Red Bull?
Yes, it’s an energy drink - An unusual tasting brew in a skinny can (8.3 ounces if you really need to know) that does weird and wonderful things to your mind and body.
What do you mean by ‘unusual tasting’?
Red Bull tastes like nothing I’ve ever tasted before. Some people don’t fancy it, but I happen to like it. The nearest comparison I can make is this (and I’m slurping on a Red Bull right now): Take a citrus sherbet, some crushed Pez, add five or six mystery ingredients supplied by aliens, and you’ve got Red Bull.
Red Bull tastes like nothing you’ve ever tasted before. You’ll either love it, or hate it.
However, I think that the taste is secondary to what Red Bull actually does for you.
10 feet tall and bulletproof – What Red Bull does for you.
Firstly, I’d like to run through the official company line on what Red Bull is proven to do. Red Bull:
Increases physical endurance.
Improves reaction speed and concentration.
Increases mental alertness.
Increases over all feeling of well-being.
Stimulates metabolism and increases stamina.
The above list is straight from the horse’s mouth. But you don’t want to hear from the horse, do you? You want to hear what it does for me.
Red Bull is not a toy. When I drink one of these things it’s on for young and old for hours. It’s quite a buzz. However, it’s not that I’ve-overdone-it-on-coffee sickening headache buzz, it’s an I-feel-better-than-James-Brown flow that has all my mental and physical parts chiming in together. All of the claims above fall true in my case. If nothing else, Red Bull is effective. For once, the advertising claims live up to expectations. Red Bull does give me wings!
Crikeys! What’s in it?
Red Bull contains caffeine, but not as much as you’d think given the above effects. It contains approximately 80mg of caffeine, which is about the same as a regular cup of coffee. So, what’s got Joe studying like a fiend, people dancing all weekend, and those kids scaring the willies out of you when they drop off the bus shelter on their skateboards?
It’s actually the reaction of two other ingredients, taurine and (give me 10 minutes while I type this one out) glucuronolacton, with caffeine that the manufacturers claim gives Red Bull its kick.
Red Bull also contains a nice sprinkling of B-group vitamins. We all know that the Bs help the brain to function properly.
Urban Legends
Red Bull has really made a dent in the global soft-drink market. I’m not sure about this year, but in 1999, the Red Bull company had revenues in excess of US$1 billion. That’s a lot of skinny little cans being tipped up. Along with the product’s success has come a few myths and urban legends.
The strangest one that I’ve heard is that glucuronolacton was a chemical used by the US Government during the Vietnam conflict to make soldiers fight harder and longer like gung-ho robots. I can actually remember receiving an email about it.
Red Bull the company answers the accusations by replying that their product has never been banned after being accepted by the food and drug administration of the particular country where it sort acceptance. So there!
The Austrian (rather than Swiss) army knife of drinks
Made by an Austrian based company, Red Bull is officially touted to have numerous uses. Once again, here’s part of the official line.
When a long day is over and a long night starts. (very ambiguous)
On long sleep inducing motorways (I know, for a fact, that I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep for hours after downing a Red Bull).
During intensive working days, when the date planner is filling up and your energy reserves are emptying out. (It makes me go like a rocket!)
Prior to demanding athletic activities, or in a performance drop during a game. (For the love of all things sacred, I’d check with your doctor before downing this stuff during intense exercise).
Before tests and exams, when there’s no time to sleep (I can testify to Red Bull’s effectiveness in this regard).
As first aid after a long party night. (It’s certainly taken the edge off a few of my ground-shaking hangovers in the past).
The above is the official line. Feel free to check it out at www.redbull.com
On an unofficial note, I’ve seen Red Bull used in all sorts of fashions. Dancing queens who groove all night to what my mother refers to as ‘thunk-thunk music’ adore Red Bull. I’ve also seen it used as a mixer in alcoholic beverages.
I was down at the pub one day when I bumped into an English backpacking chick. We struck up a bit of a conversation and, fancying my chances, I asked her what she was drinking. Scotch and Red Bull was the reply. After buying her one, I asked her what the deal was. She claimed that by drinking scotch and Red Bull the hangover the next day was greatly minimized. However, she was quick to point out that you can’t drink too much Red Bull, otherwise you get ‘trembly’.
A warning
Red Bull is potent. Coke does not have a warning on the can that says “Do not consume more than 3 cans a day”. Red Bull does. If you have any health concerns that you feel may be affected by Red Bull, then please, make sure you run it by your physician before throwing one of these down your neck.
Additionally, if you’re going to stray from the official company directions, then bear in mind that you’re doing so at your own risk. I’ll say it again. Red Bull is not a toy!
Joe’s final word
Personally, I like the stuff. I find it useful. It’s not something I drink every day, or for recreational purposes. However, when I feel that I need a good kick up the clacker in order to get some work or much needed study completed, then Red Bull is there for me.
Red Bull gives you wings!
Cheers for reading.
~Joe
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
joecooper
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Reviews written: 120
Trusted by: 57 members
About Me:
Aging whippersnapper and freelance journo.
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