Oh the Power and the Passion
Guayaki Pure Passion Yerba mate
Ok so this will be the first of the RTD Yerba Mate drinks I have tried from Guayaki. While this is not a “true” energy drink it does have a serious amount of caffeine as well some ingredients found in energy drink I have tried. Guayaki is a company known for its Yerba Mate and this drink is 98% Organic.
Packaging: Ok so Guayaki sells its drinks in these 16 oz nice glass bottles. While a lot of companies have switched to plastic they continue to stick with a more quality package. It has a nice label that will appeal to those into healthy products. This drink is supposed to be about “Passion” as well and it has some graphics on the label that fit well with this I think. The snake to me represents the forbidden and there are also there are those pretty pink flowers! Maybe it is just me but the graphics just fit this drink. Nice quality packaging job. Grade B
Slogan: “Feel the Good Energy” is the slogan for all Guayaki products and works very well with the market they are looking for. Grade A- for slogan
Taste: Ok so I twist of the cap and get the scent of passion fruit and tea. It is not overly organic smelling which is a plus. The liquid pouring out is a pinkish cloudy brown. You need to shake this drink since it has some sediment (that is the healthy stuff!). Taking a sip I get a hint of passion fruit followed by some earthy Yerba Mate tea flavor with just a hint of peach mixed in. This is a very lightly sweetened drink. If you like those super sweetened tea drinks like Lipton bottled teas then this might not be your thing. I myself like tea without sugar so I find this drink to have a great level of sweetness for me. Don’t get me wrong it is sweetened but you can actually taste the Yerba mate. There is pretty much no bitterness or aftertaste. I found it very thirst quenching and smooth. Grade B- for taste
Kick/ingredients. Ok so I drank this down in the afternoon and it quickly vanquished my afternoon slump. I got a pretty good boost in my energy that lasted about 3 hours and I felt that my spirits were lifted and my mood improved. There was no crash and no jitters. If you drink the entire bottle you get 140 mg of natural caffeine, 2 types of Yerba Mate, Damiana, Catuaba, and Hibiscus flower. You get all this with 120 calories and 28 grams of sugars and carbs. It is sweetened with organic evaporated cane juice. There is much discussion among scientist as to the caffeine or Matiene in Yerba Mate and I have to agree it is a very different buzz than your typical caffeine. Yerba Mate is also filled with powerful antioxidants and at much higher levels than green tea. With a good dose of caffeine and the inclusion of some mood and libido enhancing ingredients I give this a grade of C+ for kick/ingredients
Web presence: The website at guayaki.com is nice and has a lot of products and ingredients info. There is plenty of info on the company and its social responsibility as well. They are big into saving the Amazon Forrest and its people, the environment, and just about ever green issue out there. It makes for a very interesting read and if you are interested in these issues you could spend a lot of time there. Of course there is a store, faq, list of athletes and musicians they sponsor, and just so much more than I can go into here. Grade B+ for web presence.
Recap:
Ok so maybe this is not for everyone but I found it to be a really good energy booster. 140 mg of caffeine is pretty good and it has a pretty good taste if you like tea very lightly sweetened. This is a healthy quality drink that you won’t feel bad about drinking on a regular basis. Not a lot of sugar, powerful antioxidants, earth friendly, recyclable, fair trade. Really you can feel good about drinking this. As far as healthy type energy products go Guayaki is top shelf. If you’re into this type of thing I think you will be more than happy with this drink.
I got this drink from the company
