Oh China, I can hear you call
Red Bull Extra (China)
So a reader contacted me the other day about Red Bull in China. He told me had some he brought back and would be happy to send them to me. Needless to say I was extremely happy about that. I want to thank him for that. So In China they have this Red Bull Extra. WTH?? We need some Red Bull extra here. So what is the extra in extra? I have no idea since I can’t read Chinese and that info is not to be found on the net as far as I can tell. Let’s check it out though as I am excited to see what it is all about.
Packaging: Typical So we start out with a nice little 8 oz type can. The may be similar in size but as far a label goes it is pretty different. You have the Red Bull logo but the can is silver with some oceany looking swirls in the background. It is made of very heavy metal and I am not sure if it is aluminum or steel. It also has a pull of tab which I have not seen in ages. Overall it is a pretty impressive package and it seem very durable. Grade B
Slogan: I don’t know if it is the “Gives you wings” slogan or not since the only words I can read on the can are “Red Bull”. I’ll just give it an NA for now but if you know the Chinese slogan let me know.
Taste: So I peel off the tab and get the expected Red Bull scent. Pouring some In a wine glass(I wanted to savor this rare treat!) it comes out a golden yellow liquid with no carbonation at all. That is right, this is noncarbonated. The liquid has some legs but is not to thick like some Asian energy drinks I have tried. The taste is?? Red Bull. Flat Red Bull it is but then again it does not seem to have as much apple to it as your usual American Red Bull and it is a bit sweeter. There is no bitterness and it is not gummy. Over all once you get over the no carbonation part it is a pretty tasty drink. Grade B
Kick/Ingredients: So I drank this when I was getting ready to watch a slow movie in the afternoon. Usually watching a slow movie in the afternoon is a sure fire way to get some sleep. It took 15 to 20 minutes but then I really was awake and alert. In fact I was surprised that the kick seemed stronger than your usual American Red Bull of the same size. I was not jittery but I had good energy that lasted me a good 4 hours and I made it through the movie without ever feeling drowsy. Grade C+
Web Presence: The site at redbull.com.cn is ok and really your only choice unless you can read Chinese. It is nowhere near as good at the Us Red Bull site but it has some limited info and I appreciate the fact that there is actually an English site. Kinda fun to read over since it has a real translated feel to it. Grade C-
Recap:
So I am not surprised at the lack of carbonation. It seems to me that most Asian energy drinks are not carbonated and maybe that is the way they like them. I enjoyed it myself and it was a good change of pace. I don’t think I could drink a 16 oz can on non carbonated energy drink but the smaller size was great. The can was nice and the kick was a tad above your average 8 oz energy drink. All in all I think if you get the chance it would be an experience you would enjoy. If you happen to live in China or work there this is probably one of your best choices. If you travel anywhere feel free to grab me some foreign drinks to try. I’d be happy to review them and might even hook you up some of the extra drinks I have on hand in return
