Night falls and I'm alone
Ironclad energy Black & Blue Blend
Ok so I really like the drinks from Ironclad. I think they have a unique idea and market that is untapped. The working man. You know just drop into a store on the way to work and you will see these workers grabbing coffee and red bull on their way to work. Why not make a drink just for them then. One that hydrates as well as gives energy. Ironclad is the only company I know of trying to tap this market. Now they have a new sugar free drink which is good because even working guys need to watch their calories. Why not save those empty calories for beer after work I say.
Packaging: As with their other cans this one is pretty good. I like the cool hammer and shield logo and the cool fade pattern at the bottom. They list key ingredients on the front so you know it is all about. It may add to the clutter a little but it makes it easy to see what is in it. Grade B+
Slogan: “Industrial energy for everyone who Works” Is on their site and it fits like a well machined part. It is drink specific and that is always a winner with me. I like the whole working man theme. Grade B+
Taste Update: Ok so this drink has been reformulated and it is much improved. It is sweeter and has more of a blueberry taste to it. I really enjoyed the sweet blueberry and it had more of a candy likeness to it. The taste lingers pleasantly for quite a while after you finish it. So I am upping my grade to a B- for taste.
Ok so I pop the top and get a mild blueberry scent. I pour it in a cup and it comes out a dark blue color with a mild carbonation level. I take a sip and it seems to be a mild blueberry flavor with a finish of black currant. The black currant taste somewhat like grape but it is a little different and hard to describe. The drink in not very sweet at all. It is not that bad it is just not very sweet. They sweetened it with Stevia and some other things (see kick/ingredients). I have yet to have a stevia sweetened drink that is actually sweet. I’ll give it a grade of C- for taste. I got used to it as I drank it
Kick/Ingredients: I drank my drink down and it hit me in the usual 15 or so minutes. It provided a nice smooth boost of energy. This is the kind of buzz that gets you going and doing stuff but still allows focus. There were no jitters but the boost was better than average. I had been on a long bike ride earlier in the day and I really think I felt the hydration portion of the drink do its job. I was energized and refreshed for a solid 4 hours with no crash. For energy per can you have 154 mg caffeine, 2000mg Taurine, 100 mg Guarana, Ribose, L-Luciene, L-Valine, and 100% of your typical B vitamins. Then for hydration you get 420 mg sodium, 180 mg potassium, 6 mg magnesium, and 12 mg calcium. As with all the Ironclad drink I think this one deliver all that it promises. It comes in at 20 calories, 2 grams of carbs, and no sugar. It is sweetened with Stevia, and a non nutritive blend of sorbitol and Lo Han Guo juice concentrate. Grade B+
Web Presence: The site at ironcladenergy.com is a pretty good site. It has some product info as well as contact info, about us, and promo sections. The cool thing about the promo section is that you can save the taps from the tops of the drink cans and trade them in for cool Ironclad gear. You only need 6 to get started with a cool beanie hat. The site does not have a lot but it gets the job done and looks pretty good. B
Recap:
Ok so Ironclad decided to reformulate this drink and did a good job. It is now sweeter and has a more pronounced blueberry taste to it. I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. I like a nice carbonated flavored water and this drink is in that vein. This makes it very thirst quenching. It really goes down smooth on a hot day. It is low carb and provides a good kick to keep you going. Check it out and let me know what you think.
