Invasion of the Pod People
PepPod effervescent Energy tabs
These little fizzy tabs seem to be popping up more frequently now days. I guess the fact that they dissolve so well is one of the key factors in this format of energy drinks. I have enjoyed energy drinks in this format in the past and really look forward to trying this one
Packaging: This is kind of a 2 parter. PepPod tabs come in a little square orange box that contains 10 tabs. The box is more orange on some sides and grey on others. On the front is the PepPod Logo which is PepPod printed in white font in a bright orange circle. There are a lot of multicolored circles/bubbles on the front as well. Being as the box is so big there is stuff on all sides and they include a wealth of information about the drink like how to mix it, ingredients, and benefits. There is even a little circle on the bottom of the box that reads “Bottoms up” which is a cute touch. Inside the box are 10 silvery foil type packets that each contains 1 tab (pod). The packet is pretty much the same as the box with the PepPod logo and the circle/bubbles. Somehow they managed to jam all the info from the box onto the packet and it still does not look cluttered at all. I’m giving them a grade of B+ for packaging. The design is very appealing and just has a bubbly happy vibe to it. It looks very clean and professional look. Not sure who designed it but they did an awesome job.
Slogan: “Energy Evolved” seems to be their main slogan and it refers to the idea of canned energy drinks evolving into the effervescent form which they consider better. I think it is a pretty good idea and slogan. It is very unique and fits well with the packaging and the product. Grade B+
Taste: Ripping open the pack I get a scent of orange candy. Inside the Pack is a 21mm yellowish colored tablet. I put the tablet into a bottle filled with 8 or 9 ounces of water. This the first tablet like this I have tried that fits into a bottle of water with out having to break it up. The tablet fizzes and dissolves in 4 or 5 minutes. The colder the water the longer it takes. The table does dissolve completely with no particles remaining and I am left with yellowish gold colored water. Taking a sip it starts off with a nice orange Kool-Aid type flavor but at the finish there is a hint of Vanilla which is actually pretty good. It was not real sweet but you can adjust the flavor and sweetness by varying the amount of water you mix it with. There was a tiny bit of vitamin taste but really not worth more than a mention. I will give them a grade of B for taste. It is better than your average energy drink for sure.
Kick/Ingredients: I was expecting a controlled mid level buzz based on the ingredients listed. I was surprised though that the buzz was a notch or 2 above mid level and had me going pretty strong. I tried it several times and each time this drink really gave me a big blast of energy that lasted 4 to 5 hours easily with no crash. I’m drinking one right now and already my typing speed has increased as well as my mental focus. Thoughts are bouncing around inside my brain at a rapid pace. I am in a damn fine mood at the moment. The buzz(and focus) comes from Caffeine 81mg, Taurine 200 mg, Guarana extract, Ginseng 10 mg, Ginko Biloba 20 mg, Inositol, Glucuronolactone, CoQ10, large amounts of B1 B2 B5 and B6, 8330% Dv of B12, and some vitamin C thrown in for good measure. They call most of this their “Energy Focus blend”. You get 1 calorie, 1 gram of carbs, and 0 grams of sugar. It is sweetened with Ace K and Sucralose. I’m giving them a grade of B for kick/ingredients. These are surprisingly strong as well as vitamin packed.
Web Presence: Peppod.com is a really nice flash site. It is definitely professionally done and has plenty of information and a fun and inviting look. You will find ingredients, Faq, Comparison chart, a buy some section, a share it section, and probably one of the most comprehensive sites I have seen information wise. The site is intuitive in the way you navigate it and I’d like to give kudos to the designers for making such an appealing website. I hope they got paid well. There is more than coding going on in the design of this site. Grade A for web presence!
Recap:
Every once in a while I am surprised by a drink and this is one of those times. This drink looks to be aimed at a more mature 5 hour energy type crowd but I have to say that it performs above that. I think anyone who like energy drinks will like this one so don’t let the mature clean look fool you because this one has some kick. The thing about drink mixes and tabs like these is they are economical as well. Sure you can mix them with costly bottled water but if you are on a budget you can just use tap water making the cost 1.49 per drink (14.99 per box of 10)! 1 added benefit I need to mention is that on their website you can get a totally free sample. No shipping even. It is only one tablet but I think they know you will get hooked lol. Go and get you a free sample and make sure you put edjunkie.com in the “Hear about us” box when ordering.
