5150 Semi-Sweetened Caffeine Energy Mix Review

The good people over 5150 sent me their new product - this giant looking canister of what only be described as liquid caffeine. The container is not giant at 120 mL, but it just feels like one when you are holding it. Another thing that should be noted, if you still haven't looked at the photo in detail, is the amount of caffeine present in the container -1,800 mg. Yeah, you read it right - 1,800 mg! A mixer like this needs a lot of time spent on it, which is why I have been writing this review for a few days now, trying it in different drinks.

Juice

One of the juices we usually have in the fridge is blueberry and pomegranate. A juice with a very strong taste which should be more than capable of concealing several capfuls of the good stuff.

At first, I started with only one poured into about 200 mL of juice. Each capful contains 75 mg, or almost as much caffeine as a regular Red Bull. There was absolutely no change in the taste so I added a second one, which didn't change anything at all. Yes, this juice is really good for caffeine mixers. I decided to stop at two because I didn't need that much caffeine for the day.

Gatorade

I bought two large bottles of Gatorade specially for 5150 - one blue and one green. Because both are semi-clear and 5150 is yellow in color, you can see how each capful mixes with the Gatorade. After a few a stirs the caffeine blends in well and you cannot tell that anything was added to the drinks. The first capful was not noticeable at all, but the second one made the blue Gatorade a bit sweeter and just a touch bitter in the finish.

Because of the lime nature of the green Gatorade, its acidity managed to mask both capfuls very well. There was no bitterness in the finish nor any additional sweetness. I was thinking of doing a third capful, but I really didn't need more caffeine at this point.

Coke

I got lucky and found a can of Coke in the fridge left over from our latest camping trip. I poured myself a nice glass of it and dumped in a capful. There was a slight change in the sweetness of the Coke, but no bitterness in the finish. The next logical thing one could do was pour another capful of course, and I did. The sweetness remained the same and there was no bitterness in the finish. Wow, I think Coke is the choice of carrier if you want to get some caffeine in you, but don't want the bitterness of the energy ingredients. Because I didn't need more caffeine, I did not pour another capful for a lucky number 3.

Energy

The buzz that I got from the juice was pretty good and came in fast thanks to its sugar content and vitamins, which usually have a positive effect on me. The kick that I got from the 150 mg of added caffeine was very solid and I only experienced jitters for a brief period of time. All in all, I got almost 3 hours out of it.

The Gatorade mixtures worked a bit slower than the juice, partly due to the lower sugar content and lack of vitamins, but they still worked. It took 15 to 20 minutes for me to start experiencing the effects but once I felt the first jolt, the rest of the energy boost came in fast. Both mixtures lasted for a few hours, but I think that the juice's additional sugar and vitamins made it a touch better.

The Coke worked fast, probably from all the sugar it has. Ten minutes, that's all it took and by the time the sugar started to wear off, the caffeine was fully absorbed. Just like the juice, this boost lasted for good 3 hours.

Bottom line is - 5150 works very, very well.

Ingredients: purified water, sorbitol, glycerin, artificial sweeteners, gum arabic, artificial flavour, xanthan gum, citric acid, sodium benzoate

Scores:
Cost - $17.95 for 3
Taste - depends on what you add it to and how much of it
Energy - from 6/10 to well above 10/10

Overall - excellent! It really depends on what you add the mix to and how much of it because on its own, this is very, very bitter