We Tried the New Sugar-Free, Just-Add-Water Energy Drink Packets from Liquid I.V.

I don’t know where Liquid I.V. came from, but I’m so glad it’s here. When I did the theme park gauntlet in Orlando earlier this year, I had a bulk supply of the brand’s Popsicle Firecracker Hydration Multiplier on me 24/7. (Sometimes I’d even have two in one day, which is expressly forbidden by the laws of sensible daily sodium intake.) 

Last month, Liquid I.V. announced a super obvious extension to two of their existing product lines. You could buy sugar-free Liquid I.V. packets and you could buy Liquid I.V. packets with caffeine, but you could not buy sugar-free Liquid I.V. packets with caffeine…until now.

The nice folks at Liquid I.V. were kind enough to send over a few boxes of their new just-add-water sugar-free energy drinks, let’s find out whether this is good enough to threaten your daily canned fix.

New Liquid I.V.

Liquid I.V. Strawberry Kiwi Sugar-free Energy Multiplier

Liquid I.V.

Pros: I absolutely love this flavor. There’s absolutely none of that alternative sweetener aftertaste I get from so many other drinks. And I can actually taste both strawberry and kiwi in this drink! After you’ve had a few dozen “strawberry kiwi” flavored things, it becomes apparent which ones do and don’t put effort into balancing the two. Plus, 100mg of caffeine per serving is a healthy medium between the baby classic energy drinks like Red Bull and the modern wave of 200mg beasts like Alani Nu.

Cons:I loved this flavor, but my fellow taste tester was immediately hit with a wave of salt before she got any flavor. That salty flavor is par for the course for Liquid I.V., but it doesn’t bother me, which is a good reminder that I probably need to drink more water. Between barely noticing the salt in Liquid I.V. and preferring Gatorlyte to standard Gatorade, I’m definitely dehydrated.

Credit: Liv Averett / Liquid I.V.

Rating:

8/10

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New Liquid I.V.

Liquid I.V. Blackberry Lemonade Sugar-free Energy Multiplier

Liquid I.V.

Pros: This flavor also maintains that “no aftertaste” quality I liked in the Strawberry Kiwi. My co-taste tester on this review vastly preferred this flavor to the Strawberry Kiwi because “the lemon hides the salt better.”

Cons: For that same reason, I like this one less. That said, blackberry lemonade isn’t a flavor profile I’m drawn to in any context. Basically, follow your heart when deciding which of these initial two new Liquid I.V. flavors to pick up.

Credit: Liv Averett / Liquid I.V.

Rating:

5.5/10

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