ENERJI Green Tea Energy Shot

Product Type:Functional: Energy Shot; Container: 2.5oz plastic
BevNET Review: Celestial Seasonings is not a brand that is synonymous with energy shots, but it is a brand that’s definitely synonymous with tea. So, they’ve taken advantage of that to create “Enerji,” a line of green tea based energy shots. The 100 mg of caffeine in this shot is derived exclusively from green tea extract, while added B vitamins give it an additional functional benefit that should be familiar to anyone who has had an energy drink or shot. From a flavor perspective, all three of these flavors taste quite similar, so we’re just going to focus on the Citrus variety. The base of the drink definitely tastes like it came from tea, albeit in a heavily concentrated form (this stuff is potent). If you’re looking for straight up green tea flavor, you won’t find it here, but it’s definitely palatable and can hold its own against any energy shot that we’ve sampled to date. The product is sweetened with sugar and stevia, which delivers modest sweetness and keeps the shot at 30 calories and 7 grams of sugar. From there, the added citrus flavor is pretty muted, which is fine, but questions the need for three flavors. Visually, we have mixed feelings about this product. Really, it comes down to the rather classic and reserved brand that is Celestial Seasonings being mixed with something that’s trying to be modern and edgy in the “Enerji” brand. As it stands right now, what they’ve created is clean and simple, but the Celestial Seasonings logo feels like it was slapped on. Overall, we like the concept and give them credit for extending into this space, but we’d like to see the label refined a bit more and the flavors evolved such that there’s some more meaningful distinction for the trio. Reviewed on: 11/19/2012

Product Type:Functional: Energy Shot; Container: 2.5oz plastic
BevNET Review: The Pomegranate Xtreme variety of Celestial Seasonings “Enerji” energy shot features 50 percent more caffeine (150mg total) than the other two varieties. From a flavor perspective, you can definitely taste it, with a more pronounced caffeine bitterness to this particular variety. Otherwise, it doesn’t taste all that different than the Berry variety, which is to say that it doesn’t taste specifically like pomegranate. The sweetness for the drink comes from evaporated cane juice and stevia, which gives the shot 30 calories and 7 grams of sugar per bottle. Visually, the product is mostly on par with the other two flavors, which is the result of the design of the bottles being pretty much identical. The only exception is the wrap around the cap, which, by the way, we had great difficulty removing (a generally simple technical fix). Otherwise, we’re not overly fond of the use of the word “Xtreme,” which is a passe term that exacerbates our concerns regarding edge being mixed with the conservative tone of Celestial Seasonings. Overall, it offers more caffeine, which is definitely a marketable benefit, but we’re still not sold on the visual treatment and branding of this product. Reviewed on: 11/19/2012