Function Drinks - The BevNET.com Review

		Function Drinks MD Drinks, Inc. Tel: 310-725-9050 Fax: 310-725-9094 [Edit Info] [Edit Logo] E-mail: Send Email Inquiry URL: http://www.functiondrinks.com [Edit] BevNET Traffic Rank: #76 / 1112

Created: 8/2/2006 / Last Update: 5/5/2008 1:28:51 PM

Manufacturer's Brand Overview: [Edit]
In 2004 during his surgical training, Dr. Alex Hughes discovered that with the right technical capabilities he could incorporate powerful all natural ingredients used everyday in hospitals into drinks with extraordinary functionality. Alex partnered with longtime friends, Dayton Miller and Josh Simon to create a drink line that represents the marriage of mainstream, clinical science and beverages. Today, each beverage in the Function line is a piece of intellectual property, and each formula has multiple patents applied or patents pending. The innovation and ambition of the company secures Function?s place at the vanguard of functional beverages. As consumers turn to products with proven relevant functionality, this category has outpaced all others in the beverage industry. Function Drinks is both defining the category and leading the way.

Urban Detox - Goji Berry
Category: Other; Packaging: 16.9 fl oz

BevNET Review:
Not only is Urban Detox Goji Berry a new flavor for Function, but it's also the first flavor to be introduced in their new bottle. It has a berry flavor to it, although we can't say it tastes like goji, but it certainly tastes good. There's a moderate level of sweetness to it, which helps mask the slightly "functional" finish that the drink has. The function of the drink is, as the name suggests, detox, which comes in the form of N-Acetyl Cysteine (an amino acid that has been shown to help aide decongestion) and prickly pear fruit extract (which has appeared in hangover drinks for aiding to reduce inflammatory response). On the outside, they've changed the bottle, which has a tighter curve to the top and a more cylindrical looking body. It's a necessary move given all of the competition that have gone into this bottle, plus Function has gained some space on the front panel for their marketing text. While it's not an earth shattering change, the packaging is a nice improvement, but it's really the flavor that we're most fond of with this entry.

0 User Reviews: Read | Post

Added: 5/7/2008 | Updated: 5/8/2008 11:33:58 AM


	Average User Rating (3 votes / 0 reviews) Rate this product! 1 2 3 4 5 Click to rate

Light Weight - Blueberry Raspberry
Category: Other; Packaging: 16.9 fl oz

BevNET Review:
Function's Light Weight Blueberry Raspberry is a low calorie drink designed to burn calories through the use of EGCG, gymnema, resveratrol. The flavor itself is quite pleasant, especially given the drink's use of sucralose, and there's are discernable notes of raspberry, blueberry, and green tea flavors to it. And as far as the "function" goes, this is one of the more believable and marketable of the Function Drinks lineup. The flavor profile and, more importantly, the "created by physicians" tag on the technical looking packaging definitely make this a credible entry as far as calorie burning drinks go. Overall, one of the better additions to the Function line.

0 User Reviews: Read | Post

Added: 5/7/2008 | Updated: 5/8/2008 11:33:57 AM


	Average User Rating (2 votes / 0 reviews) Rate this product! 1 2 3 4 5 Click to rate

House Call - Honey Green Tea
Category: Water: Enhanced; Packaging: 16.9 fl oz (500 ml) plastic

BevNET Review:
After our initial review, Function took House Call back to the drawing board as the flavor just wasn't right. The result is a markedly improved taste that has a nice balance of flavors. It starts with a lightly sweetened splash of green tea, which complements the functional ingredients nicely. The finish definitely tastes "functional", with a slightly medicinal note at the end of an otherwise pleasant flavor. Still, we think that the drink is within the normal limits of what consumers look for in terms of the balance of taste and function. Overall, a much improved product.

0 User Reviews: Read | Post

Added: 6/6/2007 | Updated: 8/23/2007 2:20:34 PM


	Average User Rating (64 votes / 0 reviews) Rate this product! 1 2 3 4 5 Click to rate

Light Weight - Dragonfruit
Category: Water: Enhanced; Packaging: 16.9 fl oz (500 ml) plastic

BevNET Review:
Dragonfruit fared second out of the three flavors of Light Weight. There's a drinkable berry flavor which has a low level of sweetness and a tart finish. For a zero calorie product, it drinks quite well, especially when you consider that this is a functional product. Our only issue with this product is that it's somewhat difficult to differentiate between the three varieties of Lightweight.

0 User Reviews: Read | Post

Added: 6/6/2007 | Updated: 6/26/2007 5:16:49 PM


	Average User Rating (59 votes / 0 reviews) Rate this product! 1 2 3 4 5 Click to rate

Light Weight - Pink Grapefruit
Category: Water: Enhanced; Packaging: 16.9 fl oz (500 ml) plastic

BevNET Review:
While we can't vouch for its ability to actually help you burn calories, we can tell you that the Pink Grapefruit flavor of Light Weight is actually quite enjoyable to drink. It tastes moderately of "functionality," but that is rounded out nicely by the sweet flavor of pink grapefruit. There's a mild amount of sweetener aftertaste, but as far as sucralose-sweetened drinks go, it's well done. And, for the record, we think that this flavor of Function has the best name. It's easy to understand and speaks directly to the intended purpose of the drink.

0 User Reviews: Read | Post

Added: 6/6/2007 | Updated: 6/26/2007 5:16:49 PM


	Average User Rating (57 votes / 0 reviews) Rate this product! 1 2 3 4 5 Click to rate

Vacation - Pacific Coconut
Category: Water: Enhanced; Packaging: 16.9 fl oz (500 ml) plastic

BevNET Review:
Vacation is the "Pacific Coconut" flavored variety of the Function line up. While this product doesn't have any actual coconut in it, it's still one of the best-tasting coconut drinks we've ever tried. Most likely, this is due to the addition of skim milk, which gives the product a consistency that's feels similar in style to real coconut milk. Overall, it's an extremely addictive and refreshing beverage. As for the "function" of this Function product, it's designed to "improve your mood and de-stress." While we can't vouch for the efficacy of the key functional ingredients (5-HTP and LTheanine/MG2+), the refreshing coconut flavor sure did improve our mood. Lastly, there's the name -- "Vacation." It's a risky move (what does "Vacation" actually mean to a beverage consumer?) which will either work or completely backfire.

1 User Reviews: Read | Post

Added: 6/6/2007 | Updated: 6/26/2007 5:16:49 PM


	Average User Rating (71 votes / 1 reviews) Rate this product! 1 2 3 4 5 Click to rate

Alternative Energy
Category: Energy: Regular; Packaging: 16.9 fl oz (500 ml) plastic

BevNET Review:
Function's "Alternative Energy" is one of the most unique-tasting energy products we've sampled in recent memory. Advertised as being a "Tangerine - Yuzu" (an Asian citrus fruit) flavored product, it has a mild but very tart citrus flavor that has noticeable vitamin and herbal flavor. The product, which, according to the manufacturer, was formulated by doctors, has an original approach to energy, which was designed to be smooth and prolonged. To accomplish this, the product uses a variety of herbs, including exotic items such as catuaba, muira pauma, and epimedium, as well as guarana and yerba mate for natural caffeine. Fortunately for Function, the product is refreshing and clean, especially for an energy drink. Between the name "Function" and the simple packaging, the product does a good job of creating an attractive, believable energy product. Definitely worth a try.

6 User Reviews: Read | Post

Added: 4/23/2007 | Updated: 4/26/2007 8:36:47 AM


	Average User Rating (100 votes / 6 reviews) Rate this product! 1 2 3 4 5 Click to rate

Shock Sports - Lemon-Lime Calamansi
Category: Sports Drinks: Sports Drink; Packaging: 16.9 fl oz (500 ml) plastic

BevNET Review:
Billed as being "lemon-lime calamansi" flavored, Function's Shock Sports variety was designed to help with muscle recovery and hydration. Between the name (what does it mean?) and the esoteric sounding fruit flavor (there's no calamansi in the drink anyway), this drink isn't something that consumers will just get by looking at it. We think that's especially true when factoring in the "physician developed" badge, which only furthers this product's likeliness to a dietary supplement. Finally, the product contains Devil's Claw (nee Harpagophytum procumbens), which has been cited as having a variety of potential side effects (including allergic reactions) -- perhaps there should be a mention of this on the label? Overall, we like the branding and like the flavor, but feel that the branding and formulation of the product is likely to limit its success.

4 User Reviews: Read | Post

Added: 4/23/2007 | Updated: 5/3/2007 9:01:52 AM


	Average User Rating (90 votes / 4 reviews) Rate this product! 1 2 3 4 5 Click to rate

Brainiac - Carambola Punch
Category: Water: Enhanced; Packaging: 16.9 fl oz (500 ml) PET

BevNET Review:
Braniac is the "punch" flavored variety of the Function lineup. It drinks very much like a sports drink in terms of its flavor profile, with a mild amount of "functional" flavor to it. As the name of this caffeine-free concoction implies, it features a cocktail of ingredients intended to help memory, mental clarity, and mood. While we're can't vouch for the efficacy of the product, we can say that the combination of pleasant flavor and attractive packaging is extremely enjoyable. However, we do think that some of the claims of the product, such as the bit about antioxidants being "delivered directly to the brain", should be described in a more passive way.

3 User Reviews: Read | Post

Added: 8/2/2006 | Updated: 4/26/2007 8:36:47 AM


	Average User Rating (85 votes / 3 reviews) Rate this product! 1 2 3 4 5 Click to rate

Youth Trip - Acai Grape
Category: Other; Packaging: 16.9 fl oz (500 ml) PET

BevNET Review:
Not much acai in this �Acai Grape� flavor designed to restore our youthful good looks, but plenty of grape � too much, in fact, to make this a particularly refreshing enhanced water beverage. Plus, it has a strange bitterness to the finish. The new label design is much better than the original, with a more polished look to the 16.9 oz. bottle. Not our favorite flavor of Function, and there�s not much room for yet another grape, high-calorie enhanced water on the market. Maybe the acai craze will extend to this product, but they'll need to tweak the flavor (and color) a bit for that to happen.

2 User Reviews: Read | Post

Added: 8/2/2006 | Updated: 4/26/2007 8:36:47 AM


	Average User Rating (81 votes / 2 reviews) Rate this product! 1 2 3 4 5 Click to rate

Urban Detox - Citrus Pricky Pear
Category: Other; Packaging: 16.9 fl oz (500 ml) PET

BevNET Review:
Function's Urban Detox formulation is a bright orange citrus-prickly pear flavor. Like the other varieties, it has an isotonic / sports drink flavor that does a great job of quenching your thirst. However, thirst quenching ability isn't the real purpose of this product. Instead, as the name suggests, it is designed to fight hangovers and to "rid your lungs and sinuses of airborne pollutants". "How does it do this?" you ask. Well, this physician developed product has added N-acetyl cysteine (an antioxidant) as well as prickly pear extract (an anti-inflammatory). As with most functional products, we can't vouch for its efficacy, but we can say that calling a product "urban detox" could backfire, especially since the word "detox" has a rather negative connotation. We'd suggest a bit more emphasis on the actual flavor and a bit less on the supposed function of the drink.

6 User Reviews: Read | Post

Updated: 4/26/2007 8:36:47 AM


	Average User Rating (101 votes / 6 reviews) Rate this product! 1 2 3 4 5 Click to rate

Not Reviewed by BevNET...

Light Weight - Acai Pom
Updated: 6/6/2007

Water
Updated: 1/17/2008