Verve

Product Type:Functional: Energy Drink: Regular; Container: 8.3 fl oz
BevNET Review: The regular variety of Vemma’s Verve energy drink is a surprisingly nice tasting product. It’s main flavors come from the mangosteen juice, green tea, and vitamins, which result in a taste that’s tropical and sweet, but functional tasting to the finish. There’s a moderate amount of carbonation to the mix, which certainly helps give the drink some pop. From a functionality point of view, this product definitely isn’t your average energy drink. It’s made with a bevy of functional ingredients, including natural caffeine from guarana, taurine, D-Ribose, vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients (many of which are plant sourced). Plus, there’s the superfruit mangosteen, which adds antioxidants to the mix. The product has some kick as well as a definite “good for you” feeling in your mouth, which certainly makes this a memorable drink. On the outside, there’s a lot going on with this product’s packaging. Like the inside of the can, the outside has a feeling that’s definitely not “me-too," with orange and grey colored patterns in the background. This makes the text somewhat hard to read, although fortunately, there’s not too much of it (aside from the disclaimer at the bottom). It’s not the most attractive design out there, but again, it’s a design that won’t be confused for anything other than a Vemma product. Overall, solid execution makes this a very enjoyable entry.

Product Type:Functional: Energy Drink: Diet; Container: 8.3 fl oz
BevNET Review: Removing the sugar and adding sucralose in its place hasn’t really impacted this product, although it’s now down to a paltry 4 calories per serving. They’ve also switched up the mineral blend a bit, adding several new ingredients to their plant sourced mineral mix. Otherwise, the product more or less tastes and seems to function the same (at least as far as energy kick is concerned). Packaging has been given two mentions of its sugar free formulation, including an orange ring around the neck. It’s not super obvious which variety is sugar free if you are standing far away, but that could be easily remedied by placing some sort of sugar free badge on the center of the front panel. Regardless, we like the flavor and formulation of this product and certainly appreciate that they’ve tried to create a sugar free variety that’s as good as the original. Overall, a very enjoyable product.

Product Type:Functional: Energy Shot; Container: 3 fl oz
BevNET Review: From a flavor point of view, the Verve energy shot tastes very much like a non-carbonated, concentrated version of the energy drink. It has a more pronounced mangosteen flavor, which is still quite palatable, although it’s certainly something that has to be consumed a bit more slowly. There’s also a more pungent finish to the product, which appears to be the mix of mangosteen, green tea, and vitamins. Packaging is a narrow 3 oz. bottle, which is arguably easier to read and thus more attractive than the 8 oz. can used for the energy drink format. However, in our tests, the “easy seal” on the top of the shot was not so easy to open. Otherwise, the slim format is clean and easy on the eyes. While most competing products are using smaller, more squat bottles, Verve’s tall 3 oz. bottle is innovative and unique. Plus, it creates the perception that there’s a lot more in this bottle, despite the fact that it has at most 1 oz. more than the competition. Lastly, the backdrop and text are easier on the eyes compared to their aluminum counterparts, which is purely because this label medium is less reflective. Overall, this is a technically strong product that we’d definitely reach for again.

Product Type:Functional: Energy Shot; Container: 3 fl oz
BevNET Review: Of any of the Verve products that we sampled, this one definitely had the most aftertaste. It’s made with a sucralose sweetened formula, just like the Verve Sugar Free Energy Drink. However, having less water and no carbonation seem to be the difference makers, leaving the product with a rather harsh flavor and aftertaste. Still, it’s better than a lot of other energy shots out there – they’ve just set the bar high with their sugar sweetened variety. Functionally, it’s on par with its sugar sweetened counterpart, having a hefty supply of vitamins, minerals, and other functional ingredients. Plus, it has a nice energy kick to it, which is ultimately what consumers are looking for from a product like this. Overall, it’s a good effort, but if you can tolerate the sugar, go for the sugar sweetened variety instead.