ON Beverages: Powered ON Raspberry Limeade

Speaking strictly in terms of flavor, Powered ON’s Raspberry Limeade is our favorite flavor of the lineup. Like the other flavors, this product utilizes a three sweetener blend of sugar, erythritol and stevia, which keeps the calories to a modest 15 per 8 oz. (30 calories per bottle). The raspberry limeade flavor is both flavorful and does a nice job of masking the zero-calorie sweeteners. It has a good tart and tang to it, with the sweetness doing a solid job of helping the raspberry flavor taste pretty accurate. The limeade flavor gives it a summer-y twist, while also helping the product maintain its light mouthfeel. Functionally, the product has 50mg of natural caffeine (from tea leaves) per 8 oz., vitamins B6 and B12 and ornithine. Aside from being an energy drink, the product makes claims about increasing stamina, boosting endurance, and enhancing focus. While we appreciate what the company is trying to do to stand out, the most credible and immediate benefit of the drink is the caffeine content. The other things feel somewhat like a distraction at the moment. On the branding front, the name and design treatment of the product feels like something that’s targeting gamers. That said, it feels pretty technical/serious in its styling, which may or may not be what the company is attempting to achieve. We’re also not convinced that the grey background, which hides the color of the liquid, was the best choice. In any event, it’s clean- and polished-looking from an aesthetics perspective, which is definitely a good thing. Lastly, there’s the messaging, which we feel should be simplified and have a greater emphasis on the calorie content. Overall, this variety seems like the best of the line -- although it’s pretty close with the Peach Mango flavor -- and with a bit of refinement, we feel as though it has nice potential.