Tested: FRS Healthy Energy Drink (In Cans)

You can’t have an energy drink without having a cool looking can, so I was pleased to see that FRS Healthy Energy comes in these fancy cans.

The cans are neat and FRS offers a wider variety of flavors in cans, but as you would expect, the cans command a much higher price than the FRS powder or liquid concentrate. That’s the price of convenience. But there is nothing like opening a fresh can and enjoying a smooth, consistent texture, no stirring required.

What sets these drinks apart is that FRS is non-carbonated – the can actually says “shake well.” It was kind of scary to shake a can and then open it, but the geyser of foaming soda was nowhere to be seen! (There was a bit of fizz since the contents are under pressure, but that happens with any can.)

Enough about how the cans look, let’s get down to business with the health benefits…

Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits

Before we get into the nitty gritty details, let’s review what it is that makes FRS so great from a “healthy energy drink” standpoint. FRS contains potent antioxidants, namely quercetin and catechins, which fight off free radicals and other toxins that sap energy from your body. This way your body can use its energy to the fullest.

So for the most part, FRS is an energy drink filled with healthy ingredients. This is not Red Bull, Monster, Full Throttle, or any of those other crazy drinks filled with insane levels of guarana, creatine, taurine, caffeine, high fructose corn syrup, etc.

FRS comes in 11.5 ounce cans, in “all natural” and “low calorie” versions. The natural version has 130 calories per can, while the low calorie version contains a mere 25 calories and 2g carbs, thanks to the use of sucralose.

All Natural Lemon Lime ingredients: Water, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, White grape Juice Concentrate, Inulin, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Natural Lime Flavor, Quercetin, Citric Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Gum Arabic, Locust Bean Gum, Green Tea Extract, Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate(Vit E), Caffeine, Niacinamide(B3), Natrual Lemon Flavor, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride(B6), Thiamin Hydrochloride(B1), Riboflavin(B2), Cyanocobalamin(B12).

Low Calorie Wild Berry ingredients: Water, White Grape Juice Concentrate, Inulin, Boysenberry Concentrate, Blueberry Concentrate, Red Grape Concentrate, Quercetin, Natural Berry Flavor, Citric Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Gum Arabic, Locust Bean Gum, Green Tea Extract, Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate (Vit E), Natural Blueberry Flavor, Sucralose, Caffeine, Niacinamide(B3), Natural Lemon Flavor, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride(B6), Thiamin Hydrochloride (B1), Riboflavin(B2), Cyanocobalamin(B12), Red #40.

Despite caloric and sugar content differences, both varieties of FRS energy drinks contain powerful antioxidants, namely quercetin and catechins, which fight off free radicals, boost your immune system, boost metabolism, and of course, boost your energy levels. On top of that, the ingredients provide 280% DV of Vitamin C, 270% DV of Vitamin E, 130% DV of Thiamin, 130% DV of Riboflavin, 100% DV of Niacin, and 130% DV of both Vitamins B6 and B12.

The cans actually contain the highest levels of nutrients of all the FRS products, specifically the “all natural” orange and lemon lime flavors. The all natural lemon lime contains 325mg Quercetin and 110mg Catechins (compared to just 250mg Quercetin and 100mg Catechins in the FRS liquid concentrate.)

Whether you go with all natural or low calorie can, you still get the same amount of antioxidants as 3 servings of blueberries, 8 servings of red onions, or a whopping 10 servings of raspberries.

The FRS Flavors Taste Test

Overall, the FRS in cans tastes good. It has a strong flavor and it goes down smooth – it’s more like a juice than a typical energy drink. The only thing keeping it separate from juice is the slight fizz it has from being in a can. It’s not carbonated, you can still tell it came from a can.

The consistency is smooth like that of the FRS liquid concentrate, and the taste and texture are very, very similar to the Del Monte Bloom Energy I reviewed earlier.

Low cal Wild Berry: While this contains boysenberry juice, blueberry juice, and red grape juice, I think it tastes most like raspberry juice. It has a fairly realistic raspberry flavor; it’s creamy like a raspberry sorbet. (This also tastes the most like Del Monte Bloom Energy of any of the FRS flavors.)

Low cal Peach Mango: The peach mango is a pretty good flavor, and it is nice and creamy like orange juice. However, I love mango drinks so I’m very picky, and this is nowhere near the best mango flavor out there. It’s not the worst by any means, but you can tell that is uses artificial flavors and sweeteners.

If you are buying 100% on taste, go with Honest Ade mango instead. But if you are looking to FRS as an energy drink, this stuff works wonders and still tastes better than most energy drinks.

Low cal Orange: This low calorie orange was interesting, as it does taste somewhat like orange juice, but the fizzy texture out of the can made it seem like I was drinking a very weird orange juice. That’s not the worst though – you can really taste the artificial crap in this one.

This was the worst of the low cal flavors – it smells weird, tastes bad, and the aftertaste is terrible! You just can’t get rid of that artificial sweetener after taste! Avoid low cal orange at all costs!

Orange: The orange flavor is a lot like the low cal orange, although it is a tad better (and less bitter.) The big difference is that the natural orange goes down smooth and leaves no after taste. While it’s not going to win any flavor awards, it grows on you after a few sips and it’s really not bad.

Lemon-Lime: This was a great flavor, easily my favorite. As with the FRS powder, the lemon-lime taste isn’t the most natural out there, but I enjoyed it in a different, more “typical energy drink flavor” kind of way.

The texture is perfect though – nice and smooth. Also, there is no aftertaste! It goes down smooth, unlike the lo-cal versions! (That’s the biggest thing – how it lacks the artificial taste and totally lacks the aftertaste of artificial sweeteners.)

Overall it’s clear the natural flavors taste good and the low calorie versions have an artificial taste.

Energy in a Can?

As expected, the FRS in cans gave me a similar energy boost to all the other FRS products.

FRS provides all day energy. It doesn’t give you superhuman strength, (wouldn’t that be great?) but it gives you plenty of energy to get through your work day and your workout, and still have some energy left over to spend time with your kids.

The cans were comparable to the liquid concentrate as far as taste, texture, and energy levels. It’s something I could drink in the morning to start my day, or perhaps after a hard workout to give me a big boost.

It’s too much like juice to drink during a ride or run, though. The thought of drinking juice during a workout makes me sick. I think it would be like drinking milk during a workout.

So my on-bike needs will be filled by the FRS energy chews, but the cans taste great and provide energy, so there’s a place for them, too.

My final verdict is…

The cans (at least some flavors) taste the best out of the FRS product line. The texture is better than the powder and even the concentrate, it’s always mixed perfectly, and the taste is great. (As it should be for $2.50 per can!)

I kind of like the powder for the biggest energy boost for some reason. I think it’s part psychological, as in I expect energy drinks that work to taste a little odd – kind of like cough syrup, where the worse the taste, the better it works. Whatever it is, the thinner, water-based texture of the powder is nice for during your workouts.

But the cans are the way to go if you want a smooth texture and nice flavor that you can drink for pleasure. Especially when the preparation consists of nothing more than popping the tab! Just make sure you get the right flavor…

Official website: www.FRS.com