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Photo from Nuun.com.
Matt and I found out about Nuun Energy from our friend Natalie, whose thoughts are featured later in this very blog!
Taken straight from Nuun's website, Nuun is a company dedicated to keeping you as hydrated as humanly possible. Our drink tablets are fizzy, tasty and loaded with electrolytes that keep you healthy and hydrated!
Further down on their about page they describe how Nuun has expanded past just a wellness brand.
As the good word about hydration and wellness becomes more widespread, Nuun has become a “must-have” product for more and more people. Nuun has expanded its product offerings from its sports hydration roots to include more clean-ingredient lifestyle products for everyday hydration! Nuun HQ is based in Seattle, WA. You can find our products sold in over 5,000 outlets in the U.S. and available in over 30 countries.
Lucky for us at Caffeine Shark and our followers, that expansion also includes the foray into caffeinated hydration solutions!
After asking Matt what his flavor preference was, we ordered Berry Blast (for me) and Tropical Punch (for him). The checkout process was easy - and as an added bonus I got 10% off my order for signing up for their newsletter. After ordering, the package of two flavor containers was delivered in about a week.
Retail price as of 1/16/2022 is $8/container, which each contain 10 Nuun tablets. These tablets are designed to be dropped into 16oz of water, and take a couple of minutes to fully fizz and dissolve. Not perfect if you're in a rush, but fun to watch if you've got some minutes to spare.
I personally dropped my tabs into 20oz of water, diluting the flavor a bit, but more on that in my full review to follow.
Cam's Caffeine Corner
Nuun Energy is marketed as a midday boost, and that is exactly what it is. With 80mg of caffeine per serving, along with some B-vitamins and good old fashion electrolytes, it should provide a mild boost without any sort of noticeable crash.
As for ingredients, there is nothing unusual about Nuun Energy. B6 and B12 are vitamins found in many energy drinks because they have been shown to increase energy, and Panax Ginseng is an adaptogen actually found in Monster, Reign, and several other energy drinks. Besides the caffeine extracted from green tea, the only other ingredients are various forms of B5, Calcium, magnesium, potassium, and a hint of Himalayan Pink Salt, which is jampacked with electrolytes.
Overall, the supplement selection along with a modest balance of caffeine and vitamins appears to be a rather healthy energy blend that will give you a light boost. There are no alarming ingredients or any other stimulants, which combined with only two grams of sugar should allow you to avoid any sort of crash. Nuun Energy could surely be used as coffee substitute, but will not be as effective if taken in place of preworkout.
Natalie's Guest Review
The sport + caffeine is my favorite pre-run or during-run pick me up. It provides both energy and electrolytes to keep me going strong. When drinking it before running, it gives me the kick I need to get out the door and start my run strong.
During the run it keeps me hydrated and energized. It also works great to cure a hangover and to help with hydration when sick.
I highly recommend Nuun, especially for people looking to jumpstart their workouts.
Matt's Review - Tropical Punch
I drank the Nuun Sport flavor, Tropical Punch. It was an experience and flavor I can best describe as 'bizarre'. Primarily, I'll echo Jared's comments that this Nuun product is ideal for a hydration and/or exercise supplement, as opposed to a beverage drank solely for enjoyment. There's nothing wrong with a supplement, though I found that the taste was not good. There was no clear or discernible flavor. The drink tasted ambiguously bitter or tart, with no flavors that seemed 'tropical.' I experimented with different water volumes to see if that would have a positive effect on the taste, but had no luck.
There is a big difference between poor taste and gross, this product is not gross. It would be fine as an occasional supplement, though I'd much rather prefer other Nuun flavors.
Score - 4.2 / 10
Jared's Review - Berry Blast
Berry Blast was my flavor of choice with no hesitation, since blue raspberry is traditionally my go to with any energy drink. Here are my thoughts after finishing the pack of 10:
If you're the impatient type like me, the tablets take about 5 minutes to fully dissolve. I did try expediting the process by shaking it, to no avail.
The first time I tried it I threw the tablet into my 20oz water bottle, which made me think of a Le Croix. The next time I threw it in 16oz and it did taste a lot stronger.
Berry Blast isn't going to blow you away but it is a nicely done blue raspberry. Don't expect the aggressive flavor of a Bang or Reign - this is essentially a running or workout supplement that's designed to be more on the casual side.
I tried Nuun in a couple scenarios - as a coffee substitute in the morning, as an energy drink substitute in the afternoon, and then before and after runs.
I can confidently say that before and after runs were by far the best use cases. It felt great as a hydration substitute and definitely hit different after the run.
As a coffee or energy drink substitute, I could definitely feel it - but ultimately it's just not the same.
Overall, I do highly recommend Nuun Energy, but in the right scenario. Use it as a hydration substitute and you'll be a happy camper.