For the 4th Of July, ‘Merica Labz brought back its reputable and great-tasting energy drink, ‘Merica Energy, featuring the same main ingredients as the original with a few branding and flavor changes. The product features a similarly colored, red, white, and blue can design and is a relatively different experience when it comes to taste on the inside.
‘Merica Labz’ ‘Merica Energy returned in five flavors, only two of which were previously available in Patriot Punch, Freedom, County Fair, Victory, and the pineapple and mango concoction Daytona Beach. The brand was kind enough to send us a can of each, and we’ve cracked them open today to see how well they compare to that hugely popular original.
Review
Right from the first sip, it is noticeable ‘Merica Labz has changed the flavor and carbonation of ‘Merica Energy. The product feels more carbonated, having a bit of extra pop and fizz over its predecessor. That leads to the less candy-like but fuller and stronger flavor of the energy drink, although while it does hit you with more taste, it doesn’t linger as long.
The refreshed ‘Merica Energy packs a lot of its flavor in its initial sip, which quickly lightens as you swallow, whereas the previous version kept its taste around in your mouth for some time, and as mentioned, had a bit more sweetness to it. Once again, the trade-off seems to be a more intense hit of flavor as it enters your mouth, something we found fitting for most of the five options.
The Patriot Punch is a bit too intense for us, and County Fair is not far behind; the other three, however, are a great balance of sweet, strong, smooth, and carbonated. We actually found Victory and Freedom to be enjoyable and improvements on the flavors of the same name from the last ‘Merica Energy, and Daytona Beach to be our favorite from the five.
Daytona Beach ‘Merica Energy gives us what we loved most about the previous ‘Merica Energy, and that was an unforgettable, refreshing, fruity experience. The brand perfectly blends pineapple and mango, with mango shining over the usually more noticeable pineapple, and resulting in a drink that’s as good as the original apple, grape, and orange options.
Summary
Overall, ‘Merica Labz did a good job with its refreshed ‘Merica Energy, although it is clearly a different experience. Fans of the previous version will want to take note that it’s a change and may come as a surprise if you remember the original as well as we do.
Based on its first flavors, we’d say this is an improvement or at the very least equal to the last ‘Merica Energy; it depends on how much you like the stronger taste and bubblier carbonation; we could see people going either way. That marginally more intense flavor is an upside for some of the options, although we do miss that sweeter and lingering taste from the predecessor.
At the end of the day, energy drinkers won’t be disappointed, as regardless of what you think about the balance in flavor, it tops a lot of the others we’ve seen come to market over the past couple of years. Judging their entire menus, we do like the first ‘Merica Energy more, and if you’re like us, we’d suggest picking up Victory, Freedom, or Daytona Beach.
