VISO Sugar-Free
“Viso” is a line of energy drinks made by the Viso Beverage Company in Portland, Oregon. Each 20 oz bottle contains 100% of the RDA of vitamins, as well as varying amounts of several important minerals. There are 6 types in all, divided between “organically sweet” (sweetened with organic cane juice) and sugar-free (sweetened with sucralose). There are two “regular” flavors in each type, as well as one caffeinated “energy” version.
Manufacturer’s Description: VISO beverages come in a variety of flavors and functionalities. All our beverages contain only natural flavors, vitamins, minerals and electrolytes. We don’t use any colorants or preservatives. We sweeten our Organically Sweet flavors with Certified Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, and our Sugar Free flavors are sweetened with Splenda (sucralose). Our caffeinated flavors use the best, all natural caffeine available.
Product Label:
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Serving Size 1 bottle (591 ml) Calories 0 Total Fat 0g Sodium 0mg Total Carbohydrates 0g Sugars 0g Vitamin A 5000 IU Vitamin D 400 IU |
Vitamin E 30 IU Vitamin B1 1.5 mg Vitamin B2 1.7 mg Vitamin B3 20 mg Vitamin B6 2.0 mg Vitamin B12 6.0 mcg Vitamin C 60 mg Biotin 0.30 mg |
Folic Acid 40 mcg Pantothenic Acid 10 mg Manganese 2.0 mg Zinc 15 mg Calcium 250 mg Magnesium 40 mg Potassium 175 mg Caffeine 300 mg |
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Other Ingredients: Filtered Water, Natural Cranberry and Grapefruit Essences, Citric Acid, Natural Caffeine, Calcium, Potassium, Vitamin C, Magnesium, Vitamin E, Vitamin B3, Zinc, Sucralose (Splenda), Pantothenic Acid, Manganese, Vitamin B6, Vitamin A, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B1, Vitamin D, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12. |
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Comments: Since I live in the Pacific Northwest, VISO was readily available at my local Fred Meyer. It comes packaged in large, 20 oz cobalt-blue bottles…the blue tint is designed to protect the nutrients from photooxidation – which is a nice touch. I picked up a bottle of “Razza”, which is a raspberry-strawberry-flavored drink, and “Will” which is a cranberry-grapefruit energy drink.
I liked the fact that the drinks weren’t cloyingly sweet. “Razza” had a mild berry flavor with just slight “vitamin-y” aftertaste. “Will” on the other hand, tasted downright odd: tangy, with a vague bitterness characteristic of grapefruit…yet there was nothing else about it that really suggested either “cranberry” or “grapefruit” to me. It wasn’t bad, but it just didn’t “work” for me. The 300 mg of caffeine in the bottle did, however. 300 milligrams is a pretty stiff dose (the equivalent of 1 1/2 Vivarin), so I made sure it accompanied a workout, where that much caffeine would do some good. Caffeine-sensitive people would do well to pay attention to the fine print, as there’s nothing on the front of the bottle to indicate it packs this much of a whallop.
Personally, I like the idea of drinks like VISO: the sugar-free versions are much better than drinks like Vitamin Water, which is mostly sugar-water with a few added nutrients, vs. a more complete array. VISO seems to be a well-made product too. If they ever get the flavoring nailed, VISO could truly be a winner.
[usrlist “Taste:2.5” “Quality:4.5” “Efficacy:4.5” “Value:3.0″ avg=”true”]
