Lucozade Revive review

I'm always very dubious of energy drinks. As I don't drink tea or coffee, I always think my body won't know what to do with all that caffeine, especially as, in the past, I had problems with high blood pressure. I also find that they usually don't taste very nice.

Nevertheless, when Lucozade offered to send through a bottle of Revive, I was keen to see what I would think. Lucozade is a brand I trust and who seem to have a good knowedge of what your body needs. Whenever I was poorly as a child, my mum would head off to the shops and come back with a bottle of Lucozade glucose drink (with the knobbly orange bottle !). When they started adding new products to the range, they introduced isotonic drinks targetting sporty types so, again, they seem to be healthy and good for you. I wasn't sure how an energy drink would fit in with their current branding.

However, Lucozade Revive isn't like other energy drinks. First of all, it comes in a big 380ml screw-top bottle rather than the “shot” bottles encouraging you to down it in one go, so you can sip at it and let it do its thing gently and progressively. It contains 50 calories, which may sound a lot if you're used to drinking diet sodas, but it has 75% less sugars than regular energy drinks (which is a bit scary when you see that it contains 10.6g of sugars all the same).

Flavourwise, I was pleasantly surprised. The label describes it as a “lemongrass and ginger flavoured lightly sparkling vitamin drink with sugars and sweeteners”. The flavour is citrussy with a delicate ginger beer flavour that comes through afterwards. It's really refreshing, especially if you drink it straight from the fridge or served over ice.

Nutrients-wise, the bottle explains : “When it comes to vitamins, the Bs are hard to beat. B3 fights tiredness, B5, B6 and B12 help with everyday energy release. They're what you'll find in every 50 calorie bottle of Lucozade Revive. Refreshment with a little more zing.” As well as the fatigue-busting vitamins, it contains caffeine that is naturally sourced from coffee beans – it doesn't say how much caffeine but it is a long way down the list of ingredients, if that is anything to go by.

I drank a bottle mid-afternoon when I was feeling tired and sleepy with my eyelids getting heavier and heavier. If I hadn't had the kids to look after, I'd have happily curled up and had a nap. I didn't feel any immediate energy boost or go flying round the room on a caffeine-high, but, about 20 minutes later, I suddenly realised that I wasn't feeling sleepy any more. I wasn't feeling amazingly energetic or hyper, I was just back to feeling normal instead of sluggish which is perfect.

If you're driving long distances or in the middle of exams, this will give you a more subtle energy boost than caffeine pills or intense energy drinks. It's such a pleasant taste and not too heavy on calories that I will definitely be using it as a mid afternoon pick-me-up when I need one. It's the ideal energy drink for people who don't like energy drinks !

Star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £2.99 for a case of 4

for more information : http://www.lucozade.com/yes/revive/

Disclosure : I received a bottle of Revive in order to  share my experience on Twitter using the hashtag #witnessmyrevival

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