I recently received this "The Frozen Bean Sunkist Collagen + Hydration Yuzu Lemon Electrolyte Drink Mix (Pack of 20), Energy Drink with Electrolytes, Vitamin C, Zinc & VERISOL® Collagen Peptides" and I'm pretty impressed with it. I've never been good about maintaining my hydration. To address this I began adding electrolyte drink mixes to some of my daily water intake, in hopes I could offset my own negligence with science and convenience. Most mixes are... ok I suppose. I mean, I've tried about a dozen different brands over the past few years and while I have my preferences, I will probably always continue looking for a step up from what I consider to be my favorite at the time. When I came across this hydration mix from Sunkist that also contains collagen, I decided to give it a shot.
First impression was "Ohhhhh, ok. So THAT'S what collagen tastes like." I must clarify that this reaction was purely in response to me being able to recognize the flavor of collagen based on having had only one collagen drink mix previously. That particular mix was in a flavor I don't typically drink, so I wasn't sure what was what when I drank it, if that makes sense. Upon tasting this new product by Sunkist, I immediately recognized a similar flavor and realized it must be the collagen I tasted in the previous mix. That's not to say the collagen flavor is bad, mind you, just that it was recognizable. I took a few sips of the Sunkist mix and said to myself, "I guess this is ok," and set the glass down. Some time later, maybe 10-15 minutes, I reached for the glass (purely out of thirst, mind you) and took a sip. Instantly my taste buds reacted. The sides of my tongue got all tingly toward the back of my mouth, as if my tongue was trying to pucker. The lemon flavor in this mix is really fantastic! It tastes to me exactly like freshly squeezed lemon. I wouldn't know a "Yuzu" lemon from a "not Yuzu" lemon though, so I can't confirm the accuracy of the flavor. I loved it though, so even if this is NOT the flavor of Yuzu lemons, I'm here for whatever this flavor is!
How much of my initial impression was the result of me mentally priming myself (poorly) to taste the collagen? Did I notice it because I was looking for the flavor to be noticeable? Maybe. Did I NOT notice it later (when I was so impressed by the lemon flavor) because it was less pronounced after 10-15 minutes? Or had the collagen just physically sunk to the bottom of the glass and I didn't notice? Hard to say. If I try, I can taste the collagen with every sip. If I don't "look" for it, I hardly notice it. Probably just mental trickery I'm doing to myself.
In all, I really like the flavor and I'm all for adding collagen to my daily supplement list. Given the price of hydration powders on the market right now, I do not feel this pack of 20 packets (currently priced at $26.59 as I type this review) is ridiculously overpriced and I am happy recommending it to others.
