A lot of people who have never had red bull have wondered at least once what does red bull taste like. This question lingers in the minds of many and as surprisingly it may seem, not everyone has tried this drink even once in their life! Assuming you are one of those who fall into the category, this article is exactly what you need to give you an idea of what the drink tastes like.
A classic Red Bull starts with a tight carbonated kick just like any other drink. It’s then followed by a sweet sensation accompanied by a touch of sourness. Lastly, you’ll always feel an espresso-like aftertaste due to its high caffeine content.
That covers the most basic aspects of this wing-giving energy drink. However, don’t let my personal opinion be the judge of how it tastes. You should always try it for yourself to get a better idea. Nevertheless, if you are still persistent to learn more, then you’re in the right place.
Going Deeper into The Taste Of Red Bull
The original Red Bull tastes exactly like an espresso shot diluted with water and sugar with bits of sour candies dissolved and mixed. It may not sound like a pleasant taste when described but it packs a unique feel once you give it a sip.
In the words of many, Red Bull has to be the best-tasting energy drink out there. It is almost as good as any other sodas you could have grabbed out of the counter! Although a few sips of Red Bull will hype you up, it still doesn’t have the ugly taste many expect from energy drinks. Thanks to some extra additions in its ingredients, red bulls have a sky-high taste approval rating.
Since its inception in 1987, Red Bull’s original blue and grey can have been labeled as an energy drink that has had the reputation of being the most sold energy drink. Many athletes, players, and celebrities have grown to become fond of Red Bull’s taste.
Let’s provide some more insight on the taste of Red Bull. Red Bull isn’t the kind of drink that you can probably continue drinking cans after cans in succession. Well, maybe you can but we will not recommend it surely. Due to its high caffeine and sugar contents, drinking too much of it can make you jitter and perhaps make you feel ill from consuming more.
Hence, although Red Bull’s taste is considered by most to be an acquired taste, it’s not easy to get a hang of it initially. Let’s talk about another important factor that adds up to the overall cuisine experience of a classic Red Bull can.
Let’s talk about its smell. Classic Red Bull cans tend to have a pint of citrusy smell with a touch of fruity sweetness and flowery sensation on your nostrils. It almost smells a lot better than your usual variants of energy drinks. We recommend you give one of these bad boys a try one day.
Now let’s come to a bigger topic. Ever since its launch, Red Bull has conjured up tons of different kinds of flavors over the years. All these flavors pack their unique punch in terms of both taste and smell. Let’s name all the available Red Bull flavors we could find so far with brief descriptions of their tastes! Here they are!
- Red Bull Cola: Generic Cola flavor and a lot lighter than regular cola-flavored sodas.
- Red Edition (Cranberry): An underpowered sweet sensation accompanied by a cherry-like taste, cranberry to be more precise.
- Blue Edition (Blueberry): Blueberry flavored soda-like feel that delivers a sensational cough-syrup tang.
- Yellow Edition (Pineapple): Pineapple flavor with an oaky aftertaste.
- Grapefruit Twist Summer Edition: Taste like a grapefruit with a punchy twist.
- Orange Edition: Tangerine flavored, extremely sweet and citrusy.
- Green Edition (Kiwi-Apple): A mix of both Kiwi and Apple, even though the taste of apple feels a lot stronger.
- Red Bull Summer Edition (Coconut Berry): A blending of blue raspberry and coconut.
- Red Bull Zero: Bland flavor with a carbonated opening taste.
- Sugar-free Red Bull: Similar to classic Red Bull’s taste but less sweet and sourer.
- Red Bull Winter Edition (Arctic Berry): A winter edition drink that has a light and refreshing raspberry flavor.
- Red Bull Summer Edition (Watermelon): An entry of the 2020 summer edition with a balanced watermelon flavor. Eliminates the energy drink vibe and feels more like a natural juice.
Note: These are all the flavors we could get our hands on over the years based on availability and scheduled launches. There are still quite a few flavors out there that we couldn’t get our hands on due to the limited sale timeline.
What are the Ingredients for Red Bull?
Just like most other energy drinks, it contains a whole lot of caffeine and the following unique ingredients. These include Glucose, Sucrose, Citric acid, Carbonated Water, Taurine, Vitamin B12, Sodium Bicarbonate, Magnesium Carbonate, natural and artificial flavors, and many more compounds.
Here is a full-on list of all the ingredients of the classic Red Bull.
- Caffeine
- Glucose
- Sucrose
- Citric Acid
- Carbonated Water
- Taurine
- Natural and artificial flavors
- Vitamin B12
- Niacinamide
- Pyridoxine HCL
- Calcium Pantothenate
Sodium Bicarbonate - Magnesium Carbonate
Well, these are all the listed ingredients that need to be in your pantry if you want to take a shot at making your own Red Bull. However, just covering up the basic actual ingredients won’t do you any good.
We have also decided to include some common myths that many people may have regarding what goes into the making of Red Bull. We truly want the picture to be crystal clear and don’t want any of our audience to be misguided by circling hoaxes regarding Red Bull’s origin.
Here are some of the common myths we found and have busted them accordingly.
Reasons Why the Taste of Red Bull Can Change
Yes, Red Bull is prone to feel different due to changes in its surroundings and some external factors. These include changes in temperature, extra additives, how much you consume.
Temperature: Even if you may drink from the same flavored cans of Red Bull, the temperature may affect the flavor. The temperature can drastically Influence its flavor.
Do you know why some beverage companies frequently use the phrase "it tastes better when it's cold" in their advertising? Because temperature variations are the most important thing influencing your taste senses.
In other words, the taste of Red Bull does not alter, but the warmth increases the sensitivity of your taste buds. This alteration in your taste buds due to the temperature change determines how drinking Red Bull may feel to you.
If you drink your Red Bull at a higher or lower temperature, it will make your taste buds more sensitive to varied flavors, so you may like it at a higher or lower temperature. However, to enjoy it the way Red Bull wants you to, always give your Red Bull a cold hug from the refrigerator.
Extra Additives: If you mix any additional things into your Red Bull can, the entire taste is prone to get altered. For example, if you add sugar to the original Red Bull Energy Drink, it will taste more like coffee than an energy drink, in this case like an americano. Cream or milk will also award you with the same results. The caffeine contents of Red Bull are significant enough to make this possible!
Some people also add "carbomer" to their Red Bull. This ingredient will increase the amount of gas in Red Bull and make it stronger than usual. The extra fizziness also adds up to the overall feel of it.
Mixing other alcoholic beverages will also alter the change and will even affect how you will feel after. Thus, we advise you not to mix anything if you just want to experience the real thing.
How Much Caffeine You Consume: Caffeine due to its harsh flavor, affects your tastes over time, so you may not feel a difference when drinking Red Bull vs ordinary coffee. Caffeine is present in the majority of Red Bull beverages. Caffeine has a distinctively bitter taste. If you only take a small or moderate amount, it will not have an unpleasant flavor.
This unpleasant favor can stick and accumulate in your taste buds. However, if you drink too much Red Bull the bitterness from caffeine will affect your taste buds. Thus, do not drink too much Red Bull in one go if you want the taste to retain. We would also recommend you to not drink strong coffee before drinking Red Bull as it’ll ruin the taste as well.
Myth 1: Taurine used in Making Red Bulls is extracted from Bull's Testicles
While there were several reports and speculations that the taurine in Red Bull was derived from bull sperm, this proved to be untrue. Red Bull has now refuted the allegations, stating that the taurine in the drink is manufactured synthetically in a lab.
Because of its benefits in enhancing exercise performance, taurine is a kind of amino acid that is typically found in energy drinks. Although taurine is found in the chemical composition of bull/oxen testicles, it still can be extracted from other dietary sources. However, Red Bull claims their process does not involve animals and is synthetically synthesized.
Taurine, which you ingested in energy drinks, is manufactured in laboratories and is good for individuals who choose not to consume animal products. Thus, be rest assured, none of the drinks contains any traces of bull testicles.
Myth 2: Red Bull Contains Alcoholic Contents
None of the ingredients contain any traces of alcohol in them. Red Bull is fully alcohol-free and cannot possibly make you feel drunk.
Red Bulls are energy drinks and pack no traces of alcohol so they possibly cannot make you drunk. Sometimes, they are mixed with other alcoholic beverages for a different sort of drink. This is only prevalent in in-house parties or when people want to experience Red Bull differently.
Original canned bottles always come free of alcohol, thus, stay rest assured, they are completely safe to drink at work or any environment.
On a side note: As mentioned above, Red Bull can be mixed with other beverages to provide a different kind of experience. These beverages are mostly alcoholic and drinkers can feel a phenomenon called, ‘wide awake drunk’. However, we will seriously urge you to not try mixing energy drinks with alcohol for temporary experiences.
Myth 3: Red Bull is Haram
We may be no Islamic scholars but for any Muslims out there we can guarantee you that Red Bull is a halal drink. It contains no traces of alcohol or any ingredients extracted from animals.
All of it is internally synthesized and many Islamic research institutions claim it to be completely halal. Thus, if you are a Muslim and previously had doubts about its halal status, we hope we could provide you with peace of mind. Thus, be sure to not hesitate to get yourself a Red Bull the next time you see one!
That pretty much wraps up what we had to say about what does Red Bull taste like. I hope this article helped you learn a thing or two and will drive you to give it a taste yourself the next time you see it hanging on the shelves. We wish you good luck and thank you for your time!
