Orbana Energy Drink Review and Giveaway

It’s pretty rare that I feel like I don’t give products an honest test, but this is one of those occasions. Fortunately, by the time this post is over, a few readers will have a chance to help me out.

This summer I had the opportunity to test an energy drink called Orbana, an all-natural product designed to provide a sustained energy boost without the spikes and crashes that other energy drinks can trigger. It’s nutritionally fortified to help delay fatigue and sustain hydration, and has a strong following among the triathlon crowd – especially athletes in the UK, where the product was created. Orbana comes in powdered form to mix with water, and is sold in individual packets or in a multi-serving tub.

You’re supposed to drink it 20 minutes before a race or peak workout – but honestly, I’ve been so mellow with my training regimen over the past few months that I never really gave it a good test that way. So instead of posting a completely uninformed review, here’s the compromise I came up with: I’m posting a brief overview of the product, and then I’m picking three readers to receive a couple of sample packets each. If you’re one of the winners, you’ll come back here and share your feedback in the comments section below. Got it? OK then - if you’re interested in the prize, read on.

One of the key ingredient differences between Orbana and other energy drinks is the use of branch chain amino acids (BCAAs), otherwise known as the building blocks of proteins. Orbana’s BCAAs can be used directly by the muscles during activity, and can promote quicker recovery after a race or long workout.

However, BCAAs typically have a bitter taste, so the Orbana folks spent a year and a half trying different combinations of natural sweeteners that not only made the product taste better, but provided tangible performance benefits as well. The finished product has a fairly pleasant citrus taste, and the official description on the packet describes Orbana as an “Orange, lemon, and pineapple flavour (See? British!) energy drink”.

The final sugar combination is a blend of ‘mixed GI’ carbohydrates, some of which act quickly, and others that have a delayed impact. The primary sugar is complex maltodextrin (64%), which happens to be the main ingredient in my favorite training drink, GU Brew, which I love because of its very mild taste. The other 36% is composed of dextrose and fructose, “high GI” sugars that give you an initial lift before the more prolonged energy boost of maltodextrin kicks in.

The mixture is also packed with B-complex vitamins for energy production and mental focus, antioxidants in Vitamins C and E, and of course the standard sodium/potassium cocktail of all energy drinks. Orbana also uses a dose of zinc, which is something I haven’t seen before – it’s supposed to promote active function of the enzymes that help with energy utilization.

(And if you want all the details, you can see a whole nutritional rundown of Orbana here on the website.)

Orbana shipment from Amazon.com

Each 50g packet is meant to be mixed in 8oz of water prior to a workout. The finished product has a fairly thick texture to it, and it’s actually hard to get all of the powder dissolved in that relatively small amount of liquid. From my experience it’s better to mix Orbana with a spoon in a regular glass than to pour it into a sport bottle, because you might have a hard time drinking it through the nozzle. However, once you get it mixed, the taste is relatively pleasant; I’d say they succeeded with making the citrus combination sufficiently palatable for regular use.

As to how it impacts your high-demand workouts or races … I really have no idea. This is where you come in. If you’d like to try a couple of Orbana sample packets, leave a comment below this post. I’ll pick three winners at random, and announce the results here on Saturday, October 15th. If you win, you agree to use the packets within a few weeks, then leave your feedback (good or bad – be honest) in the comments section below. I may move those comments to the main body of the review at some point as well.

(UPDATED: I made the feedback into a separate, giant review post - check it out here.)

If you'd rather skip the giveaway chance and just want to buy your own packets now, Orbana sells packs of five single-serving pouches for $13.46 from Amazon.com.

Thanks to Orbana for sponsoring this review and giveaway even though I’ve been a total slacker lately, and good luck to everyone!

*Product provided by Orbana
**See other product reviews on sidebar at right. If you have a product you’d like reviewed, contact me at info@runningandrambling.com.



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