ZONe Energy Drink ver.1.0.0

Flavor of ZONe Energy Drink ver.1.0.0

The yellow, transparent liquid that comes out of the jet-black can is a typical energy drink color. Just like the β version, the scent has a distinctive chemical smell, and the fragrance of air freshener is quite strong.

When you take a sip, a smooth sweetness and slight acidity spread, and the chemical scent passes through your nose. The rich sweetness and unique aroma allow you to enjoy the chewing sensation similar to that of Monster Energy Original. The taste is almost identical to the ver.1.0.0 and the β version. I've also posted a comparison of the old and new versions at the bottom of the page, so feel free to check the difference.

The scent is strong, and the artificial chemical odor might split opinions here. The taste itself is a typical mainstream flavor, so if you're a fan of energy drinks, the taste is stable and fine, but the aroma of the ver.1.0.0 official version feels overpowering. When you open the can, the room fills with the scent of ZONe Energy Drink (^_^;)

Both the taste and aroma are intense, so you might get tired of it halfway through the 500ml. Personally, I think adding more ice to lighten the sweetness would make it easier to drink.

However, if you're not used to it, the scent will still hit you strongly every time you bring the glass close to your nose. I worry it might interfere with the "immersion" theme that ZONe Energy Drink promotes. It's that distinctive, so if you have the chance, you should try it out.

Energy Ingredients of ZONe Energy Drink ver.1.0.0

The drink contains 75mg of caffeine, 750mg of arginine, and 5g of palatinose. Given that it's 500ml, the caffeine content is lower than Red Bull (185ml, 80mg), so it might feel a bit lacking.

Arginine has increased from the β version. Palatinose is a slow-absorbing sugar that is effective for maintaining sustained energy and concentration. I wonder if this was intentionally added as part of the "immersion" ingredient?

As I mentioned in my ZONe Energy Drink β version review, it would have been nice if they had added some smart herbs or ingredients tailored to the digital immersion energy drink concept. The effectiveness of these ingredients doesn’t matter much in energy drinks; it’s just about the image of the product (after all, 75mg of caffeine is about the same as a cup of coffee).

I wrote quite seriously about the ingredients in the β version review, but with the official ver.1.0.0, it seems like the ingredients weren’t pursued much further. This is a little disappointing. This is probably something that eSports-focused drinks would prioritize more.

Design of ZONe Energy Drink ver.1.0.0

A glowing power symbol. I thought the original ZONe logo would replace it, but it seems that the power symbol from the β version has been officially carried over.

The jet-black can with this power symbol is not only memorable for digital-focused people but also for anyone seeing it in stores.

As part of the "super immersion energy drink" theme, the symbol remains, along with added SNS logos.

The ZONe Energy Drink commercial video. It does a great job of setting the atmosphere.

By the way, ZONe Energy Drink has been spreading quite a bit on SNS, collaborating with digital creators to create illustrations and content that have successfully gained traction. In this genre, the spread power of Twitter is especially strong. Instead of becoming known as a "strange product," it is a great approach to get recognition from popular accounts in various fields, and the effect is tremendous.

Comparing ZONe Energy Drink ver.1.0.0 and β version

I tried comparing the new ver.1.0.0 with the β version to see if there were any changes.

The color and scent are virtually the same.

The taste is almost identical. However, I feel that a slight acidity has been added. The β version had a sweet and flat impression, but the new ver.1.0.0 has a hidden acidic note beneath the sweetness. It’s a subtle difference that you can only notice if you carefully compare the two, but there is indeed a difference. Suntory commented that they improved the taste from the β version. There was no major shift in flavor, but they fine-tuned it to release the more desirable taste.

The ingredients show that arginine has increased, and the per-bottle ingredient quantities are now clearly displayed, which makes it easier to read.

And the introduction of the black top and black tab is a significant change. According to Suntory, this is the first time it's been done in Japan.

With a silver top and silver tab, even if the can design is nice, it can feel like the top is a bit empty and unfinished. However, with ver.1.0.0, the entire can feels carefully designed from top to bottom. It now has a more "energy drink" feel.

In Japan, Coca-Cola’s energy drinks like Dragon Boost and Coca-Cola Energy adopted red tops and red tabs, which were a shocking innovation for Japanese energy drinks, but in 2020, ZONe Energy Drink also completed a high-design can. I never thought I’d see color tops and color tabs in domestic products, so this was surprising.

ZONe Energy Drink Targeting Digital Culture

Anime, games, illustrations, music, and digital content in general are a perfect match with Twitter in Japan. ZONe Energy Drink, which targets this demographic, has been using popular accounts for SNS campaigns, spreading content and gaining direct exposure to the target audience.

On Amazon, a limited 6-can pack of ZONe Ver.1.0.0 YOASOBI Ver, Kizuna AI Ver, Kaf Ver was released.

These are called "Artist First Editions," and it seems that ZONe will continue to release collaboration limited editions to spread on SNS.

This isn’t a game-focused eSports drink, but a product aimed at digital content in general, so I’m excited to see how it expands in the future.

Related Articles

Everyone's ZONe Energy Drink ver.1.0.0 taste and ingredient opinions and ratings

ゲイリー ：February 21, 2021

★★

味は普通の王道系。500mlは正直飽きるかな。王道系ならレッドブル、モンスターがあるからそっち飲む。500mlもあるのにカフェインが少ないので1本飲んで腹タプタプになってもほとんど効果を実感できない。味とか成分よりヲタ向けZONeが良いって人向けかと思う。

ゼウス ：October 15, 2023

★★

味は悪くないと思うけど、甘すぎてくどいからもっと酸味と炭酸を強くしたら飲みやすくなると思う

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