@elephantjournal: A natural, fruit-powered energy drink? Goodbye, Red Bull, hello @bazi

Here at elephant’s HQ, we receive maybe 20 reviews a week—many of which are “green” products that no one needs. And, of course, there’s nothing “green” about consumption for consumption’s sake. With too many of these products, the first and last inspiration seems to be, rather, making money—with a little eco-responsibility along the way.

And so when I looked over Bazi, a health beverage, my first thought was that what we had here was just another plastic bottle full of hype.

As far as packaging goes—and packaging tends to be an easy way to see how “mindful” the mission or motivation behind any “green” product is—well there’s a unnecessary little piece of thin plastic around the cap. Plastic is toxic, as we’re learning, and it never, ever, ever goes away. Then, the entire (plastic, but recyclable) bottle is also covered in a piece of plastic that features some fun design and offers nutritional information, facts and ingredients.

The ingredients themselves seem kinda complicated as well—there are many to them (going against the Michel Pollan rule for “real food”), and many that I don’t recognize. The ingredients I did recognize include eight fruits, which is pretty impressive, tons of vitamins & minerals, as well as fructose, and some caffeine. Bazi’s aimed at athletes—you’re really only supposed to take a shot at a time—the whole idea is that it powers you up without, like coffee or Red Bull or something, dropping you low after a too-brief high.

Then there was another protective seal covering the top of the bottle that I couldn’t open with my hand; I instead stabbed it open with a car key. The taste is bitter and sweet, simultaneously. But since this is a health drink, you expect it to taste kinda intense, and I’m sure the taste—kind of like a sweet, oversteeped green tea—grows on you. The liquid is bright orange.

Here’s how Bazi says they stack up against the far-from-green competition:

If you’re an energy drink kinda person—an athlete, or a student pulling an all-nighter—this is the best, and healthiest, and most effective—energy drink we’ve seen yet. We’d love to see it go organic, and as far as the packaging, we’re not sure how it could be greener, but we’d love to update this post with news that Bazi has found a way.