I reckon at some point I will create a post about a head to head of all sorts of energy drinks, since I have tried quite a few. Most of them are over marketed crap, not really healthy, pricey, and so on. One of the better ones that stands out is Krating Daeng, otherwise known as Thai Red Bull. You see, you may know Red Bull already, it is one of the most popular energy drinks in the world. Before that though there was Thai Red Bull...going as far back as the 70's. It was and still is naturally very popular in Thailand.. and is frequently used as a sponsor for Thai kickboxing matches (kickboxing being huge there as well since it's the national sport).
The drink is popular in other parts of Asia as well, and can be found in Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and some parts of Europe. Outside of Asia, check random Asian variety stores and see how your luck fares.
So how did Red Bull get born from Thai Red Bull?
In 1982, the Austrian entrepreneur Dietrich Mateschitz was visiting Thailand and tried Krating Daeng and loved it. He then developed Red Bull from it a few years later. But why go for the overly commercial imitation, why not the sun source? Thai Red Bull is not fizzy like a soda, it is more like a very delicious medicinal syrup (though if you mix it about 50/50 with fizzy water it is much like the popular fizzy version of Red Bull). It usually comes in a small glass bottle and not a larger can (though I've heard of can versions). You pretty much do 'shots' of it. The taste alone is very addictive. Like a sweet medicinal bubblegum cream soda with hints of citrus. That's my best description in any event. Actually the taste is very similar to Red Bull or say, Monster, and many other energy drinks, though I think the taste is better. The wakefulness the drink gives is not too jittery, as long as you have doses within reason.
There are actually Japanese and Korean energy drinks as old as the 60's that Thai Red Bull supposedly copied, so perhaps it is not the sun source after all, eh? I haven't tried enough of those energy drinks, but from what I have tried I've not seen anything better. For example, the Korean drink Bacchus-D tastes very similar, but it has a bit of a chemical preservative burn to it, making it crappier overall in my mind. So if you're into energy drinks at any level, Thai Redbull is worth a shot (haha get it? 'shot'..bad pun.)
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| Here's how it looks....well, one of the forms it takes.. |
