Supplement Review: Amino Energy

Product: Optimum Nutrition Amino Energy (Grape Flavor)
Category: BCAA/Amino Acids
Price: Retails at $29.99 for 30 servings ($18.98 at BodyBuilding.com)

Amino Energy has been out for quite a while now, but I’ve only jumped on the bandwagon recently because I needed a quick pick-me-up that would help me get through school and work. Coffee was getting too expensive and I needed something that was quick and easy. In addition to the caffeine, Amino Energy also has essential amino acids and BCAA’s, hence the name of the product.

Keep in mind that there are different uses for the product; some use it for an anytime energy boost like I do, some use it as an intra-workout drink, and then there’s some who use it pre-workout. There’s no right or wrong way to use it, it’s all personal preference. But anyway, here is my 2cents…

Taste and Mixability

Amino Energy comes in 4 flavors: Blue Raspberry, Concord Grape, Fruit Fusion, and Orange Cooler. I’ve only tried two of the four, Concord Grape and Fruit Fusion. Both tasted sweet, but I prefer the Grape one because it sort of tasted like Kool-Aid but just without the sugar. All in all, there’s really not much to say about it because it just tastes amazing.

Each scoop is only 9 grams so the tub has a very small scooper. When it comes to mixability, the powder is super fine and mixes very well with water after a 10-second shake in a bottle. There was no settling and no particles of the powder whatsoever.

Ingredient Profile

Amino Energy is known for its great ingredient profile. Each serving (2 scoops) consists of the following:

• 10 calories per serving
• 5g of micronized free-form amino acids including Beta-Alanine, BCAAs, Taurine, Glutamine, and more
• 100g of caffeine from Green Tea, Green Tea extract, and Green Coffee Extract (whatever that is)
• Zero fat and sugar

There is no limit to how many scoops you want to take at one time, but Optimum Nutrition recommends 6 scoops if you want an intense energy. For a moderate energy level, you’d want to use 4 scoops. Personally, I’ve never gone more than 4 scoops (yet). I feel that 200mg of caffeine does justice and any more than that, I start to get headaches. Then again, everyone is different so it’s up to you.

Effectiveness

Although a lot of people use the product for pre- or intra- workout, I only use it as an anytime pick-me-up. Because I’m always out and about at work or school, I don’t have time to make my own coffee and buying coffee from McDonalds or Starbucks has gotten pretty expensive. Amino energy is a great alternative and I could say for sure that it gets the job done pretty well. The energy I get is very clean and usually lasts for a few hours. I also love the added amino acids in it, which is great for when I go hours without food while I’m working.

Price

For $18.98 at BodyBuilding.com for the 30-serving tub, Amino Energy is a steal. That’s under $1 per serving and if you’re a caffeine addict like me, you’ll easily fall in love with this product.

Buy or Pass?

Well, it all depends on your lifestyle. If you tend to consume a lot of caffeine to to get through your day, Amino energy will be perfect for you. If you’re looking for a pre-workout supplement, look into something else like Muscle Pharm Assault.