BANG Heavenly Hazelnut

Introduction

Surprise, surprise; this Bang has a lot going on with it. If we could fit it all in, the name of this drink would be Bang Energy Drink Heavenly Hazelnut High Protein Keto Coffee.

Seems niche, but I think this is a smart addition to the lineup by the folks over at Bang. Gym and workout culture is only becoming more prevalent and the keto diet continues to make waves. I like coffee and I like energy drinks, so my expectations are high. But I do worry that it'll be too sweet.

Appearance

Giving this can a boost over my typical Bang appearance rating since it does have a lot going on. I like that they put the amount of protein on the front.

Taste

Credit to Bang - whenever I don't like a flavor, it's not for lack of accuracy. This absolutely nails the hazelnut coffee flavor. The hazelnut comes in strong, much stronger than I was expecting.

As far as sweetness, I won't lie to you. It's sweet. It's not Dunkin iced coffee with extra cream level sweet, but it's also not even close to black coffee. With that said, I think it's a good middle ground. The sweetness will appeal to both the average energy drink and coffee consumer.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention. There's no carbonation. Which is appropriate in my opinion.

Kick

300mg of caffeine, 1g of sugar. Looks like there's sweet cream in the ingredients bringing the sweetness. Checks out.

Conclusion

This is a classic above average energy drink. The hazelnut, coffee, and cream come together nicely without being overwhelming in any one category. My knock on it is it's too sweet for my preference. And it doesn't bring anything special to take it over the top.

While it doesn't do it for me, I do think Bang nailed the advertised flavor with Heavenly Hazelnut Coffee - so if you love hazelnut & coffee, and are on a keto diet, this might just be the perfect beverage for you.

Appearance

It's understandable that Bang wanted to make sure the product is known as a coffee flavor. The marriage of Bang's design theme and stereotypical coffee colors wouldn't last longer than Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries attention seeking relationship. The shades of brown, off-white, and hazelnut don't jive well. The 'hazelnut' color specifically looks more like a burnt orange and doesn't fit with the other colors.

Taste

The flavor is quite accurate, in true Bang fashion. There is a strong coffee flavor, accompanied by a level of sweetness familiar to Bang's energy drinks. The coffee flavor doesn't taste too dark, but still has the full coffee taste. The sweetness helps, however the flavor is an odd mix with the hazelnut and coffee flavors.

Kick

Heavenly Hazelnut has 300mg of caffeine. That is approximately equivalent to three cups of coffee.

Overall

I am not a coffee person. That didn't stop me from loving Java Monster Farmer's Oats, a coffee flavor based on oat milk. Heavenly Hazelnut didn't capture my heart in the same way. The flavor is a sweet coffee combined with hazelnut, though it sounds better than it is. Perhaps it was my anti-coffee bias. Perhaps it was an energy drink masquerading as a coffee. Regardless, I did not enjoy it.