Reign Lemon HDZ

Introduction

Reign Lemon HDZ was a difficult one for me to rate. My best descriptor is that it is treacly in nature. Essentially, it is sweet and refreshing upon the initial sip, but becomes excessively sweet and loses appeal over time. Whenever I start drinking Reign Lemon HDZ, I enjoy them immensely, but they always end up cloying upon repeated use. I rated this a 6.5 overall because I enjoy it a decent amount initially and it delivers a wonderful kick, but has an extremely low redrinkablility rate. It packs 300mg of caffeine per can (18.75mg/floz) that you cannot taste due to its sweetness (those of you who have had pure caffeine know how bitter it is naturally). The yellow and blue Reign logo looks pretty cool and is given a 7/10 in appearance. In my opinion there is nothing very special or unique about this, so I did not consider it in my overall ranking. There are very distinguishable strengths and weaknesses to this beverage that you will see throughout this review.

Upside

The number one upside to Reign Lemon HDZ is the kick. It has a good amount of carbonation, is very strong and bold in taste, and contains a ton of caffeine. I personally find the kick of this particular energy drink greater than any other Reign (of 300mg caffeine) that I have had. It will give you a great amount of energy for any activity, although I would not recommend drinking it casually if you are not accustomed to high amounts of caffeine because you will get a bit jittery and lose focus. Reign is made specifically for exercise ventures (although I do not use it exclusively that way) as it has no Calories and is filled with BCAAs, CO-Q10, and electrolytes. Having no calories is a plus, but as a health professional, I would not get wrapped up in the other additives.

The next best upside in my opinion is the mouth feel. It has a wonderful mouth feel if you are looking for a pick-me-up because of the carbonation and sweetness. It is not smooth by any means, but the mouth feel is still appealing when looking for a pick-me-up. Whereas the amount of carbonation is a plus, I will talk about the sweetness factor more in the “Downside” section. A very pleasant and unexpected upside to this drink is that it is a phenomenal splash in Margaritas (Disclaimer: I do not condone or recommend mixing caffeine with alcohol. Drink each responsibly). I have used it many times as my “secret ingredient” in homemade margs. While I have used many energy drinks as mixers before, Reign Lemon HDZ seems to be the best splash I have tried into most sweeter alcoholic beverages.

Downside

I am usually a fan of excessively sweet drinks, but know that the appeal to most other people is significantly less. I am putting taste in the downside section due to the abundance of sweetener and lack of uniqueness. It tastes like heavily sweetened, slightly less sour lemon juice. Once you start to taste the lemon juice comparison, every sip seems a bit worse than the previous. As I stated in the intro, it seems to cloy (“to disgust or sicken [someone] with an excess of sweetness, richness, or sentiment”) over time. As Sharks, we always drink our beverages while writing reviews so we can have a fresh opinion. I currently find myself going back and adjusting my rankings as I get further into this review and therefore further into the drink. Today specifically I am drinking it post-workout so I have enough energy to get back to work. Initially it was very refreshing, but now it is starting to taste like caffeinated lemon juice. Again, the initial sip may seem refreshing, but it definitely diminishes over time.

Based on how negatively I have been describing Reign Lemon HDZ, it may be surprising I gave the taste a 6/10. Let me explain. Reign Lemon HDZ is fruity and a good compliment to other drinks. It is a great mixer as well as chaser due to how strong it is which will get any other disgusting taste out of your mouth instantly. Reign Lemon HDZ is quite refreshing, and I initially gave it a 7.5/10 for taste on my first few sips. Once I was at the bottom of the can, I was thinking it was closer to a 5/10. In the end, I figured 6/10 was a reasonable conclusion.

Upshot

The Upshot is that Reign Lemon HDZ is refreshing and sweet upon initial sip, but loses its appeal over time. It delivers a wonderful kick and is still worth a try. If you do not like it, you can always mix it in other drinks to sweeten them up (as I have said, it is my secret ingredient in home-made margaritas). It smells great, contains zero Calories, and will give you the caffeine hit you need for essentially any activity. My assumption is that Reign Lemon HDZ will be a highly disputed drink because it is quite strong so people will have varying opinions on its taste. I am looking forward to comparing this more to the other Shark and user reviews.

Appearance

The Reign Lemon HDZ appearance is an interesting one. The black background and top enable the theme colors to appear prominently. Normally this would be a positive thing, however, I’m not sure that I fully understand the color scheme. Yellow makes sense in theme with the lemon flavor, however the blue it is paired with doesn’t seem to tie in with anything. That itself isn’t really an issue, especially when compared to the color variations. The yellow and blue in the “Reign” font appear to be slightly lighter in color than the prominent yellow and blue comprising the Reign logo. Kind of strange. Even worse is the can tab, which is oddly colored in a hue that looks as if rust and gold were combined to create it. It’s a cool color in itself but it is only found on the can tab and clashes with the rest of the color scheme. Sort of a head scratcher. Last but not least, I have to mention the Reign logo. It is present on all their drinks with variations in the two colors respective to the flavor color scheme. The logo itself appears to be a knight face shield combined with a crown on top, but don’t quote me on that. In that sense, the logo communicates the brand well; I can’t fully get on board with how it looks on the can. I think some subtle details off to the side would add some intrigue to the can that could differentiate flavors from each other. One positive aspect is the grippy texture flanking the logo on the can. Overall, it’s not a bad can; I just would prefer some refinement in the colors, fonts, and details across the can.

Taste

What is Lemon HDZ?? Some preliminary online research, including on Reign’s own website, failed to reveal what “HDZ” stands for. Definitely a curious addition to the name of the flavor. While I can’t tell you if it tastes like “HDZ,” I can tell you it tastes extremely like a lemon candy. As such, it is a sweet, lemon flavor with a hint of sour tang at the end.. While quite sweet, Reign avoided the classic mistake of making it excessively sweet. For energy drinks, I much prefer this type of lemon flavor as opposed to a lemonade one. Honestly, I find the Lemon HDZ flavor to be simple and without nuance. That is not a criticism, I’m merely noting that the flavor is straightforward and consistent. In my opinion, lemon based flavors are tricky to get right and I commend Reign for doing a good job with this one. It may not be the most redrinkable flavor but it is quite enjoyable.

Kick

Reign Lemon HDZ comes on strongly thanks to its punchy lemon flavor. It does not last long however, as carbonation is moderate. The 300mg of caffeine will make most consumers feel something, with the exception of those true caffeine fiends. Reign claims that the drink will increase concentration and reduce fatigue which I cannot speak for aside from the typical benefits of caffeine ingestion. All elements taken into account, I feel that Reign Lemon HDZ has a slightly above average kick.

Overall

Reign Lemon HDZ is a mystery in itself. From the ambiguous “HDZ” titling to the oddly colored can tab, this drink isn’t too far from a special on Investigation Discovery. Maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but please somebody at least tell me what “HDZ” stands for. Aside from all the strange odds and ends, you have a quality tasting energy drink that you will feel. The performance orientation of the drink is in question, however it is worth noting that there is the higher presence of sodium (amongst other ingredients) that can be beneficial for recovery after draining exercise. Summarily, Reign has a quality drink here despite a few flaws and oddities.