FJ's Verdict:

“It takes just as much energy to wish as it does to plan” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Product Name: Phix Energy
Company: Phix
MSRP: $9.95 (Box of 5 sticks)
Availability: Medium-Low (Most Online Stores)

So, you thought the energy category was crowded? Well you thought right, it is… but in a way that’s good because for companies that want to compete, they are forced to stand out, to do something different, to do something that makes them worthy of a very precious and everlasting marketing strategy called “word of mouth”.

Enter Phix. From the way their website is structured to the way that they present their products, you can clearly tell the angle they were taking. It’s a really “chill and honest” type of marketing decision, and a damn good one. Most energy products are all about “SHOUTING” in your face with bold text, bold claims, bold ass designs and other ridiculous nonsense on the label. Not Phix. It’s presentation is a bit “hippie-ish” yet elegant. Nice.

But looks aint’ everything, which is why it’s in my hands today for a full out review. I believe the first time I heard about this product was in Timothy Ferris’ book, The 4 Hour Workweek… and figured since he recommended it, there should be something to this little energy mixture. Let’s see if Phix can live up to it’s potential. But first, here’s what Phix says about their product…

Product Claims:

Phix Energy is a great-tasting, low-calorie way to naturally improve your energy levels. We blend green tea antioxidants, energy-restoring NADH, and yerba maté for enhanced and sustained vigor, plus we add 14 vitamins and minerals to keep you feeling healthy and happy.

Phix Energy comes in three delicious, all-natural flavors: Teaberry, Citron, and Tropic. Add our convenient single-servings to a 12–16oz water to create a lightly sweetened low-calorie drink that’s refreshing, hot or cold. Enjoy one to three a day.

First Impressions:

Like I said, the presentation was solid – the box is attractive and the individual sticks are awesome… I loved this type of packaging ever since I had the chance to review the Zizazz energy mix. But all of their presentation isn’t just skin deep. These guys have gone a little further to ensure trust and quality of their product.

All the ingredients are vegan friendly and gluten free, and to top it off, they used only organic ingredients. This won’t make or break a product but it’s nice to know, and I know it will make few tree huggers out there get all excited in their pants.

Now let’s hop over to the ingredients. The very first thing that stood out to me was the inclusion of NADH (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotiden). Why does this ingredient excite the shit outta me? Because in a European research study, it improved the reaction times in trained athletes by 10-20% without side effects.

Now granted, they took it over a period of time (4 weeks) but if you buy a pack of 5, over time this will accumulate. NADH was also one of the awesome ingredients in MUSCLESPEED, which is a product I liked a lot and one I still use to this very day.

So here is the proprietary mix (1.6g): NADH, Caffeine (80mg from Yerba Mate), Eleuthero (basically Siberian Ginseng), Catechins from green tea extract (a flavonoid that has antiviral, antioxidant properties and may help with weight loss), Maltodextrin.

The thing is, in a 12.35g stick, this measly 1.6g proprietary blend worries me slightly… I mean the ingredient list seems solid but quantity also has a huge role to play when it comes to results. Like, we all know protein is fucking awesome, but if you only take like 5g/day… that’s not going to do jack shit as far as noticeable benefits go. Still… let’s see what happens.

Real World Results:

Phix sent over all 3 flavors: Teaberry, Ctiron and Tropic so let’s move on to the taste test.

Out of all three, Teaberry was by far my favourite, the others were decent but nothing spectacular. Teaberry has that distinct tea flavor with sweetness on top, the citron tastes like a diluted lemon and the tropic is like a fruit punch type flavor that got the wind knocked out of it.

What I’m getting at is that all of these flavors were WEAKK. If you mix Phix according to the instructions on the label (with 12-16oz of water), you’ll end up with a potion that is wimpier than Gatorade. You guys know I can’t handle too much sweetness but even for me, this shit was a little bland. My suggestion: use 250ml of water and no more.

But what’s cool about this mixture is that because the flavors are so weak, you can actually eat these things like a pixie stick… and it’s a pleasant experience. You’re never really overwhelmed and this method is probably my favourite way of consuming Phix Energy.

And now we finally come to the main reason you would probably think about consuming this stuff in the first place… to give you a pick-me-up. Well, sorry princess but Phix just doesn’t deliver. With a scrawny ass 80mg of caffeine (that’s less than in a cup of coffee) and an almost negligible amount of NADH, what you get is a little blip in energy that lasts for maybe 15 minutes and then disappears completely. 20 if you’re tolerance to caffeine is low… but if you’re like me and drink at least one cup of coffee everyday, you won’t feel much.

Conclusion:

So here we have a fine example of a company doing everything right as far as marketing and presentation go, but then dropping the ball completely when it comes to execution. It’s a damn shame I tell ya. I’m sure there are people out there that will get a kick out of this product but honestly… those are few and far in-between so, the hell with them. Low caffeine tolerance bastards! /End sarcasm.

The thing is, if you break down the price of the entire box, it works out to be $1.99 per serving… and I’m sorry but for a 15 minute weak buzz, that’s just not worth it in my opinion. I like their organic and “hippie” angle and shit, but Phix needs to, ironically, “fix” their blend or release a more “hardcore” line of their energy mix… something with 150mg caffeine, 1-3g NADH, a little more stevia, some stronger flavors, a stronger ginseng, and maybe some Vit D.

I’m gonna give the Phix Energy Blend a 2.3/5

-FitJerk

P.S- Phix also has a product that is a complete flip-side of their energy blend… a sleep blend! They sent this stuff to me along with the energy blend and I’ll be trying it out soon. I just need to find a day where I need to force my ass to goto bed. So far, no luck. Any of you guys feel like passing out un-justified? Hit me up.