Since QuakeCon 2019, we’ve been giving JuJu Energy, a gamer-focused energy-drink a chance, and here’s what we thought after two weeks of using the drink.

When it comes to writing, reviewing, and doing PR, I sit in front of a computer screen more hours than you can imagine day in and day out. My work weeks between game reviewing, driving for Lyft and Uber can exceed somewhere near the 70-hour range. Because of that, I do tend to stare at computer and phone screens day in and day out, sometimes exceeding ten hours a day.

There are times when I also stream, which adds to the relative amount of time I spend in front of a screen, because of this, chronic fatigue is very real, and my exhaustion levels hit their peak before the ten-hour mark even hits. This is where JuJu Energy from JuJu Performance Labs comes into play during my periods where I feel myself drain, the eye fatigue begins to set in, and my want to do anything becomes overwhelming.

During QuakeCon 2019, the CEO of JuJu Performance Labs, Matt Konigsmark, invited me to their table, offering for me to try out their drink, and ultimately see how it benefits me as both a member of the press and a gaming enthusiast.

“I wasn’t sold on another energy drink. But, in turn, I gave JuJu Energy a go and have been for the past week or so.”

As someone who isn’t a fan of energy drinks, I cringed at the idea of another “gamer-focused” product. Not because they don’t work, but because I feel like they are a gimmick, often focused on being sold as an item that benefits gamers rather than the average consumer.

Heading to their table I had a few things in mind: One, this drink would taste absolutely horrible. Two, that this drink wouldn’t work and it’s just another gimmick to cash in on easy-to-sell-to gamers. After all, this is a convention and those who, like myself, pulled late nights and are running low on steam are willing to do whatever we can to get that extra boost.

After a brief introduction, a discussion about their drink, which remained pretty much the same as to the one I received via email, I decided to bite the bullet, accepted a drink, and down the hatch it went. Again, I wasn’t sold on another energy drink. But, in turn, I did give JuJu Energy a go and have been for the past week or so.

For my trial, I accepted the “Cherry Bomb” flavor, which low-and-behold, was actually not bad at all. It was like drinking Kool-Aid, to say the least. However, unlike Kool-Aid, the flavors are rich, clean, smooth, and not overwhelming. While this is a professional grade sugar-free product, I had to take into consideration what is in it and why there were small red flakes in my beverage and attached to the cup.

In that single serving of 10-12 ounces of water, I was given a wide array of natural vitamins and minerals including the following:

• VegiSURGE® natural caffeine for natural sustainable energy without jitters or crashes
• Lutemax®2020 for blue light protection and laser-like focus
• Bacopa Monnieri for focus and memory recall
• Cordyceps Mycelium for fighting fatigue and boosting performance under stress
  Alpha GPC for reaction time and cognitive function
• B, C & D vitamins + antioxidants for energy and so you get your vitamins!
  Pink Himalayan Salt for reducing dehydration
• JuJu is sugar-free and has just 15 calories and 3 carbs per serving

But also be warned: One 10-12 ounce drink has enough caffeine that it equivalates to approximately two cups of coffee in a single drink. Yep, enough to get your motor revved, get your brain going, and ultimately get you back up on your feet, but with all the health benefits of the vitamins listed above.

“I wasn’t expecting the boost I got, but also, the lack of eye strain I have had since I started drinking JuJu Energy over the course of the past week.”

At first, I didn’t feel the pick-me-up I was expecting from that small tester cup. After all, that cup is less than 4 oz. of water, it’s just enough to give you an idea of what JuJu had to offer. Meanwhile, it did work, and it helped me get through an entire event with less than six hours of sleep.

However, what would it do over the course of a week? Well, with the samplers I was given, I decided to test that theory, giving myself an idea of what kind of long-term effects it would have if I drank one a day, which is only one of the four recommended servings per day. Reason why? That’s a ton of caffeine and I’m not a big caffeine drinker outside of my regular cup of coffee a day routine.

My routine is fairly simple: Get out of bed around 10:30am, check my email, brew a cup of coffee, boot up my PS4 or David’s gaming PC called “Scarlet” and ensure everything is up to date. 12:30pm, take a lunch break, 1:30pm, head back to the computer, 2:00pm, start writing articles, and by 6:30pm, start working on review titles if I’m not streaming on that day.

As you can see, my schedule is busy, there are days I don’t even make it to bed before 4am to ensure reviews are done, article outlines are prepped for the very next day and review requests have been made. So day one, it was simple. I replaced my coffee with a JuJu Energy knowing just how much caffeine is in the drink. After all, three cups of coffee within an hour-to-two-hour period? That’s a ton of caffeine and the crash certainly wouldn’t be worth it.

Now let me be clear, I did get the energy perk-up I needed while gearing up for the day. It went pleasantly well with my usual breakfast, a couple of eggs, scrambled, and a side of toast. Oddly enough, I noticed after a few hours of drinking it, my eye fatigue wasn’t nearly as bothersome as it had been before by 12:30pm. After all, looking between a phone screen and a computer screen for two hours straight.

I even found my energy levels not dropping as they normally would. Finishing off my drink around lunch wasn’t bothersome. It went rather well with my sandwich and salad without any problem. The taste, believe it or not, again, was like drinking a fruit-punch Kool-Aid.

Skip forward to the 2am prep-work for the following day and I was astonished by how I felt. I didn’t feel like I was hitting the “mid-day” slog. I wasn’t exhausted, drained, or even feeling the fatigue I normally did. Instead, I felt more aware, relaxed, and less strained than I normally was, which was great, it meant that the drink wasn’t just some gimmick, or it was just a placebo effect. So, onto day two I went after a good few hours of sleep.

Just like the day before, the routine was identical outside of the emails sent, articles written, and scheduling made. Again, no mid-day drag, which made me come to a conclusion: This drink isn’t some gimmick. Rather, it was a subtle replacement for my routine coffee, but I also noticed something different the following day: My eyes weren’t bugging me near as much as they had before. Blue-light wasn’t causing the eye strain it normally would, and oddly enough, I felt all-around better.

Fast forward a few more days and the effects remained the same, but something else was different, my eyesight isn’t near as bad when my glasses are off. You have to understand something: I’m nearly blind without them. Without my glasses, I normally can’t see unless something is placed right before me, but that isn’t the case today.

“I was wrong to expect JuJu Energy to be some snake-oil type product that was using gamers as their products focus group.”

Even today, writing this, I’m finishing off my final sampler, glasses off, and content with how well my eyes are able to focus without strain or the sensitivity they would normally have when eye fatigue begins to set in due to staring at a screen for countless hours. Truth be told, I wouldn’t have focused on gamers as a focus group, but rather, people who work in front of screens day-in-and out, alongside IT industry professionals like David and Jeremy here at Blast Away the Game Review.

But I have to admit: I was wrong to expect JuJu Energy to be some snake-oil type product that was using gamers as their products focus group. After reading about the product, seeing others input and thoughts on the product, I’m not alone. The drinks actually work, and the cost per-day at one a day isn’t actually all that bad: $1.20 if you count the cost and how much it takes to make a single 10 to 12 oz drink.

The fact it’s packed with vitamins that are vital to your health, this isn’t actually some drink I’d pass off, nor would I not-consider adding this into my daily routine. It’s cheaper than coffee, the health benefits are higher, and the lack of eye-sight issues I’ve had from eye-fatigue? It’s a trade-off worth having. Especially thanks to vitamins such as the Lutemax 2020 and Vitamin B’s in the drink.

Truth be told. I’ll be opting for more in the future once I can and highly recommend you at least give the drink a try. If you do, be sure to visit JuJu Energy and let them know we sent you.

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Editor’s Note from David Murphy: We want to clarify in our coverage that JuJu Labs was not involved with our coverage as we were merely offered samples to try and see what we thought of the product upon our return from QuakeCon 2019. The opinions and effects of the beverage are solely expressed by the writer themselves and do not reflect us here at Blast Away the Game Review as a whole.

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About the Writer(s):

Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the borders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over on Twitter or Facebook.