A Review: Orbana Good Energy

Hiking Supplements Are Great

Howdy, folks.  It’s been a minute since I’ve posted, but cut me some slack.  I’ve been hiking.  Hiking A LOT.  I’ve got some sweet NC trail reviews to post here coming up soon, as well as some long term gear reviews.  But that’s not what this one is about.  Recently, I was contacted by a representative from Orbana Good Energy to see if I’d like to test their product. I hike QUITE A BIT here in NC and post regularly on the “Hiking the World” forum on Facebook.  I’m a dedicated Cytomax consumer so I figured it would be cool to see how another performance drink mix compared to my regular supplement of choice. So, I accepted. I was not paid for this review. I received a box containing 12 packets of Orbana Good Energy and promised an honest review. Now, this is going to be a bit different than a typical “drink” review. Yes, I’m going to review this in a format I’m familiar reviewing; beer reviews. Orbana IS NOT beer, so there are some things I will have to modify, but, format wise, I’m going appearance, smell, flavor, adding a MEASUREMENT and PERFORMANCE category to the review, and then an overall. Here goes.

Measurement

The directions indicate to use 1 packet of Orbana to every 4 oz. of water. I have a “24 oz” thermal water bottle that seems to only carry about 16 oz. of water, so I put 4 packets of Orbana in the bottle and filled it with, yes, 16 oz. of water.

24 oz. bottle that only fits 16 oz. of water… HMM…

Appearance

Orbana looks like pineapple juice in the bottle. Just. Like. Pineapple juice.

Pineapple Juice. En Espanol Jugo de Pina.

Smell

Orbana smells EXACTLY like pineapple juice. I doubt anyone but a hardcore juice connoisseur could differentiate between Orbana and pineapple juice. It’s pretty crazy.

Just. Like. This.

Flavor

The flavor is right in line with the appearance and smell, with a nice citrus addition to the pineapple. Sort of like a nice orange pineapple juice. The thing I like about Orbana is that the flavor doesn’t kick you right in the face. It’s nice and light. Cytomax can be pretty sweet and Accelerade can be both thick AND sweet. Orbana is light and flavorful, without being too much. My girlfriend concurs. Supplements were sort of like a “Goldilocks” thing for her. She couldn’t handle Accelerade AT ALL and Cytomax was tolerable, but not a regular thing for her. She would have some from my bottle, but couldn’t do a whole bottle of her own. Orbana was just right.

Performance

Now, we get into the REALLY important part of the review. Supplements are all about performance; a supplement is only as good as how well it helps you perform and I can say with complete certainty… that Orbana is legit.

Orbana on one side. Caro on the other. GREAT success.

 
Now, to break everything down, I didn’t want to review Orbana based on a single hike. I wanted to get a few hikes in (3 based on my box of 12 @ 4 packets per bottle) and see how it performed over time. A single hike isn’t going to give accurate results. To analyze HOW Orbana helps you perform, we need to look at its ingredients.
 
Orbana’s ingredients, as per their website:
 
We only use good ingredients. That’s why professional athletes have been using our products for years. (See our Good Energy Stories for more).
 
Long Chain, Complex Carbohydrates: These break down over time for sustained energy release.
20% Protein: For ongoing recovery. (Also satisfies hunger – bonus!).
Antioxidants: Vitamins C & E and also Zinc to help support your immune system.
Amino Acids: A direct source of energy for your muscles.
8 B-Vitamins: To aid focus and concentration and keep you energised.
Electrolytes: Potassium & Sodium to help keep you hydrated.
 
No Stimulants
No Artificial Preservatives
No Artificial Sweeteners
No Artificial Colors
No GMOs
Gluten Free
Suitable for Vegetarians
NO BAD ENERGY
 
For my first hike, I ate properly beforehand, I hydrated and I wore clothing according to the weather and temp. I hiked a total of 8.5 miles and I felt like I could have hiked 80.5 miles. I didn’t want to stop hiking. I felt like I could hike forever. I definitely felt like I had energy on hand at all times, I wasn’t sore after my hike, and I felt hydrated the whole hike. So far, so good.
 
My experience was the same on my 2nd hike. My 2nd hike was 6 miles and I ensured I ate and hydrated properly. Again, I felt like I could hike forever.
 
On my third hike, I threw in some variables. I didn’t eat before hand and I DEFINITELY didn’t hydrate properly. I was actually sucking wind at first.  However, once I got about a quarter of my water bottle of Orbana in my system, I started feeling pretty good. By the end of my hike I could have turned the hell around and hiked the 8.5 miles again. I actually knocked out 8.5 miles in 2 hours. Pretty insane.

Overall

I’m a believer. Orbana is legit. Taste and performance are spot on. The ONLY drawback is the cost. A 1.5 lb. container of Cytomax can be had for around $16 on Amazon. That’s about 40 servings based on 2 scoops per bottle. A 12 pack of Orbana is $24. That’s 3 bottles. I DO prefer it’s performance to Cytomax, however. I guess premium performance comes at a premium cost.
 

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Comments 1

  • Alex Steavenson : Sep 5th

    Just wanted to say a massive thanks to Sean for taking the time to give such an in depth review! If you’re a hiker interested in trying Orbana Good Energy send me an email and I’ll see what I can do! E: [email protected]

    Reply

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