Question: Is there a way to determine the taste of a sports drink by looking at its list of ingredients? — Simon S.
RBR Replies: I wish! Besides the various ingredients that add flavor, and their proportions, there’s the fact that drinks can taste different depending on whether they contain fructose, maltodextrin or a combination, or something else to sweeten the mix.
In short, it’s impossible to predict the flavor from reading the label.
Also, some drinks taste fine when they’re cold at the start of a ride. Later, when they’re warm and/or might have picked up some plastic undertones from the bottle, they taste awful.
Your changing taste buds play a role, too. The same drink at the same temperature can taste different depending on your situation—fresh, early in a ride, or dehydrated, bonked and grumpy 75 miles later.
The only way to determine which drink tastes (and works) best for you is to try several brands in different riding conditions.
Once you’ve narrowed it down to a favorite, try it in different concentrations. This is time-consuming, but it’s better to figure it out in training than to make a mistake during an important event where you want to do well.
Readers, do you have a favorite sports drink?
Check out Infinit. You can customize the flavor and intensity. There are other customizations, too.
I reviewed it some time back.
https://www.roadbikerider.com/infinit-nutrition-and-hydration-mix-review/
Totally agree Sheri. I’ve been using Infinit for about 15 years. I started with my own custom formulation which I’ve tweaked over the years. The website gives your various indicators to show how those tweaks affect various nutritional and digestive factors. They also offer services to help you custom design your drink. Definitely a little on the pricey side but well worth it.
Taste is so individual there is no way for an individual to predict without trying the product. After 15+ years of endurance athletics (inc ironman, 24hr cycling races) and trying countless sports drinks to count, I have gone back to bulk buying whatever (palatable to me) mass-market product is on sale (often as powder). Cost saving of DIY is not that great (did it for years), and expensive ’boutique’ products are just a waste of $$$. American College of Sports Medicine has a great review of hydration & fueling (inc. electrolytes) for those interested. In the REAL WORLD, taste is still critical since the best hydration/’lytes/fueling plan is worthless if the athlete can’t/won’t consume the product due to distaste.
Incidentally- Remember that fructose intolerance (GI upset, inc diarrhea) is a real issue for many endurance athletes especially when consuming large quantities over time. Cannot re-emphasize Coach’s point enough to try out products during training. Nothing new on race day!