ROCKSTAR PURE ZERO RED ICE

Posted on November 14, 2019 | Last updated February 9, 2025

Released in 2017 in Germany, the Rockstar Pure Zero Red Ice is an original flavor from Germany.

In the United States, a red "Watermelon" flavor from the same Pure Zero line had already been released, but the German Red Ice has a completely different flavor, as the product name suggests.

This time, I’ve done a comparative review for those who have tried the American Watermelon, so please refer to it.

ROCKSTAR PURE ZERO RED ICE

Manufacturer
Country of Origin
Price	200 JPY
Flavor	Watermelon、Cherry
Total rating	★★★☆☆

Author information Author: Energy Drink-kun

In 2001, while living in the United States, I encountered energy drinks through the dance scene and was deeply impressed. After returning to Japan, I found that energy drinks were considered novelty beverages, so I established a comprehensive website in 2013 to share the true appeal of energy drinks. As an energy drink enthusiast, I began drinking them seriously again, collecting over 7,000 varieties of energy drinks from various countries. I am also active as a critic and expert, receiving media interviews.

Flavor of ROCKSTAR PURE ZERO RED ICE

ROCKSTAR PURE ZERO RED ICE
I was expecting an American watermelon flavor, so I was surprised by the sweet scent that hit me as soon as I opened the can. Also, it doesn't have the typical grassy taste of watermelon. Could it be a different flavor unique to Red Ice?

The first impression when I drank it was a sourness. It's definitely not watermelon. It's very different from the American watermelon flavor.

For a moment, I thought it might be a strawberry flavor with a stronger sourness and reduced sweetness, but after drinking it, I noticed a slight grassy scent in my nose, along with hints of watermelon and melon-like flavors.

ROCKSTAR PURE ZERO RED ICE
However, the sourness is very strong, and it is clearly not watermelon flavored. It has more of a taste similar to the Super Sours series with a stronger sourness, and the sour cherry flavor stands out more. Since it has almost no sugar, the sweetness and umami that you would typically find in cherry are absent. There is a faint melon-like grassy scent in the aftertaste, so you could describe it as a mix of sour cherry and watermelon.

Energy Ingredients of ROCKSTAR PURE ZERO RED ICE

It contains 160mg of caffeine, 2000mg of taurine, 50mg of guarana, and 50mg of ginseng, making it a fairly typical energy blend.
ROCKSTAR PURE ZERO RED ICE
Though it’s part of the Pure Zero series, it’s not actually zero-calorie.

Design of ROCKSTAR PURE ZERO RED ICE

ROCKSTAR PURE ZERO RED ICE
The design features a big star with "Pure Zero" prominently displayed vertically. The red-based can with silver cracks is the same as the American Pure Zero cans, so the design base is almost identical between the U.S. and Germany.

ROCKSTAR PURE ZERO RED ICE
Silver top with a red top. It’s nice since many European cans don’t have logo tabs like this.

Comparison of Red Ice and Watermelon

Let’s compare the German Red Ice with the American Watermelon flavor once again. Both are from the Pure Zero series.

ROCKSTAR PURE ZERO RED ICE
Both are red, but Red Ice has a brighter, pinkish hue.

ROCKSTAR PURE ZERO RED ICE
From above, you can really tell the difference in color. Both are transparent red, but Red Ice looks brighter and thinner.

The scent when opening the cans is noticeably more grassy with the American Watermelon, and it has a stronger sweetness with sourness as an accent, which gives a typical watermelon flavor. Of course, that's expected for a watermelon flavor (^_^;)

In terms of taste, the difference in sweetness and grassy notes is quite striking. Red Ice tastes much more like a cherry-flavored drink, and I felt like they should be classified as completely different flavors.

If you’ve tried the American watermelon flavor first, you might think, "This is just a grassy watermelon," based on the preconceived notion, but no matter how you taste it, Red Ice isn’t watermelon. It’s more of a sour cherry and sour apple flavor. If Red Ice had been released first, without the watermelon reference, you’d never think it tasted like watermelon.

When you line them up, it feels like they just got a big star added to the design. The inside is completely different, though.
ROCKSTAR PURE ZERO RED ICE
Whether you prefer the old design or the new "big star" look will depend on your taste. Looking at the design from the side, Red Ice has a stronger presence, but from the front, I think the old design looks better. The big star with just a giant star on it looks a little awkward.

I’ll also quickly include the ingredients here.
ROCKSTAR PURE ZERO RED ICE
The calories are low, so it seems okay for a zero-calorie drink. It has just 20kcal, so there shouldn’t be any issue if you drink it as part of the Pure Zero line.

The End of Pure Zero in Germany...

In 2020, both Red Ice and Silver Ice were discontinued in Germany.
ROCKSTAR PURE ZERO RED ICE
I was expecting it to be a long-term, low-calorie, and sugar-free product, but unfortunately, it was gone from stores after about two and a half years.

The German Silver Ice is different from the American version, but since the product name is the same, I haven’t reviewed it separately. You can check out the review page for the Australian Zero Sugar series Silver Ice, which I reviewed during a comparison: here.